Now here’s something we don’t see everyday. Harry Reid has brought the Senate into a “closed session.” This is a pretty unusual maneauver, and it’s apparently made Bill Frist extremely annoyed.
So what’s the point of all this? Reid wants the Senate to discuss intelligence failures with regard to the war in Iraq. But what’s the real point of all this? Bush shifted attention away from the Plame scandal and the underlying questions with the Alito nomination yesterday; today, Harry Reid is shifting it back.
“This past weekend, we witnessed the indictment of the I. Lewis Libby, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff and a senior Advisor to President Bush. Libby is the first sitting White House staffer to be indicted in 135 years. This indictment raises very serious charges. It asserts this Administration engaged in actions that both harmed our national security and are morally repugnant.
“The decision to place U.S. soldiers in harm’s way is the most significant responsibility the Constitution invests in the Congress. The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions.
“As a result of its improper conduct, a cloud now hangs over this Administration. This cloud is further darkened by the Administration’s mistakes in prisoner abuse scandal, Hurricane Katrina, and the cronyism and corruption in numerous agencies.
“And, unfortunately, it must be said that a cloud also hangs over this Republican-controlled Congress for its unwillingness to hold this Republican Administration accountable for its misdeeds on all of these issues.”
Reid’s speech goes on from there. It’s worth reading.
In particular, Reid is — be still my heart — blasting Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts for his failure to keep his commitment on investigating pre-invasion intelligence.
“[Americans] deserve a searching and comprehensive investigation about how the Bush Administration brought this country to war. Key questions that need to be answered include:
* How did the Bush Administration assemble its case for war against Iraq?
* Who did Bush Administration officials listen to and who did they ignore?
* How did senior Administration officials manipulate or manufacture intelligence presented to the Congress and the American people?
* What was the role of the White House Iraq Group or WHIG, a group of senior White House officials tasked with marketing the war and taking down its critics?
* How did the Administration coordinate its efforts to attack individuals who dared to challenge the Administration’s assertions?
* Why has the Administration failed to provide Congress with the documents that will shed light on their misconduct and misstatements?“Unfortunately the Senate committee that should be taking the lead in providing these answers is not. Despite the fact that the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee publicly committed to examine many of these questions more than a year and a half ago, he has chosen not to keep this commitment. Despite the fact that he restated that commitment earlier this year on national television, he has still done nothing.”
Republicans have avoided the discussion for too long, so Reid is effectively forcing the discussion upon them. Good for him.
The Senate Dems’ message isn’t a complicated one. Reid said we need to know what mistakes were made. Republicans said they would investigate how national intelligence was used to set the stage for war; then they decided not to keep their word. The result is this Senate shutdown this afternoon.
As Reid’s talking points put it, “Stakes could not be higher. That is why we are demanding answers through an unprecedented closed Senate session. We will not let up until America gets answers.”
If you’re near a TV, turn on CNN. It’s pretty dramatic.
Post Script: Have I mentioned lately how much I like Harry Reid?
Update: To say that Bill Frist is livid is an understatement. He said this afternoon, “The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership. They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas.” Well, Bill, we do have this one idea about forcing the Senate to have a discussion about the misuse of intelligence before the war…