Waxman To Rice: Your Days Of Blowing Off My Letters (About "16 Words" Uranium Claim) Are Over

[Hissyspit]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/30/rice-waxman

Waxman To Rice: Your Days Of Blowing Off My Letters Are Over

At the heart of the CIA leak scandal was a false claim, made by President Bush in the infamous 16 words from his State of the Union address, that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger for a nuclear device.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) has been trying for years to investigate how this fraudulent claim became part of the basis for sending our country to war, beginning with a letter to the White House two days before the war began.

The Bush administration has consistently refused his requests for information. Since the war began, Waxman has written 11 letters to Condoleezza Rice alone — she hasn’t responded to a single one.

On March 12, 2007, he wrote his first letter to Rice as committee chairman, asking that she respond by March 23. She didn’t, and Waxman has had enough:

Dear Madam Secretary:

On March 12, 2007, I sent you a letter renewing, as formal requests of the Committee, prior letter requests that I sent to you between 2003 and 2006. These requests sought information on the claim that Iraq sought uranium from Niger, White House treatment of classified information, the appointment of Ambassador Jones as “special coordinator” for Iraq, and other subjects. My March 12 letter is attached.

The March 12 letter requested a response by March 23 to several of the inquiries, but the Committee received no response from you.

I now request your appearance before the Committee at a hearing on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building. At this hearing, you will be asked to provide testimony and respond to questions on the subjects outlined in the March 12 letter and the original request letters. …

Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Chairman

[LynneSin]

1. Man how many times did I say the best reason for a Democratic Majority....

Henry Waxman, Chairman of the Government Oversignt Committee.

Worth every democrat we got into office including a few new moderate dems that were elected just to see a post like this where Waxman is givin' hell again!!

[Hissyspit]

10. And I started the Waxman Appreciation Thread BEFORE he did this. As DUers tend to say...

WOO HOO!

:toast: to Rep. Waxman (D-CA). The CA stands for kiCk Ass (well, I think so...)

[trotsky]

11. Amen, LynneSin.

Would have been worth a few Lieberman clones just to have Waxman in the position he's in now. How sweet it is!

[truebrit71]

45. Well yeah but then there's "Chairman Conyers" as well..WITH subpoena power...

....that was worth taking a few less than ideal liberals into the fold....

[tblue37]

57. And Barbara Boxer putting Inhofe in his place:

"Elections have consequences."

[DinahMoeHum]

87. Tee hee! Well said!

Got any more popcorn there?

:popcorn:

Lordy Lord, the shit done hit the fan.

:evilgrin:

[krispos42]

95. Oh, like this?

[AndyA]

2. In other words, drag your tired ass in her and answer some questions, or we'll

be coming after you.

Waxman so knows what is going on. He just has to find a way to map it out and prove it. I think he's going to get there.

[WinkyDink]

61. Walk your Ferragamos over HERE, Bee-yotch!

[calazini]

66. Ok, that was truly funny....

That's how I shall refer to her in the future - as the lone Bee-yatch. Hilarious.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Choice.

Mushroom cloud my ass.

[Marnieworld]

4. Elections have consequences

I am so glad that Waxman has subpoena powers now. They have ignored him forever which always pissed me off. Can't ignore him now. Ha Ha!

:D

[oldtime dfl_er]

9. you beat me to it

"Elections have consequences" is my new favorite phrase!

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/999005

[malaise]

32. That's a great bumper sticker

Go Henry!

[hang a left]

12. They will move to quash any subpoenas of Rice, Rove, Miers,

Ralston, et al

Expect them to haul this in front of an admin friendly DC District Court. Then watch Waxman need to seek relief from the USSC,

I have realized that this will be a long fight. I am not real optimistic given my research I have done this morning.

[Hissyspit]

26. They will look like they are hiding something though.

Yes, it is a long process - wheels slowly grinding - but it is still a tightening of the screws. We'll see. (Pardon all the metaphors.) Bushco is gonna get away with stuff, but the important thing is not to let them get away with everything.

