Dems mull intel panel rules ploy (to investigate Bush) -The Hill

[Rose Siding]

complex and boring Senate rules article, but the outcome could be vitally significant

snip>
Rule 11.2 states that “the Staff Director shall recommend to the Chairman and Vice Chairman the testimony, papers, and other materials to be presented to the Committee at any meeting.”

Those rules could hamper Democratic efforts to investigate politically charged issues related to the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq.

One intelligence expert said Republicans have succeeded so well in tying up Democrats that they have been unable to investigate the authority he said was most responsible for the intelligence failures prior to the war, namely the White House.

“Bush has not been blamed much for the intelligence failures,” said retired Lt. Gen. William Odom, who served as the director of the National Security Agency from 1985 to 1988 and the Army’s chief of intelligence from 1981 to 1985. “The director of central intelligence worked for Mr. Bush. If they performed badly, why didn’t he get blamed?

“Whether by chance or by wit the administration has been able to … take the focus of responsibility away from the White House and put it on the intelligence community. The Democrats have fallen for that gambit and created illusion in the public’s mind...The Republicans have sucker-punched them with such effectiveness it’s amazing.”

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020205/Dems.html

[blm]

1. Send this one to your local papers. This is a HOT one.

And remind the newsroom that 4 years ago this week, Bush was handed the Hart-Rudman Report on Global Terror which he refused to read or even consider.

[KoKo]

5. Why? the article says nothing, really. Just states Repugs have been

sucessful and the Dems don't want to do anything which would affect the "bi-partisan" nature of the committee.

It's sounds like the same old "hand-ringing" crap we've been hearing for years now.

And with the budge 60/40 split what can the Dems do anyway. It's amazing to me the Repugs found ways to bypass rules for years when they were in the minority because they had "Loudmouths" like Gingrich and Lott...but the Democrats continue to say "we must work together."

Done deal, sadly...:-(

[yurbud]

2. this drives me nuts and was the problem with intel "reform"

It was fixing a problem that came from the White House. The only problem with the intelligence community on Iraq was that they complied with Bush's demands to distort their reports.

[EVDebs]

3. Whatever became of the investigation into Repubs spying on

their Democratic fellow legislators ?

[TahitiNut]

4. Blame-shifting from the party of 'responsibility'?

I'm shocked there's gambling going on in here! :eyes:

People who're deluded by this regime's blatant lies and propaganda deserve to be in chains.