Obama answered my email about the Downing Steet Minutes!! You MUST read!

[in_cog_ni_to]

I've emailed Obama 3 times about the DSM. He finally answered...probably to SHUT ME UP! :7 Anyway, it sounds like he and Congress (Dems) aren't going to let this die!



Dear Vickie:

Thank you for contacting me regarding our policy in Iraq, particularly in regard to the faulty intelligence that was presented to the United Nations and Congress on the eve of war. I agree the contents of the Downing Street memo are very troubling, and you can rest assured that I will be looking into this matter very closely. I suspect this subject will remain a topic of heated public debate for some time, and I certainly understand your concerns.

I share your general disappointment at the Administration’s handling of the Iraq war, which has put us in a position where leaving that country risks chaos and staying has immeasurable financial and social costs. An immediate priority for Congress must be to ensure that the American people are getting truthful and accurate information about when and how we will bring our troops home, and that our soldiers, guardsmen and reservists receive all the benefits they are entitled to on their return.

In regard to the faulty intelligence we now know existed before the war, I understand why you and many members of Congress feel as though they were duped by the Administration. I cannot fault anyone -- members of Congress or the American citizen -- for feeling as though this nation was manipulated into war. It is my hope that this experience will serve as a lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable for the information they present to the country and should think twice before letting policy bias override hard intelligence. We should hope that the criticism engendered by the Iraq case will prevent similar mistakes in the future.

Thank you again for your message, Vickie. Please do not hesitate to keep in touch on this or any issue of concern to you.


Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Sounds like they are going to take it serious now the web is keeping

it alive, thank god for the internet and its excess to all good people.

:kick:

[Mizmoon]

2. I'm impressed

As much as I love Schumer and Clinton, I don't think I'd EVER get a personal reply from either one ...

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Good to hear!!

Yay! I'm glad. Now Obama is on the case too! I'm glad to hear that. I hope in 2006 I have a democratic senator and congressman.

[in_cog_ni_to]

7. Obama answers his own emails!

I received another one the other day in response to an email I sent him about the Veterans benefits being cut. He actually apologized for taking so long to respond to my email! :) He's been an AWESOME Senator so far.

[funflower]

66. self-delete

[Baaad Puppet]

33. As a Californian, Mizmoon

I can tell you that no matter how well written, how thoughtful, how impassioned your concern, an email to Senator Clinton will earn you nothing more than a canned response -- because she's too busy to consider non-New Yorkers' national concerns. (I'd written to her urging a persistent stance on 'exploring' 9/11, since New York was *her* watch that day.)

For those of you who'd like to try this at home (outside New York) go ahead; might be fun to see if Iowans get a different boilerplate reply than Californians. Here's mine:

Subject: Thank you for writing to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 14:42:01 -0400

Dear Friend:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me via e-mail. I hope you will understand that, because of the volume of e-mails I receive from residents of New York State, I cannot at this time respond to messages received from residents of other states. I encourage you to contact your U.S. senators if you have an issue or concern that needs immediate attention. You can access your senators electronically by visiting http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index_by_state.cfm for a listing of their contact information. If you are still interested in learning more about the work I am doing on behalf of New York State, I hope you will continue to monitor my work through my website at http://clinton.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
New York State

[Mizmoon]

35. On the other hand her office was VERY helpful to me

one time when I called to ask about a state issue (I prefer not to elaborate). An employee called me two days later with the exact info I needed. Not Hil herself, but she does run a tight ship.

[NYFlip]

47. II agree

I've e-mailed both and never gotten a personal reponse from either. I never even got a computer generated one from Schumer

[nicholieeee]

3. its about time

on another note....has anyone else heard anything about the hearings that are going to be held on the 17th regarding the DSM?

[FreedomAngel82]

5. There are hearings??

Do you have more info??

[sundancekid]

15. hearings et al will be on friday the 16th of june ...see thread link below

(and you can search for even more threads on this subject)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1842819

[Triana]

17. 16th of June is a Thursday (n/t)

[sundancekid]

67. thanks for the correction -- so focused on correcting the date to 16th

(rather than the 17th as previously posted) that I screwed up the weekday ... I appreciate your heads up for the other folks on this thread ...

[Festivito]

58. Thursday the 16th of June. Not 1 7 it's 16. nt.

[rzemanfl]

6. I don't like the "I suspect" and "feel as though" business. When is

somebody just going to come out and say "lying motherbleepers?"

