DNC: President Bush Needs to Address the Fitzgerald Investigation

[MaineDem]

For Immediate Release
October 28, 2005

Contact: Karen Finney, 202-863-8148


***Corrected Version***

President Bush Needs to Address the Fitzgerald Investigation

Washington, DC - The Democratic National Committee called on President
Bush to delay his scheduled trip to Camp David this weekend and confront
the scandal engulfing his Administration. DNC Communications Director
Karen Finney said today that photo ops and speeches are not enough to
provide the American people the answers they deserve, and that the
President should schedule a primetime news conference to answer all of
the questions that the American people have about this scandal and his
failed leadership.

Finney issued the following statement:

"Public confidence in the direction of our country is crumbling under
the weight of President Bush's failed leadership. From his failure to
find solutions to the challenges confronting ordinary American families
and his failure to put forth a clear plan for victory in Iraq, to his
failure to even support his own Supreme Court nominee, the Bush
Administration is clearly bogged down in a scandal that is distracting
it from attending to the nation's business.

"No matter how hard he tries, President Bush is not going to be able to
put this behind him with photo ops and rhetoric. The American people
deserve answers directly from President Bush about what role his
advisors played in manipulating intelligence to win support for the war
in Iraq, orchestrating efforts to smear opponents of that war, and
conspiring to cover it up. Whether or not Patrick Fitzgerald issues any
indictments, President Bush should go before the American people to
answer those questions so our nation can back to focusing on the
business of the people."

Questions President Bush Needs to Answer

Facing a growing scandal with 39 months to go in his term, and with our
nation facing serious issues--from the war in Iraq, to a growing deficit
and skyrocketing energy prices-- will President Bush pledge to clean
house in the coming days as President Reagan did after the Iran-Contra
Scandal and restore some sense that the people's business, not political
business, is being done?

If the special prosecutor does extend the investigation to continue to
explore the role that Karl Rove and other members of White House Iraq
Group played in the leak of Valerie Plame's identity, will Bush ask Rove
and everyone else implicated in the scandal to step down?

With Vice President Cheney's chief of staff facing a criminal
indictment over his role in disclosing classified information, why did
he receive a security briefing yesterday?

What steps will the White House take to ensure that covert CIA
operatives do not risk having their identity exposed by political
operatives as part of their "politics as usual" operations?

After supposedly checking with them, why did White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan tell the American public that Karl Rove and
Scooter Libby were not involved in the scandal, if Libby is being
indicted and the grand jury is continuing its investigation of Rove's
role?

When will he direct Vice President Cheney to explain the
inconsistencies in his remarks to the public about the scandal? What did
Cheney know and when did he know it?

Did the White House Iraq Group answer to Bush? If they didn't answer to
him, who did they answer to? Will that person step aside? Was he aware
of their actions? If not, why wasn't he aware of what so many of his top
advisors were doing with top secret intelligence?

###

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.

[texpatriot2004]

1. Yes he does Thank you DNC nm

[MadisonProgressive]

I agree he should, but you know he won't.

[MadisonProgressive]

2. I agree he should, but you know he won't.