[hang a left]

33. See my post from today here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=541077&mesg_id=541077

I have been trying to get people to pay attention to this to no avail. They will not accept any invitations, and they will make motions to quash subpoenas. They are going to fight all of the way. They don't care what the look like.

[Maraya1969]

92. Yes and we LOVE what it looks like. Their credibility going down the toilet.

When the public becomes aware of their actions to try and keep everything a secret the GOP looses another 10 points on the approval score.

They can fight all they want. At this point it just shines an ever brightening light on their guilt. And in the end they will testify.

[hang a left]

39. see this re: Kyle Sampson and motion to quash

http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/docs/txt/04282003_motion4.txt

[SlowDownFast]

55. "wheels slowly grinding..."

BUT grinding EXCEEDINGLY FINE.

Unless, of course, the Supreme Court is stacked with criminals, also.

[WinkyDink]

64. Ah, yes. Gotta love those mills!! :)

[Marnieworld]

68. I say Bring it on!

They have weak executive privlege arguemnts, non-existent when you factor in the emails from non-governmental email servers. I think if they fight this and lose it will take away the only thing they have and it's investigation city!

They are pulling the Veto and Executive privlege shit in March? Not 3 full months into the Dem congress? They've got nothing but running out the clock because they are guilty as sin.

I think things will eventually work out for the best and it just may be entrtaining along the way. Who gives up whom? Perp walks etc.

Color me optimistic. :patriot:

[hang a left]

73. Color me pesimistic

I appreciate your sentiments.

However I believe they have been waiting for this Yoonitary Executive Fight. They will take the dems to the mat. That you can guarantee. Our only hope is the Supreme Court. You can put your money where you like. I don't like our odds.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

82. It occurs to me suddenly

that Bush is the one that crapped on the Constitution. There is no one more hopeless than myself believing we could in fact take it back. With this situation We The People will prevail. Even the Supreme Court will have to rule in our favor. He is done.:smoke:

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

84. Exactly...

... they are attempting to "run out the clock" because that is the only thing they have left. The evidence against them, so far, is mountainous. It will get to the point that everybody in America realizes that Bushco did at the least, something to break the laws.

[blogslut]

5. I love you, Henry

You are my new D.C. (fantasy) boyfriend.

[cassiepriam]

6. Will she show up?

[Hissyspit]

16. With subpoena, I think she has to. I can't think of any exec privilege issues.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Of course, Bush administration doesn't particularly care about doing what they are supposed to do.

[hang a left]

19. see post 12

[Hissyspit]

31. Already done. n/t

[cassiepriam]

22. Oh I didn't see the subpoena part, that does change things. I think.

You are right, they don't tend to follow the law so it is hard to tell.

[Bluedogvoter]

7. It will be interesting too see if she responds.

Does she have too?

[John Q. Citizen]

15. That was an invitation. If she doesn't respond, hopefully we will see a subpoena.

[Hobarticus]

8. Any other complaints about the new Dem Congress?

Seem to be kicking ass and taking names, ta me. Ta me.

[mmonk]

28. Yes.

While I want her to testify before congress, what if she decides not to or doesn't really tell the whole truth? Will the press say she is being dishonest? What consequence will she face? Impeachment off the table emboldens them.

[D23MIURG23]

88. It seems to me that impeachment is actually in the works.

The white house can fight congress as hard as they want; congress has shown little difficulty in channeling a continuous stream of scandal and uncomfortable questions about them. Eventually the GOP is going to realize that filth of this admin. is drowning thier whole party, and thier desperation will allow for decisive action against *.

[seemslikeadream]

13. Bring Hadley with you Condi

please?


Oh and BTW Ledeen to!

[Supersedeas]

48. Exactly - Hadley played scapegoat as Condi told Fox that someone in the 'bowels'

of the Admin may have known...well, I guess the bowels began with her assistant's office.

