Citing abuse, US Senate Republicans halt Iraq weapons probe

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031108/pl_afp/us_iraq_weapons_probe&cid=1521&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The leader of US Senate Republicans has suspended a politically damaging inquiry into possible inadequacies or misuse of pre-war intelligence on Iraq, saying it was being manipulated "to politically wound the president of the United States."

The announcement by Senate Majority leader Bill Frist in a floor speech Friday capped a heated political row in the upper congressional chamber triggered by a leaked Democratic memorandum outlining a strategy for using the probe for political gain.

"At this moment of peril in our nations history, as our intelligence agencies and our armed forces in the Middle East are at war against our mortal enemies, those responsible for this memo appear to be more focused on winning the White House than they are on winning the war against terror," thundered the Tennessee Republican.

He demanded that the author of the document, presumed to be a member of the Democratic staff on the Senate Intelligence Committee, step forward and identify himself or herself -- and the intended recipient of the memo.

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[kalian]

1. Abuse...or..."getting warmer"....?

:eyes:

[kayell]

25. Damn them! That was my immediate thought too.

They know that there is fire behind all that smoke.

[maryallen]

35. "Hot," "Red Hot" ... Smoking Gun Alert!

Damn, the Dems must be on to something BIG for Billy to just up and call the whole "pre-war intelligence" investigation off.

[acmavm]

2. Someone ought to tell this jackass that the author of this memo will

come forward after the person who "outed" Valerie Plame has been identified.

[grytpype]

3. Start the independent investigation immediately!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Did I just have a back flash to Watergate?

I mean this is so reminisiscent of CREEP, Plumbers
AND REPUBLICAN STONEWALLING

This is GOING TO BACKFIRE on them

[UpInArms]

17. are you familiar with the investigation

on Iran-Contra?

This is one he learned at daddy's knee

see: http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_28.htm

some heavy duty reading - but vastly important

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. This is going to backfire on the Republicans.

I can already hear the America people's collective, "Duh, now get on with the investigation," in response to Frist's whining.

What cry babies, those Republicans.

[Mountainman]

6. to politically wound the president of the United States."

What ever happened to that old conservative mantra, "if he hasn't anything to hide he doesn't have anything to fear"? Oh that is only good when it works in their favor.

[karlschneider]

7. Don, you know of any link to the actual 'memo'? I googled but got

billions and billions of hits...
K

[Pastiche423]

27. I would like that too

TIA

[karlschneider]

30. I'll pm Don if I find it will let you know

...

[Mel]

36. sorry about the source Faux

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102258,00.html

[otohara]

8. The Press Will Protect Bush -

They will sing the song of Frist on every Clear Channel, Infinity, NBC, ABC, CBS radio station & cable news network from sea to shining sea. Screaming this is " Bush hater democrats coming after their boy Bush.

Blame the Dems, use the right-wing corporate media and what do you get? Stolen elections, illegal wars and Gropers for Governors, no investigations.

This country is sucking so badly. We're fucked.

[0007]

13. Remember when Ross Perot told ......

the American people about that large sucking sound that we'd all hear?

[leesa]

19. There must be some breaking point at which it is no longer cost-effective

to support this band of thugs. There has to be some point at which these uber-rich immoral bastards start to feel the pinch of lost trade around the world. I think it will be a watershed of rats fleeing the sinking ship.

[otohara]

26. Not This Time - Media Helped Perpetuate The Lies

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1108-09.htm

There's no way the media will step in and name themselves as coconspirators. Protect Bush and protect themselves from admitting they had a great deal to do with the illegal invasion/occupation.

We're in trouble folks, all the forces are with THEM (because of money) Remember "The Reagans" - the media rolls over, why visions of media consolodation and GOP money that will be rolling in next year.

We are so fucked.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

38. We'll have to depend on foreign Press here. With Powells son running

the FCC and holding American broadcasters by the financial balls, there will be no truth out of them that the white house doesn't want.

It's going to have to be a freelancer or someone outside the American mainstream to blow the lid on this. Sad but true.

[otohara]

9. P.S. Rate This Article -

n/t

[Gin]

10. Stick the probe up his ass....who neds it now...the "invasion bloodbath"

speaks volumes....not to worry folks...bush is withering like an old shrub.

[lancdem]

11. Here's what Josh Marshall says:

The Republicans are puffing themselves up with a lot of mock outrage over this Democratic draft memo. And the White House is about to get into the act too.
I’ve got an idea, a proposal, shall we say, that I’m going to float on behalf of the Democrats to get us past all this acrimony and suspicion.
The Democrats will turn over all their memos and work product on everything to do with intelligence and investigations into intelligence. Everything back to September 1st, 2001.
And I mean everything --- every staff memo, every planning memo, minutes from brainstorming sessions, memos from each senator's staff, communications with the White House and the CIA, and planning and strategizing with regards to both. All the work product. Everything. They’ll package it all together and give one copy to the majority and one copy to the White House.
In exchange, the majority will hand over the same range of documents to the minority and the White House.
And the White House and the rest of the national security-related departments and agencies in the executive branch will hand over the same to the majority and the minority in the Senate.
Deal?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com

[PylesMalfunction]

12. More game playing

What a load of BS! More than anything, the GOP wants this probe stopped before anything damaging comes out. I find it hard to believe that they just happened upon a memo with no identifying names on it. So of course no Democrat will step forward and say that they're the author of it! :eyes:

[Beetwasher]

14. I LOVE THIS!

hahahaha! This is the BEST. You MORON Republicans! Yes! Give this issue and Yours and WH's stonewalling MORE publicity! Hahahahaha!