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. If "I" were a Senator, "I" would have

already beaten the shit out of a few Senators or they would have had a few choice words thrown their way! Frist, Sessions, Santorum, Hatch, Allen, Coleman.....:grr:

Someday, SOMEONE is going to speak the TRUTH about those bastards! :grr:

[EFerrari]

11. You nail it. Too many qualifiers. What did he say? n/t

[Beaverhausen]

19. I agree. Way too vague and non-committal

I get answers from my senators and rep all the time...for instance I just got one from Feinstein about ANWR - I know -old topic but she's busy!!!

Here is a middle paragraph where she at least said what action she took:

snip

As you may know, there was a provision included in the Fiscal
Year 2006 Budget Conference Report that would allow for drilling in
ANWR. I strongly opposed this legislative effort to open one of our
most precious ecological resources. Since our nation's oil refineries are currently operating at maximum capacity, increasing our supply of crude oil by drilling in ANWR will not lower gas prices. As a result, I voted against the Budget because I believe that it did not represent our nation's priorities.

We do need to take steps to reduce our dependence on oil, such
as increasing our Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
On that basis, I have re-introduced the "Automobile Fuel Economy Act
of 2005" (S. 889). This bill would phase in an increase in the CAFE
standards for light duty trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) so that by 2011, light duty trucks and SUVs would meet the same CAFE
standards as cars do today.

snip

[burrowowl]

56. Yes

very non-committal re DSM.

[FearofFutility]

40. I had the sense after reading it

That he was saying he will look into it with the goal of preventing it from happening again, NOT that he feels the administration should have to answer and/or pay for it. Maybe I'm just too cynical :shrug: I do think it's great that he responded, though.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

44. That is precisely what I got from this letter...

...and I don't like it. It's not about "the future", it's about NOW. Time to hold these people to account for what they've done. That's how we keep it from happening again!

[donheld]

8. I'm hoping he is not the only one

who will really work this memo hard.

[liberal N proud]

9. One thing bothers me about this note

" lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable"

What about holding this administration accountable?

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. THAT jumped out at me too.

They HAD BETTER hold this administration responsible! :grr:

[EFerrari]

14. What about it, indeed.

Maybe Senator Obama feels too new to take that on. And I sure would respect the hell out of him if he just up and said he was deferring to the leadership on this one, instead of this no-stand stand.

[Karenina]

27. He didn't feel "too new"

to shoot off his mouth about Dean... :shrug:

[EFerrari]

28. Yes, that was stupid. He's usually better with the press than that. nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

37. What did Obama say about Dean? I must have missed that one.

;)

[Jacobin]

52. He told Dean publicly to "Tone It Down"

Which party is Obama in again?

[adigal]

54. Obama needs to shut his mouth

and if he has a problem with Dean, not use it to get himself publicity. I haven't liked Obama from the beginning, one speech at the convention does not a tough Dem make. Call Dean on the telephone if he has a problem with is rhetoric, don't blab, blab, blab, on the TV.

GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

[welshTerrier2]

30. thanks ... you saved me the trouble of posting this exact point ...

more "mushy words" is not what we need ...

[Guaranteed]

49. That's a THIRD thing.

The whole letter is composed of that crap.

[ComerPerro]

61. I thought that was the point

I read it as:

We are going to hold Bush accountable, and what we do to him will serve as an example for future administrations.


That's how I took it.

[LightningFlash]

13. Obama, they lied and made facts up.

It's way past the point of saying "well there was some mistakes" since the minutes have proven, they willingly made up BS intelligence, duped the british government, and Tony Blair was going to make the case to go to war no matter what.

That LIE has costed billions of dollars.....It's time to move straight to serious impeachment discussion *Because as shown, thousands of lives, and more have been lost and continue to be lost*

[FreedomAngel82]

21. Maybe he should see

that BBC video. Do you think he'd watch it??

[LightningFlash]

31. If he doesn't, I see no reason to support him.

Anyone who's going to tiptoe around the issue is just wasting time when things should be done to correct it.

[wtmusic]

16. Obama = milquetoast

OK, cut him some slack for being a freshman senator...but dayum. That is the most noncommittal statement I have ever read.

[PsyOpsRunsOurCountry]

45. The art of plausible deniability. "Troubling. We'll see." ...n/t

[acmavm]

18. ' I share your general disappointment at the Administration’s handling of

the Iraq war...'

Is this guy a master of understatement or what?

[DanCa]

20. Senator Obama

Has always responded too my emails about politicis well. When I met him at the pan convention he was the first senator to sign our stem cell letter. Does he have faults sure but he's a good man. I am proud he's on our side.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Politicianese for doing nothing.

How sweet. "I suspect.." "It is my hope..." "We should hope..".

Wouldn't it be nice if he said, "I will demand..", "I will withhold my support..", "I will vote against.."

Obama has discovered how to mollify his constituents with weasle words in a hurry.