[Gabi Hayes]

52. Hadley also said something like "we FORGOT" that the words had been

excised from Bush's October speech

forGOT! I'm looking for the quote...have posted it before



''We did not know at the time--no one knew at the time, in our circles--maybe someone knew down in the bowels of the Agency, but no one in our circles knew that there were doubts and suspicions that this might be a forgery.''
Condi Rice
Meet the Press
June 8th, 2003

[Gabi Hayes]

53. more:

THE BOY IN THE BUBBLE. On Meet The Press yesterday, Condoleezza Rice was faced with the difficult task of explaining why she'd allowed information into the state of the union address that the government already knew was false. This is what she came up with:

DR. RICE: First of all, the CIA did clear the speech in its entirety and George Tenet has said that. He's also said that he believes that it should not have been cleared. And we apparently, with the -- in October for the Cincinnati speech, not for the State of the Union, but the Cincinnati speech, George Tenet asked that this be taken out of the Cincinnati speech, the reference to yellow cake. It was taken out of the Cincinnati speech because whenever the director of Central Intelligence wants something out, it's gone.

MR. RUSSERT: How'd it get back in?

DR. RICE: It’s not a matter of getting back in. It's a matter, Tim, that three-plus months later, people didn't remember that George Tenet had asked that it be taken out of the Cincinnati speech and then it was cleared by the agency. I didn't remember. Steve Hadley didn’t remember. We are trying to put now in place methods so you don’t have to be dependent on people’s memories for something like that.

MR. RUSSERT: Did you ever read the memo that I referenced?

DR. RICE: I don't remember the memo. It came after it had been taken out of the speech, and so it's quite possible that I didn't. But let me be very clear: This shouldn't happen to the president of the United States, and we will do everything that we can to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

[Gabi Hayes]

54. WHERE's the OUTRAGE?????

the above link comes from this, too. what's sickening is that the dems didn't capitalize on this at all in 2004. their fault, or the media. M$M sure let this story sink like a stone. Russert certainly let Condi off the hook during that interview....what a surprise

http://www.prospect.org/archives/archives/2003/09/index.html

She's trying to make it sound here like this was just some run of the mill office screw-up. A memo was floating around and she either read it and forgot it, or else forgot to read it. Either way, she forgot. It was a mistake, but no big deal. But let's remember that this was a memo on a pretty important subject -- did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium from Niger? At the time, the entire national security apparatus was focused on the question of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program, so you'd think this would be the kind of memo people would read. After all, the initial allegation was significant enough that people in the White House not only remembered it, but decided that it belonged in the state of the union.

Lots of intelligence passes across the president's desk and it doesn't all go into the biggest speech of the year.
The president gives Tapped more occasion than we would like to wonder whether he is a fool or a liar, but we're pretty sure that Rice is no fool. That's all we'll say about that, but with questions being raised about her conduct, about Dick Cheney's ties to Halliburton and about Valerie Plame's burned cover, don't you think it's a bit disturbing that the president doesn't read newspapers, choosing instead to rely entirely on his staff for information about the world?

[LuckyLib]

71. Her continual academic blather just creates pile upon pile of BS. Circular answers.

[annabanana]

78. She exhibited early symptoms of RCRS... (and it's contagious)

Republicans Can't Remember Shit

[Jacobin]

14. Her response

"I'm just an african american woman who has fought her way to the top and those are all historical documents and you are trying to put on a political show to embarrass me and you are aiding the terraists and the president is gonna git you for this, and why do you hate america and and and sniffle, sniffle sniffle, I'm an honorable person and how dare you suggest they were forgeries and and and"

[karlrschneider]

17. "and I have really nice shoes too!"

:puke:

[woodsprite]

42. But if you're nice to me, I'll play a piano concerto just for you. n/t

[karlrschneider]

43. In the key of C-flat, to boot!

:eyes:

[tblue37]

58. And how about that

Spamalot?

