WMD Intel: Phase 2, The Quickening
We can, and they will I suppose, argue all day about whether the Democrats calling for a private session was a “stunt,” but who really cares? As of this date, the US Senate Select Committee report on pre-war intelligence is technically incomplete. Phase one investigated the intelligence itself, reaffirming what we knew already, that it was all wrong, but also found no political pressure was applied by the Bush administration on the intelligence analysts. Fair enough, despite the fact that what constitutes as “pressure” is still much debated within the committee itself. Phase two is what has yet to be completed. Ultimately, everyone should be calling for this very important investigation to be expedited, not only the Democrats, because it will at least semi-finalize this long standing debate.
Phase two will look into the question of whether or not administration officials misused the intelligence they had. It will determine if the administration exaggerated claims that weren’t supported by the underlying intelligence they had available at the time. For example, if a politician made claims about a “certain” Iraq - Al Qaeda relationship when the intelligence only indicated a possible one, littered with caveats…well, that politician is in trouble. Phase two has been pushed back time and time again, and democrats claim Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is stalling. Roberts claims they have known the agenda all along. Whatever. Shut up, do what we pay you to do, and finish this thing.
Lately we’ve heard Bush remark how “irresponsible” it is for those to claim the administration mislead the nation into war. If this is true than the president ought to be the first one to urge the committee to finish their investigation which will apparently exonerate him.
Factcheck.org has a background article on the whole WMD-intel question and shows that much has been distorted by both parties, but adds that the investigation remains unfinished, reminding us that “there’s plenty to investigate.” Indeed.
December 3rd, 2005 at 9:40 am
Plame’s objective was to use the Niger trip and Wilson to blow covert WMD policy, Bush/Rice and her WMD degree, and CIA covert WMD schooling; which became mandatory for all CIA operations officers. She also sent alot of memos before the Uranium operation was used by her(it was a foreign intelligence penetration operation aimed at Bush and Rice). She was attempting to get others involved in what was, in fact a rogue operation. There were alot of memo leaks after she got peeved.
In addition to using a foreign intelligence operation aimed at US government leaders to get rid of WMD, she used her and Wilson’sconnections in Iraq to commit acts that called for an organized crime DOJ prosecuter like Fitzgerald to investigate after her ‘Vanity Fair’ article and admission to being a CIA operations officer. DOJ oraganized crime department handles bad CIA agents like Aimes, Howard, etc. Fitz passed and went after his true passions, politicians. He failed at his job and DOJ and Pentagon now report globally, incuding domestically, to CIA. This was done by Congress because Fitz failed at his job and to protect Plame from indictment. The answer afer Plame was protected was to leak the CIA prison story and ask DOJ to investigate. Its a conflict of interest.