22 Senators Read 10/1/02 National Intelligence Estimate Before Voting on IWR

[Adelante]

Few senators read Iraq NIE report

Only a handful of senators outside the Intelligence Committee say they read the full 92-page National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq’s ability to attack the U.S. before voting to go to war, according to a survey conducted by The Hill.

The low interest in the classified estimate, or NIE, could offer valuable cover to the five senators seeking the presidency who acknowledged during recent debates that they did not read the complete document before the pivotal Iraq vote.
The Hill contacted all 69 sitting senators who voted on the war authorization in the wee hours of Oct. 11, 2002, as well as former senators who did so.

Twenty-two senators told The Hill that they read the document before the vote. The offices of 38 senators said they had not read the full report or could not recall, while six senators did not comment. Nine sitting senators and 21 former senators did not return repeated requests for comment (see chart).

-snip

Of the 22 senators who reported reading the full NIE, eight are Republicans and 14 are Democrats. All but one Democrat on the 17-person Intelligence Committee in 2002 recalled reading the NIE: Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) told a campaign-trail audience earlier this month that he had, but later recanted. Edwards voted to authorize war.

Full article:

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/few-senators-read-iraq-nie-report-2007-06-19.html

[DrDan]

1. so their vote took us to war . . . but they could not be bothered

to read a 90-page intelligence document prior to their vote.

And why is it they deserve re-election?

[justinrr1]

3. Biden is the only candidate on our side who read it

Doesnt suprise me at all since he is the only one that has put forth a plan for Iraq

[Adelante]

4. Yep

Too bad he voted for the IWR, but I give him credit for being responsible enough to read the NIE.

[TwilightGardener]

5. It's shameful that these Senators had Presidential aspirations but

could not be bothered to read a document on the most important decision they've made in the Senate. Kudos to Joe--he did his fucking job.

[KoKo]

8. you are reading the "Nay's as that they didn't read...it means they voted NO for the Authorization..

Check the list again and read the first list which is Senators who Read the Report and How they VOTED!

Byrd, Kennedy, Leahy and Levin among others read the report ...and voted NAY on the Iraq Resolution.

[TwilightGardener]

13. Sorry to be unclear, I was talking only about Presidential candidates--

it appears that only Biden, out of ALL prez candidates, bothered to read the report. Not Hillary, Edwards, McCain, Dodd, or Brownback.

[KoKo]

6. NO! Read the list again. Biden is Not the only Dem who read it...

[Adelante]

7. The only Dem *candidate* nt

[KoKo]

9. Byrd, Kennedy, Levin, Graham (fla), Leahy among others read it and voted Nay on going to War....!

Read the report....

[Adelante]

12. You've misunderstood justinrr1's post

Nobody is saying Biden was the only Democrat to read the NIE before the vote, but the only 2008 Democratic candidate to read it before voting.

[KoKo]

15. Sorry.....I did read it wrongly.... Apologize....

:blush:

[Adelante]

16. No problem, KoKo

We all do that :pals:

[TwilightGardener]

2. My Senators: Ben Nelson--did not read the report.

Chuck Hagel--Read the report. Hagel is not a surprise, I would expect him of all people to have read it, but I am disappointed in Nelson. He did not earn his paycheck on that occasion.

[AtomicKitten]

10. incompetent dumbasses

IMO not only should those that voted "yes" on the IWR be ineligible to run for president, but that goes double for those that voted "yes" having not bothered to read this administrations' lame case for war.

Shame.

[FrenchieCat]

11. And those who "can't recall"........what they did exactly.....well,

what can I say other than double what you said? :shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

14. that would be their lame effort

at glossing over their incompetent dumbassery and hoping nobody notices