(Sen. Pat ) Roberts blasts closed session 'stunt'

[sabra]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/02/senate.iraq/index.html

Roberts blasts closed session 'stunt'
Deal struck to advance investigation on prewar intelligence

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Pat Roberts, the Republican head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that Democrats knew progress was being made in an investigation of intelligence that led to the Iraq war when they called for a rare closed session.

Appearing on CNN's "American Morning," Roberts said his staff informed Democrats of the status of the investigation "just two days ago." He said his staff told Democrats the committee was completing "Phase 2" of its investigation.

Roberts accused Democrats of pulling a political "stunt" when Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, made the motion Tuesday, but Democrats said the move was necessary to overcome Republican efforts to "obstruct" a full investigation and a reluctance to investigate how administration officials handled the intelligence used to sell Congress and the public on invading Iraq.

Reid and other Democrats could not be immediately reached to comment on Roberts' remarks.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. sorry, but I don't believe Roberts

the repukes have a history of not telling Dems anything. Reid had every right to highlight the need for openness and progress in the investigation.

[struggle4progress]

31. Missing WMD Report (CBS 5 March 2005)

... Last July the Senate Intelligence Committee released a much-anticipated report on the prewar intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ... But the committee's report did not cover .. how the Bush Administration used -- or abused -- the prewar intelligence to build support for the Iraq invasion. Roberts claimed .. that there was not enough time before the November election to complete the assignment ... Now -- with Bush re-elected --Roberts no longer considers Phase II a priority. In mid-March, Roberts declared further investigation pointless. He noted that if his committee asked Bush officials whether they had overstated or mischaracterized prewar intelligence, they'd simply claim their statements had been based on "bum intelligence." Roberts remarked, "To go though that exercise, it seems to me, in a postelection environment -- we didn't see how we could do that and achieve any possible progress. I think everybody pretty well gets it" ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/25/opinion/main683141.shtml

[VaYallaDawg]

2. After his assassination request who can believe anything from this nutjob?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. Sure you're not thinking about Pat Robertson?

:patriot:

[VaYallaDawg]

14. Woops! How right you are.

Guess I'm getting my nutjobs mixed up. Oh well there are so many to choose from - and so little time!!!

[KansDem]

35. Try to think of them as "Nutjob One" and "Nightjob Two"

Like Dr. Seuss's "Thing One" and "Thing Two."


Hi! I'm Pat Robertson and he's Pat Roberts!

...might be easier to keep them separate.

[VaYallaDawg]

38. LOL - thanks for the grin to start my day!!!

[napi21]

3. Even the MSM isn't buyin that one!

I heard many reporters relating what Roberts said, but then saying that just wasn't true!

[ticapnews]

5. He himself said the investigation was on the "back burner"

Stick it where the sun don't shine, Senator. We're sick of lies.

[Delphinus]

6. I'm sick of all these

"news" organizations calling it a "stunt". This was business that needed to be taken care of.

I can tell you now, it would not be considered a "stunt" if the repubs had done it.

[Tamarin]

23. Why do the "news" organizations hate America?

Don't they want to know how the intelligence was used to sell the war to Congress and to the public? No? Gee, one would think maybe they were feeling guilty about something.

[displacedtexan]

7. Following senate rules is now a "stunt?"

Read the damned rule book, Repukes... and dump your loser Fristian senate leader. He really blew it this time, and he made you all look like fools!

</anti-Repuke rant>

[ChiciB1]

8. So Why Didn't THEY Invite Dems????

The REAL truth is that they HAVE BEEN stone-walling. Anyone with one-quarter or one-eighth of a brain should be able to figure THIS out!!

The story SHOULD have been.... The Real Reason The Dems Felt Compelled To Do What They Did! Don't go ask "the stone-waller!"

MSM... you STILL need to get On-Board!!!

[Pirate Smile]

10. Right. How many previous times has Roberts told the Democrats that

they were working on it? Too many to count. They knew it was bullsh@#!

[RobertSeattle]

9. Show me the Report or STFU

eom

[bigluckyfeet]

29. The Only Thing Roberts Was Doing

Was finishing the coverup.

"He said his staff told Democrats the committee was completing "Phase 2" of its investigation."

[MrBenchley]

11. Wonder what he said when Republicans closed the Senate SIX times

back whne they were trying to pretend Bill Clinton getting a blowjob was a crime?

[Halliburton]

12. i'm sure Andrea Mitchell feels for him

these two are just like Scooter and Judy

[warrens]

13. Pretty effective "stunt"

Dems now have oversight of the investigation and can scream foul.

[gratuitous]

15. Awww, poor Sen. Roberts

Someone gave him a well-earned kick in the ass and made him get off his pasty white behind and actually get moving on the investigation he's been promising to do for a year and a half.

Roberts clearly didn't like where the evidence was leading, stopped his investigation in the middle of the 2004 campaign, and hoped it would just go away. Reid served notice yesterday that there is still a segment of this country that would like to know whether this corrupt administration fomented and pursued a war based on false premises and faked evidence.

It's funny, Sen. Roberts. When you ask people to kill and die for something, after awhile, they get curious about whether it's worth it. You might feel the same way if your son or daughter was in the shit instead of living the pampered life off the blood and bones of other people.

[peekaloo]

16. He seems to be confused about this "democracy" thang.

He's Cockroach Numero Uno.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. You'd almost think the Democrats had tried to ...

shut down the government ... twice!