[rzemanfl]

25. Wasn't he the editor of the Harvard Law Review? No further

training required.

[morgan2]

23. I don't really like his tone

sounds like he's giving in to an investigation of the DSM, that its something he's begrudgingly doing because of pressure. I could be wrong, but that was how it came across to me.

[kliljedahl]

24. Just invalidated your user name Vickie

But beyond that, I actually envy you having a Senator who actually responds with a position in a timely manner. I just received a response from my sEnator today about an E-mail I sent about Terry Schiavo. Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=151&topic_id=2578&mesg_id=2578

gawd awful late & about as non-commital & spineless as you could imagine.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[Atman]

26. Obama said nothing. He will do nothing. Nothing will happen to Bush.

It is my hope that this experience will serve as a lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable for the information they present to the country and should think twice before letting policy bias override hard intelligence.

That is the gist of it..."They'd better not do it again!" But NOTHING will happen to the people who already did it this time.

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. *sigh* Man, I so hope that isn't what he meant.

:( Being a Junior Senator, I'm sure he isn't going to take on the DSM issue by himself. I emailed Durbin the SAME letters I emailed Obama and haven't gotten ANY reply from him on this issue. I'm going to email Obama and ask him what he means by that statement. Let's see if he relies to this one. ;)

[msmcghee]

29. Senators don't send personal e-mail to constituents . .

. . except in very extraordinary circumstances. They don't have time. Neither do reps. They have staff do that. When it's a hot topic like this I'm sure it's a copy of a standard reply for that concern with your name on the address line . . applied by staff and (perhaps) signed by the Senator, but more likely signed by a pantograph machine.

That's not to say that the senator did not approve of the message and does not agree with it. I'm sure he does. And it was probably written after a meeting where he explained and discussed his position with his staff . . and was then approved by him.

One person above mentioned that this was an amazing understatement. It seems he wants to assure his constituents he's taking this seriously - without committing to any particular level of action. Basically, his letter doesn't say much IMO.

I have yet to see Obama take any risks on behalf of liberal principles. He seems like someone who thinks he could be president in 12 years if he doesn't make any mistakes now that could come back to haunt him. That means not taking sides in these battles except rhetorically.

I could be wrong on this. If so, could someone here enlighten me? I don't consider a good speech at the Dem convention taking a risk.

[ComerPerro]

62. Um, he just got elected

Hes very very new. Cut him some slack.

[msmcghee]

68. Are you implying . .

. . that he needs some time in office to figure out what is the right thing to do? I'd suggest that he was elected because he convinced enough voters that he already knew what that was.

To be elected to the senate means that he has many years of experience in politics and that he has a lot of money behind him.

From what I have seen so far he values his future political success more than the liberal principles he so bravely talks about. I'd love to be wrong about him because those liberal principles could really use a hero right now.

[Gold Metal Flake]

32. Vicki, if that is your REAL name...

No longer in_cog_ni_to. ;-)

His language is a little tepid:

"It is my hope that this experience will serve as a lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable for the information they present to the country and should think twice before letting policy bias override hard intelligence. We should hope that the criticism engendered by the Iraq case will prevent similar mistakes in the future."

I guess he's not in a position to say "it is my intention to see the fuckers rot in jail as a lesson to future administrations", but I can dream, can't I?

[Very very sad]

34. Good yet bad

The sad thing about this whole affair? Everyday Bush supporters know about this and don't give a fuck. I have told 5 people about the DSM and they have simply shrugged it off and said it didn't matter.

Face it, there is nothing we can do. We can't impeach them. We can't have new elections. I'm sorry, I've joined DU just for this scandal and have literally been on the verge of tears the past couple of days because people simply don't care about this thing. But God bless Barack.

[msmcghee]

38. Very Very Sad - don't despair.

Read this Buzzflash interview with Conyers. He indicates that we could well be on the path (through this scandal) to the final destruction of the Bush-puke Evil Empire.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/05/06/int05023.html

Hang in there. :headbang:

[sleipnir]

39. Wow, he took time out from bashing Dean and the real Dems to write!

I'm impressed. Obama really is an amazing Senator. He writes letters and attacks decent, upstanding party members. Now only if Obama actually started taking some action.

[Jacobin]

41. The fucker is blaming the intelligence community!!!!!

What an asswipe republicanLite prick.

I've had it with these fucking pink tutus

[in_cog_ni_to]

42. OK...here's what I just emailed him. I'll let you know if I get a response

This is from your last email to me in response to the Downing Street Minutes.


It is my hope that this experience will serve as a lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable for the information they present to the country and should think twice before letting policy bias override hard intelligence. We should hope that the criticism engendered by the Iraq case will prevent similar mistakes in the future.