[Marie26]

72. It's kind of sad that

that's the only insult we can come up with for Condi. She's so boring that there's almost nothing there to make fun of.

[SlowDownFast]

56. Slither, slither and hiss, hiss...

I don't think I've ever seen human being resemble a snake so much as Kindasleezy...

Sorry to my good slithery reptile friends for the comparison...

[bunny planet]

18. Roll with me Henry!!!!

:thumbsup: :loveya: :kick:

[seemslikeadream]

20. Wolfowitz convinced Dick Cheney that uranium trail intercepted by Italians had to be explored

....

It’s a fact that on the eve of the Iraq war, and under the supervision of the diplomatic advisor to the Foreign Ministry, Gianni Castellaneta (today ambassador to the USA), the director of SISMI organized his agenda in Washington with the staff of Condoleeza Rice, who was National Security Adviser to the White House at that time. La Repubblica is able to document this two track process between the government and Italian intelligence. At least one of these ‘barely official’ meetings of Pollari’s was, according to secret service agents, the ‘creation of a system’ that would bring together government, intelligence and public affairs .

To summarize: Nicolo Pollari’s SISMI wanted to substantiate the the Iraqi acquisition of raw uranium to build a nuclear bomb. The game-plan was rather transparent. ‘Authentic’ documents relating to an attempted acquisition in Niger (old Italian intelligence from the 1980’s) were the dowry of the second-in-command of CISMI’s Roman headquarters (Antonio Nucera). They were bundled together with another fabricated document … through a simulated burglary on the Nigerien embassy (from which they had gotten headed notepaper and seals). The documents were shown by Pollari’s men to CIA station agents, and at the same time, a SISMI ‘postman’ by the name of Rocco Martino was sent to Sir Richard Dearlove of MI6 in London.

turning to the second chapter of the Great Swindle, organized in Italy, to build the case that military intervention in Iraq was necessary. … the Italian report on uranium …

… The CIA analysts thought the first report ‘very limited’ and ‘without the necessary details.’ INR analysts in the Department of State assessed the information as ‘highly suspect.’ … The immediate impact on the American Intelligence community wasn’t very gratifying for Pollari … Gianni Castellaneta advised him to look in ‘other directions’ too, while the minister of Defence, Antonio Martino invited him to meet ‘an old friend of Italy’s.’ The American friend was Michael Ledeen, an old fox in the ‘parallel’ intelligence community in the US, who had been declared an undesirable person in our country in the 1980’s . Ledeen was at Rome on behalf of the Office of Special Plans, created at the Pentagon by Paul Wolfowiz to gather intelligence that would support military intervention in Iraq. A source at Forte Braschi told La Repubblica : “Pollari got a frosty reception from the CIA’s station head in Rome, Jeff Castelli, for this information on uranium. Castelli apparently let the matter drop . Pollari got the hint and talked about it with Michael Ledeen.’ We don’t know what Michael Ledeen did in Washington. But at the beginning of 2002, Paul Wolfowitz convinced Dick Cheney that the uranium trail intercepted by the Italians had to be explored top to bottom. The vice-president, as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence tells it, once again asked the CIA ‘very decisively’ to find out more about the ‘possible acquisition of Nigerien uranium.’ In this meeting, Dick Cheney explicitly said that this piece of intelligence was at the disposition of a “foreign service.”

