Rockefeller Statement on Senate Intelligence Committee’s priorities in 110th Congress

[Lasher]

Hooray for Jay! I can't furnish a link on this yet. I just received it via email. Maybe some of us will eventually forgive Jay for voting for the torture bill.

For Immediate Release November 15, 2006
Contact: Wendy Morigi 202-224-6101

Rockefeller Statement on Senate Intelligence Committee’s Priorities in 110th Congress

Washington, DC -- Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV) has been selected to be the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence when the Senate reconvenes in January under a Democratic majority. The following is Senator Rockefeller’s statement which reflects his key areas of focus for the committee in the next Congress.

"The Intelligence Committee has an enormous responsibility to help guide and oversee the programs aimed at keeping Americans safe. It is a duty and a responsibility that I take very seriously.

"As we look to the future and the challenges we face, we will only be successful if we recognize that intelligence is not the responsibility of one party or one branch of government – it is a shared responsibility.

"The committee faces many critical and pressing issues that will have an effect on our national security in both the long and short-term.

"To start with, the committee must look ahead to the next 10 years in the war on terror and insist that the United States Intelligence Community create a comprehensive, global counter-terrorism plan for the next decade. This strategy must be informed by a better understanding of emerging threat areas in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and other parts of the Middle East.

"We need to conduct an agency by agency review which will allow us to measure the implementation of the 2-year old intelligence reform legislation and recommend any necessary changes.

"We must insist on full access to the NSA warrantless surveillance program and the CIA detention and interrogation program. Only then, can we conduct thorough oversight of these programs and determine whether they are legal, appropriate, and effective and what, if any, legislative action must be taken.

"We need to put more of an emphasis on our ability to disrupt potential terrorist threats at home, which starts with addressing the missteps and slow transformation of the FBI.

"We need to conduct a careful review of our counter-proliferation efforts, particularly against North Korea and Iran, and other rogue states.

"Finally, as part of our core oversight responsibilities, the committee must complete its long-overdue, unfinished business, related to the use and misuse of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq.

"We have already put out three reports related to pre-war Intelligence on Iraq, and we will complete the three remaining sections of Phase II. No decisions have been made about the timing and process going forward, but our goal has always been to tell the full story about the role of intelligence and the mistakes that were made in the lead up to the war."

Emphasis mine.

[texpatriot2004]

1. That's great news, let's hear what really happened nm

[Botany]

2. Jay know where this will lead ....

He will release the pre war Iraq intel that Sen. Pat Roberts has been hiding
and he knows that the NSA crap bush & company did was illegal as hell.

Investigations will bring fruit to feed a hungry country. I hope bush has
his land in South America ready soon. He is going to need it.

[Morgana LaFey]

15. Wish I felt as optimistic

I've never thought of Rockefeller as that open and forthcoming. We'll see. I do hope you're right.

[Marie26]

3. Good.

Now Rockafeller won't have to lock away his objections in a secret vault.

[SoFlaJet]

4. and you have to know

that senator Roberts is shitting bricks as we write this

[Botany]

5. Yes he is!

Phase 2 follow up on 9/11 and pre war in Iraq intel.

The report he has buried for years. bush is sooooo
screwed :rofl:

[Lasher]

6. I'm looking forward to hearing Roberts whine about this

I had a discussion about this with Jay's staff a few days ago. If I didn't know better I would swear they put the last paragraph in this press release just for me.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2672456

[Marnieworld]

11. Lovely image

:rofl:

Yes. I was thinking about that as well. Wasn't it 2 years ago that Reid etc shut down the Senate to get it released? I can't wait. Between Waxman, Levin, Leahy, Conyers and Rockerfeller the truth will be known and appropriate steps can be taken. This stuff is way beyone Impeachment if it is ever truly confronted. We need to take back the heart and soul of this country. Let the hearings begin!

Now if only they can see Global Warming as a security issue too.

[LittleClarkie]

7. How long ago did Kerry ask them to do that, but the Repub chairman ignored him

I'm thinking of the letter Kerry wrote in response to the Downing Street minutes to the Intelligence Committee, asking if they'd please do their damn job.

[Lasher]

8. I remember that

Here's a list of roadblocks pertaining to Phase II but it doesn't mention Kerry's letter:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5232989

[leesa]

9. Sounds to me like they're planning to blame it on 'faulty intelligence'...the

BS line BushCo has been using.

I don't have a whole lot of confidence in this guy after his vote for torture. That was too big. It was a moral/legal issue that should never have become a political wedge for ANYONE.

WHY can't he tell right now that warrentless wiretapping is illegal???

[Lasher]

12. I can't justify Jay's vote for the torture bill

But the remaining 3 chapters of Phase II are about the administration's behavior in the runup to the Iraq war. The faulty intelligence aspect has been covered in already-released chapters of Phase I & II. I don't think you'll be seeing the same old whitewash from the Intelligence Committee after Roberts gets the hook.

[KoKo]

10. Sounds like a good start. I hope he can unblock the Part II of Intelligence

Report that Roberts has held back for two years. I hope he can have subpoena's served and honored.

[Lasher]

13. Oh, he certainly will be able to publish the rest of Phase II

All the needs is to replace Roberts as committee chairman and have a Democratic majority on the committee. And that is a done deed, unless the Democratic leadership makes concessions to Republicans due to the slim majority we have in the Senate. What I'm thinking of is letting Republicans have the same number of members on committees as Democrats have, with Democrats chairing all committees and controlling the agenda. It's not so crazy, it's happened before.

But barring any knuckleheaded giveaway like that, you can take it to the bank, the remaining 3 chapters of Phase II are going to be published soon after Jay takes the helm. And it won't be a bunch of crap that just makes scapegoats of the CIA either.

[grizmaster]

14. Was hoping for immediate action on

on the pre-war intelligence fixing.

Guess it's time to start writing Jay a long letter on why he should release the report immediately.

-------

"We have already put out three reports related to pre-war Intelligence on Iraq, and we will complete the three remaining sections of Phase II. No decisions have been made about the timing and process going forward, but our goal has always been to tell the full story about the role of intelligence and the mistakes that were made in the lead up to the war."

[Lasher]

16. Don't worry, you'll see action

First Jay needs to assume the chairmanship in January. Then we'll need to appoint another Democrat to serve on the committee, to give us a majority. After that, hopefully, he'll fire all the Republican staffers that were hired by Roberts, replacing them with Democratic staff. Then he just needs to dust off what they already have prepared on these last 3 chapters and probably make some changes, since the current unfinished versions would surely reflect a pro-Junior bias because they were developed mostly by Republicans.

Just a wild guess, I'm saying end of February.