--------------------------------------------------

Senator Obama,
First just let me Thank You for responding to my emails. I have just one question about this latest email from you. The above Paragraph seems to tell me the Bush administration will not be held responsible for the lies and misinformation for leading this country into an illegal, preemptive and illegitimate invasion of another sovereign country? The Downing Street Minutes PROVE they lied and were planning the invasion as far back as July 2002 and according to 2 Bush staff members, Paul O'Neil and Richard Clarke, the memo is TRUE because they both said the same thing in their books. The entire administration should be tried at the Hague for war crimes. I surely hope you aren't telling me that the Senate will not be investigating this issue?

John Conyers will soon have 500,000 signatures supporting IMPEACHMENT. A HALF A MILLION people who want this regime out and out now. 500,000 people will not be ignored. This issue will not just go away. When will Congress and our elected officials start holding the Bush administration responsible for all they have done? They LIED to this country and Congress which is an IMPEACHABLE offense. I do hope you and the rest of Congress aren't trying to just let this fade away? We have lost 1,600 soldiers, tens of thousands have been injured or mamed and 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed, ALL because of the LIES we were told. I won't even get started on the BILLIONS of dollars this illegal war has cost.

I encourage you and other members of Congress to join John Conyers in this fight.

[Atman]

43. Excellent. Thank you.

nt

[misanthrope]

46. You forgot...

...to mention PNAC as evidence for their malice aforethought.

[Guaranteed]

50. Nice. nt

[Jacobin]

51. Good one

We shouldn't let these pink tutus get away with blaming the intelligence community for this. DSM makes it plain that they cooked the intellgence books to make war, admitting that three other nations had more WMDs than Iraq. (as if that were the reason to begin with:eyes:

I'm seriously seriously disappointed in the republican lites that are being heralded as the new leaders for this country. They are PNAC quacks and charlatans for the military industrial complex

[wtmusic]

57. Nice

:yourock:

[Guaranteed]

48. Doesn't sound all that impressive to me. I can't FAULT anyone...?

The Bush Administration HANDLED the Iraq War incorrectly?

This is more milquetoast leadership. It's garbage.

[Jacobin]

53. Amen to that

He's drunk the koolaid

[B Calm]

55. How in hell is he going to hold future administrations accountable,

if they let this administration do as it damn well pleases? Not Impressed..

[katsy]

59. Maybe we've overlooked one thing...

The Dems are the minority party.

It the gop doesn't want to hold this administration accountable, don't expect hearings or an investigation.

I'm sure it pains many good Dem leaders that they can't get bi-partisan hearings. The gop votes in lockstep. Even Conyers' hearing will not get the attention or respect deserved thanks to msm.

Maybe Mr. Obama's message is one of helplessness. I don't have to agree with his every statement to respect him or to believe that he would perform his duty in the best interest of his country if only he could. Congress is not performing it's proper role as a check & balance on the executive branch at this time. His hands are tied. So are Mr. Conyer's. We have a one party rule.

Where do American voters stand on this? I'm not referring to the 500K who have signed Conyer's petition... where's the rest of the voting public? Haven't they heard? Didn't they get that memo? Maybe they're too busy treading water trying to keep themselves from going under financially... who knows? Keep the poor poor and the middle class poorer and pretty soon people are so busy scrambling to survive... they take their eye off the thieves at their door. 500K signatures won't take a corrupt administration down. They won't even blink.

[NVMojo]

60. Good job! Persistence pays off!

[fujiyama]

63. That's really great

I'm especially impressed that he replied and it actually seems like a real response considering so many politicians nevre reply (or at best have a staffer send a standard pre written message).

[Mairead]

64. Note the key issue: this war is a freebie

It is my hope that this experience will serve as a lesson to the intelligence community and future administrations that they will be held accountable for the information they present to the country and should think twice before letting policy bias override hard intelligence. We should hope that the criticism engendered by the Iraq case will prevent similar mistakes in the future.

He 'hopes' that this kerfuffle will prevent 'similar mistakes' in future. Mistakes? This invasion and massacre was a mere mistake??? Whose side is he supposedly on? How stupid does he think we are?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

65. exactly

wow, we are supposed to be blown away by the fact that he responded to an email? The content is enough to make me sick. Just what is he suggesting will be a deterrent to future "mistakes", I havent seen anybody pay any fucking price for this tragedy of a war. If anything this war is proof that with the right propaganda, you can do whatever you want.

[LynnTheDem]

69. Yes, the lessons learned over Vietnam sure worked well.

Not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

70. Wow

he will look into it... RIGHTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I know there is no way to intro the articles in the senate but Barack .. oh lordly, god lordly... lordly lordly