Gotta love this last line:

"The White House and its allies in Congress have been resisting any wide-ranging probe of pre-war intelligence and its use, fearing it could be hurt Bush's re-election chances next year."

Haw haw haw

[Guaranteed]

21. They're taking it up like this gives it just that much

more validity. Why would they address something like this that isn't true?

[Beetwasher]

23. The Dems Write a Memo About The Repubs Stonewalling and in Response

The Repubs pull the ULTIMATE STONEWALL!!! It's amazing how they could be so stupid.

[lancdem]

22. And check out the first line

"The leader of US Senate Republicans has suspended a politically damaging inquiry ..." Note the use of the phrase "politically damaging."

[wellst0nev0ter]

39. So They Are Outraged Democrat's Attempts At Political Gain

Because it will hurt their own chances at political gain.

Republitards would be great for cheap entertainment if we didn't live in their world.

[Flying_Pig]

15. So once again we see the Repugs invoke their phony-ass

patriotism, saying that because "we're at war" the Dems are not allowed to say or do anything against the "president", and to do so, is tantamount to treason. If this is the card they are going to play, we need to shove it right up their, ...um, .."where the sun don't shine"!

Let's see how the press handles this one. Thus far, the media has facilitated and distributed the regime's propaganda, without fail. If they allow this one (stoppping the investigation) to go by without major clamor, it will, once and for all, tell the rest of us that the media are truly Bush's partners in crime. It's starting to feel like we live in Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany, with the media nothing more than mouthpieces for the regime. It feels very surreal.

The Repugs must be really running scared to do something like this. This is a good thing. Of course, we all know what the committee is finding out; that Bush lied and fabricated the entire prelude to the Iraq invasion. Who does Frist think he's fooling anyway? Idiot dittoheads?

[leesa]

20. But of course we're not at war, I don't ever understand why the Dems

don't point this little tidbit out. As they have said many times this is the post-war phase.

[kayell]

28. The "war on terra" will be endless

and always available as an excuse to cover their lying treasonous asses.

[TankLV]

37. That is why all future actions should involve takeing over the individual

stations - radio & TV - not street demonstration, not protest marches. but breaking into, occupying and barracading ourselve in as many radio and TV stations thruout the country to take over broadcasting and DISPENSE THE TRUTH before we are all killed in the ensuing battle. It HAS come to this.

[suegeo]

16. God I hate these people.

Republicans suck, plus they are covered in blood.

[Lindacooks]

32. Me too

I hate them more every day. Every day they sink to new lows, blurt out new hypocrisies, support the wrong side on every issue. I wish I could stop being surprised by the depths they will sink to, but I always am.

[Mikimouse]

18. I enjoyed this bit of news, but would make a change

"thundered the Tennessee Republican." I hardly think that 'thundered' is the appropriate word here; maybe 'shrieked', or 'whined', or 'spewed', but not 'thundered'. What a crybaby this guy is, and what a sorry excuse for a president he defends. Someone might do Dr. Frist a favor and ask him to consider what his boy has been doing non-stop since his appointment to the WH, if not using his office for a campaign headquarters. Pfffffttt!

[kentuck]

24. We could sure use a little help from that corporate media...

You know, the ones that support a free press and fair and balanced reporting, the Fourth Estate. The ones that this nation depends upon for the information necessary to make important decisions about the direction our nation is going and determine which leaders which lead us into a better world... Don't hold your breath.

[Vis Numar]

29. pitiful

I think this is too easy to see through. The memo is so weak in offense, that the author should come forward, and call these weasals what they are.

[Just Me]

31. When are they going to stop,...

presuming the American people to hold something less than, at least, common sense. Even the party adherents who have survived via their life-lines are catching on to this rat trap. The scam and cover is becoming so obvious,...Saturday Night Live couldn't make a better comedy.

[schultzee]

33. Frist made millions in Medicare fraud...republican thief pigs

stick together. OMG we have to get rid of these stinking pig thieves.

[Aleesha]

34. Cat killer Frist!

This coming from a pig that took hundreds of cats from a shelter for his farm(uha) and sold them to a lab. He's a bigger prick than Jr.

[SideshowScott]

40. Oh yeah what about "travelgate"," "whitewater", " Monicagate" ect..

So according to the republicans you can only investagate somthing deeply if it would wound a Democratic president??? The Republicans dint have a problem turning over any stone, take any rumor as fact and get deep into the heart of the matter true, false or just beacuse of the deep hatered of our last elected president by the GOP. Its not that they think they are TRYING to wound bush..Its beacuse it WILL wound Bush..
The republican double standard is really starting to piss me off..
How much money did the GOP spend invegateing Clinton agian?