… Forte Braschi says that “Pollari was incredibly cunning – he knew that it wasn’t enough to rely on the CIA to push the uranium story. It was necessary to work, as Palazzo Chigi and the Department of Defence had indicated, with the Pentagon and with the National Security Adviser, Rice. … An administration official has told La Repubblica “I can confirm that on September 9 2002, General Nicolo Pollari met Stephen Hadley, the deputy to the National Security Adviser, Condoleeza Rice.”… SISMI’s ‘postman,’ Rocco Martino contacted a journalist for a weekly newspaper – edited by Carlo Rossella – to sell her the documents at issue. … Panorama had a worldwide scoop. Title “The War? It’s already begun,’ it spoke of ‘half a ton of uranium.’ … The government asked. The intelligence service gave. The media spread it. The government confirmed it. It was an old disinformation technique from the Cold War. Exaggerate the danger of the threat. Terrify and convince public opinion of it.

more
http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/2005/10/sismis-war-in-iraq-iranian-connection.html

[displacedtexan]

21. Wrong link?

Would you please check that link? It takes me to the March 30th Must Read
page.

Thanks!

[Hissyspit]

69. Fixed. n/t

[tridim]

23. Has anyone even seen Condi in the past month?

Is she doing her job? Is even she still alive?

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Yah. She called Saudi Arabia today to complain about what they said about us

being in Iraq.

[rateyes]

25. Kickin' it with Harry...

:kick:

[Richard D]

27. The Waxman Cometh!

Be afraid, Condi, be very afraid.

[MessiahRp]

29. That link goes to a different article

Have a better one?

Rp

[Hissyspit]

35. Fixed. n/t

[seemslikeadream]

30. Why was Feiths group meeting with the head of Italian intelligence in 12/01?

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=10446

Who was behind the forged yellowcake documents?

Why was Feiths group meeting with the head of Italian intelligence in 12/01?

Does it all tie into this?

Why was Phase II of the Pre-war Intelligence report stonewalled by Sen. Roberts?

But committee staff sources say that before the cooperation ceased,

the committee had received from Feith’s office internal memos suggesting that the office may indeed have been conducting unlawful activities.

In particular, Democratic staffers are interested in a secret December 2001 meeting of two Feith deputies, Larry Franklin and Harold Rhode, with Ghorbanifar in Rome.

The meeting also included members of a foreign intelligence service (Italy’s SISMI).

The catch is that it wasn’t reported in advance to the intelligence committee or the CIA, in possible violation of Section 502 of the National Security Act,
which says that anyone conducting intelligence activities must inform the committee and the agency.

[donco6]

34. Excellent work.

Bravo to Rep. Waxman. Can't wait to see THAT hearing.

[Roland99]

36. F'in' A!!!!

[City Lights]

37. Kick some ass, Waxman!

:woohoo:

[spanone]

38. Fucking A Henry. Who the hell???? do these people think they are????

sorry for the language but I'm am so outraged at the constant fuck-you attitude of this most evil of all administrations. Throw the whole goddam lot of them in jail! :mad:

[catmandu57]

40. I think she'll break down either before she goes, or very soon

thereafter. Kindasleazy isn't made of very tough metal, she was fine when the lapdogs had control and ger boss protected her, it's a new day now, the protection is gone. When this along with gonzo's problems and ralston's and kkkarl's all hit's the air something is going to come crashing down, I'm putting my money on this spiteful malicious shallow creature to go first.

[Marie26]

41. Go Waxman!

He'll get to the bottom of it. I still think Ledeen & Co. had something to do w/creating that false document.

[w4rma]

44. I have a (totally platonic) man-crush on Representative Waxman. (nt)

[StrictlyRockers]

46. Waxman is one smart dude. He knows what questions to ask.

If she tries to weasle away and not answer, he will grill her.

What do you expect him to do after they ignore a dozen pointed letters from him??

SR

[loudsue]

49. Yes, Waxman will start grilling her & the republicans will interrupt

him and find some piddly "rule" that shuts down the investigation for a while. I wish we could just take the repervlikins out and tar & feather the lot of them.

