Senate's Iraq Probe to Include Bush, Aides

[papau]

Comment: While the initial report(review of the performance of the intelligence agencies) in late March will be interesting, this to be issued later report on these new areas of investigation, if released prior to Nov 04, could be really interesting!..."Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof — the smoking gun — that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud," Bush Cincinnati 10/02 speech

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=1&u=/latimests/20040213/ts_latimes/senatesiraqprobetoincludebushaides

Senate's Iraq Probe to Include Bush, Aides
Fri Feb 13, 7:55 AM ET
By Greg Miller Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — In a blow to the Bush administration, the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday that it planned to investigate whether White House officials exaggerated the Iraq threat or pressured analysts to tailor their assessments of Baghdad's weapons programs to bolster the case for war. <snip>

New areas of inquiry will include "whether any influence was brought to bear on anyone to shape their analysis to support policy objectives," the statement said. Sources involved in the investigation said they had turned up no evidence so far that there was such pressure, or that analysts shaded their assessments to please the White House.

<snip>But the most significant shift for the committee is its determination to now examine "whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq" by administration figures were "substantiated by intelligence information." The statement said the committee would examine public comments and claims made not only by the current administration but by officials in the Clinton administration.<snip>

The committee now plans to issue an initial report based on its review of the performance of the intelligence agencies in late March or early April, the aide said, and the new areas of investigation could be the subject of a subsequent report. No date has been set, but Democrats are likely to push to get the information released well before the November elections.

<snip>

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZI9PFMQD.html

Senate Panel Agrees to Examine Statements on Iraq Intelligence

By Ken Guggenheim Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 13, 2004


WASHINGTON (AP) -<snip> ..The committee will examine "whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials (between the 1991 Gulf War and the Iraq War) were substantiated by intelligence information," committee leaders said in a statement Thursday night.

<snip>In addition to examining public statements, the Senate committee will also review intelligence activities involving the office of Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy, and intelligence provided by the Iraqi National Congress, the leading exile group.

Democrats have charged that the Office of Special Plans under Feith functioned as a renegade intelligence agency, feeding policy-makers uncorroborated intelligence from the group. The Pentagon has said the office was a small operation set up to review intelligence produced by other agencies. <snip>

[seemslikeadream]

1. Thanks

I thought maybe I was dreaming when I heard this

[SoFlaJets]

2. As IF.......

it'll mean anything with a republican majority in the senate.This means unless either Chuck Hagel or John McCain are on the committee and are in a good mood we can forget about anything coming of this.Lets face the facts here folks-these people operate with total disregard for the rule of law-only when a democrat breaks it will their outrage have consequences.

[fob]

4. Yeah, I have a feeling a leak of the pending report will happen in Oct

that says the WH did NOT manipulate intelligence. Of course the final report will say otherwise in 2005.

[central scrutinizer]

8. exactly

To a Republican, the interests of the party trumps everything else: truth, honor, morality, the interests of the country, everything. This will be another whitewash.

[Beetwasher]

3. It's Something

I'll take what I can get...The report's still not going to be released until after the election though...

[54anickel]

7. That might not be bad....If the investigation stays in the news, it may

create a lot of doubt and certainty in the Chimps base. It's probably better than a bogus report exonerating him BEFORE the election.

[Beetwasher]

9. True That!

To some degree...

[calimary]

5. Time for that TOLL FREE Capitol Hill number: 1 (800) 839 - 5276

I just now used it to call McCain's office and plead for him to do ANOTHER service to his country, and investigate the Office of Special Plans.

This number, by the way, will connect you to anybody's office in the House and/or Senate, JUST FOR THE ASKING. And YES, it's TOLL FREE. PLEASE take advantage of it. The whole procedure is painless and only takes - what? Maybe 60 to 90 seconds.

[jpak]

6. ChimpCo "brought influence to bear...to shape analysis" - ya think?

Lets see...

In February 2002, the Chimp makes the decision to go to war with I-raq and instructs his flying monkeys to "Go, find me a way to do this".

Subsequently, Cheney makes numerous unprecedented visits to CIA headquarters to personally supervise the development of intel on I-raqi WMD.

Then Rummy, Wolfie and the rest of the DOD neocons establish the Office of Special Plans. The OSP funnels unvetted and unverified intel straight from A. Chalabi and the I-raqi National Congress to Cheney's office.

The result? Every pre-war claim ChimpCo made regarding I-raq WMD was false -every single one!

Who do they think they're kidding?????