[BR_Parkway]

18. Hey CNN - next time, ask them for a copy of the 'status' report or

better yet, ask them why they had to tell the Democratic members of the committee that there was progress, shouldn't the committee members have known what the progress was, regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on?

[0007]

19. Pat Roberts is a disgrace to humanity and should be relieved

of his duties as a U.S. Senator.

[Neecy]

40. I wish we could

This turd is one of my senators and I believe he's up for re-election next year. I don't know that we're running anyone against him (Brownback only got a token opposition last year).

Roberts is an arrogant SOB who richly deserves to be voted out of office. Disgusting as Brownback is, his staff always ensures that constituent communications are answered, and his responses are always prompt. Roberts has yet to answer a single letter that I've sent to his office - not one. He obviously feels that he's in that office for life and his constituents be damned. I really hope the Kansas Democratic party runs someone credible against this bastard.

[feminazi]

20. I think Sen Roberts is confused

At one point he said they're finishing Phase II:
"He said his staff told Democrats the committee was completing "Phase 2" of its investigation."

Then later he says this:
""However long it takes, working in good faith, we will look into Phase 2 and see what we can do and finish that product," Roberts said."

And his comment about the Democrats politicizing this? pot meet kettle.

asshole!

[Chovexani]

21. Boo hoo

Somebody call Roberts a Waaaahmbulance!

I haven't been this proud of the Dems in a long time. Keep 'em sweatin'! :yourock:

[Tamarin]

22. Reid is correct,

Roberts is trying to obstruct a full investigation, he does not want to examine how the intelligence was used by policymakers, he said so in his letter to Kerry. America needs to know how the intelligence was used, not just how it was gathered. We need an investigation of the WHIG.

[jamesinca]

37. You mean obstruct like this

It is from RAW Story but the link does not seem to be working. I picked this up sometime back from a thread here on the DU.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Senate Intelligence chairman quietly 'fixed' intelligence, and diverted blame from White House over Iraq

Larisa Alexandrovna

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush issued an order to the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, and his cabinet members that severely curtailed intelligence oversight by restricting classified information to just eight members of Congress.

?The only Members of Congress whom you or your expressly designated officers may brief regarding classified or sensitive law enforcement information,? he writes, ?are the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, and the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Intelligence Committees in the House and Senate.?

-snip-
But what was said to be an effort to protect the United States became a tool by which the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Pat Roberts (R-KS) ensured there was no serious investigation into how the administration fixed the intelligence that took the United States to war in Iraq or the fabricated documents used as evidence to do so.

Coupled with limited access to intelligence documents, RAW STORY has found that Roberts and a handful of other strategically-placed Washington players stymied all questions into pre-war intelligence on Iraq and post-invasion cover-ups, including the outing of a CIA covert agent, by using targeted leaks and artfully deflecting blame from the White House.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/HowSenate_Intelligence_ch...

[Tamarin]

39. Yes, thank you, I hadn't seen that yet. n/t

[onehandle]

24. Wahhhh! They hurt our feeeeelings! Wahhhh!

Who cares what the people want, Right?

[Metta]

25. Sour grapes.

Tough.

[peacetalksforall]

26. Roberts is right up there in the league of Cheney and Rumsfeld. He is

their number one facilitator (and blocker). He is as corrupt as they come. He is supposed to represent all the people of his State. He serves Cheney and George, the Fed Society, the Tri-Lateral Commission and all the barons, reverends, military brass, and media hacks.

[chelsea0011]

27. "completing phase 2"? My understanding is there never were hearings

[thebigidea]

28. ah, shaddup and go powder your WC Fields nose, ya old drunk

[TNOE]

30. Heard the interview

barely this morning while getting ready for work - curling hair - and I believe I actually heard Solided O'Brien (sp?) almost call him to task on the "stunt" - saying isn't it in America's best interest to find out what happened with the intelligence? That was about all I caught - so don't know if she hit him any harder or not. Had to hurry and run out the door.

[deadparrot]

32. You know what, Pat? Our stunt didn't kill anyone.

It didn't kill 2000+ of our soldiers, or tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians.

It didn't drag a grieving family's battle into the spotlight, politicize it, and turn the whole affair into a media circus.

It didn't screw the American people in any way, shape, or form. In fact, it did the opposite.

Fuck you, Senator.

[Stil]

33. I don't know how many Calvin and Hobbes fans

But I could not help think of his selling a swift kick in the butt. Wish I had a link to an actual toon of it. Reid just gave that swift kick in the republican butt.

Hobbes: 'How's business?'
Calvin : 'Terrible.'
Hobbes: 'That's hard to believe'
Calvin: 'I can't understand it, everybody I know needs what I'm selling!'

[ignatius 2]

34. Sure you were Roberts. It's only been like ,what, a year?

LIAR,I can just picture one of your low staff members telling a democratic congress person that it will be brought up next week just like you have told them for the last 50 weeks all the while wearing that arrogant smirky ass,I can do anything I fucking please,look on your face.

Now shut up,you have been checkmated in front of all America.

[lovuian]

36. Pat you are covering up a conspiracy and are an accessory to

a great crime against America!!! be careful here hon!!!

[Strawman]

41. Roberts got pantsed in front of the public

and he had it coming, the son of a bitch.