:kick::kick::kick:

[stimbox]

85. Tar and feathering is too good for them.

I'd like to see>>>>>

[Marie26]

75. Wow, on his website

there's a letter that Waxman wrote to President Bush in March 2003. In that letter, Waxman calls the Niger evidence a forgery & a "hoax", and says that the CIA believes the evidence is unreliable. So when Bush or Rice try to say that no one told them the Niger evidence was a forgery, they are lying. Waxman told them before the Iraq invasion occurred.

http://oversight.house.gov/Documents/20040628110709-69240.pdf

[Horse with no Name]

47. I hope he added that she needed to bring her memory

This seems to be a problem with this administration.

[StrictlyRockers]

50. LMAO "bring her memory with her"

"Senator, I can't recall", or even "Congressman, I can't recall" in this case, translates as,
"I am a stupid dumbfuck with no brain and I am guilty as sin."

[Gabi Hayes]

51. Condi's bowel movement, excusing her not knowing about the Niger forgeries:

We did not know at the time--no one knew at the time, in our circles--maybe someone knew down in the bowels of the Agency, but no one in our circles knew that there were doubts and suspicions that this might be a forgery.
Condi Rice
Meet the Press
June 8th, 2003

[Stevendsmith]

59. Waxman fucking rocks. (n/t)

[WinkyDink]

60. Marking April 18 on my TV calendar.........

YESSSSSS!!!!

[EstimatedProphet]

62. HELL YEAH! Subpoena her Klingon-lookin ass!

Let's see her in the hot seat, UNDER OATH! That would be a dream come true!

[senseandsensibility]

63. kick

Go, Waxman!

[mile18blister]

65. This letter just made my whole weekend.

Guess Condi can't remember to answer her mail, just like she won't remember the last six years when the Waxman bangs his gavel.

:woohoo:

[MN ChimpH8R]

67. This is going to be good

If I were to make up a list of things not to do, pissing off Pat Leahy and Henry Waxman would be in the top five. Condimelda's in the soup now, because you can tell from that letter how pissed Henry is.

[Cha]

70. Why that stuck up little

worm. Is that it condiliar? Think you can just ignore the rule of LAW and it will go away? Didya get some pointers from rove?

Weren't you the one who when asked why you didn't try to be friends with Chavez because he did have all that oil..you said.."we just don't like him." condi you could have used all the friends you could get cause jumping rats don't have the time.

[MasonJar]

74. Thank you, Henry! You are the man! If she doesn't show, throw her

in jail.

[mzmolly]

76. Wooo and

hoo!

[KelleyKramer]

77. Dayam! Henry is a busy man

Good for him!

[EFerrari]

79. Kick her felonious @ss, Henry.

:kick:

[sellitman]

80. I have never seen a group with a worse set of memory cells in my life.

It is mind boggling how inept these Republicon termites can be when they have to count on their brain cells.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

81. Thank you Senator Waxman ...

Please keep pressing for the truth, and know that we support and admire your efforts.

[rodeodance]

83. some on Condi---step up to the plate

[IWantAChange]

86. Please call Rep. Waxman's office in DC and thank him for his dogged pursuit of the truth..

27,000+ dead and wounded of our best and brightest deserve to have the TRUTH told about why they were ordered to sacrifice everything.

DC office - [phone]

[Kurovski]

89. K&R.(nt)

[Orsino]

90. Waxman's and Conyers' briefcases have, like, super powers. n/t

[Maraya1969]

91. I love you Henry Waxman!!!!!

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

You are da MAN!

[Martin Eden]

93. Ask her about the ALUMINUM TUBES while you're at it.

After our foremost experts on uranium enrichment at the Energy Dept. reported the tubes were ill-suited for centifuges, Rice asserted on nationbal television the tubes were "really only suited" for nukes. She then invoked the image of a "mushroom cloud" which quickly became a major talking point for manipulating the public through fear and into an illegal invasion.

Rice FLAT OUT LIED.
She should be TRIED and convicted of war crimes along with president Cheney and his sidekick chimp.

[ClassWarrior]

94. Screw Clinton and Obama...

Henry for Prez!! :patriot:

NGU.