Cheney helped block Phase II report on Iraq

January 26, 2007

We’ve been waiting for the Senate Intelligence Committee to report on the misuse of pre-war intelligence for so long, it’s easy to forget what a debacle the endeavor really is.

Here’s a quick review. The Intelligence Committee began a comprehensive investigation towards the end of 2003. Initially, the committee was prepared to release one authoritative document on the intelligence, what it said, and how it was handled. With the 2004 presidential election looming, then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) split the report in two — one on how wrong the intelligence community and agencies were (released before the election) and another on how the White House used/misused/abused the available information (released after the election).

Roberts has played fast and loose for years. First he said publicly that he’d “try” to have Phase Two available to the public before the 2004 election. He didn’t. Roberts then gave his word, in writing, that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee would have a draft report on controversial “public statements” from administration officials by April 5. He lied about that too. Then he indicated that he might just give up on the second part of the investigation altogether.

This week, we learn that this wasn’t just a matter of Roberts being a dishonest partisan hack; the investigation was impeded by the Vice President.

Vice President Dick Cheney exerted “constant” pressure on the Republican former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee to stall an investigation into the Bush administration’s use of flawed intelligence on Iraq, the panel’s Democratic chairman charged Thursday.

In an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia … said that it was “not hearsay” that Cheney, a leading proponent of invading Iraq, pushed Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., to drag out the probe of the administration’s use of prewar intelligence.

“It was just constant,” Rockefeller said of Cheney’s alleged interference. He added that he knew that the vice president attended regular policy meetings in which he conveyed White House directions to Republican senators.

Republicans “just had to go along with the administration,” he said.

The law in this area isn’t exactly an area of expertise for me, but shouldn’t there be some consequence for the Vice President obstructing an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which just so happened to be scrutinizing whether Cheney lied the nation into a disastrous war?

The response from Roberts’ office to Rockefeller’s charges yesterday was a genuine classic.

Roberts’ chief of staff, Jackie Cottrell, blamed the Democrats for the investigation remaining incomplete more than two years after it began.

“Senator Rockefeller’s allegations are patently untrue,” she said in an e-mail statement. “The delays came from the Democrats’ insistence that they expand the scope of the inquiry to make it a more political document going into the 2006 elections. Chairman Roberts did everything he could to accommodate their requests for further information without allowing them to distort the facts.”

“I’m not aware of any effort by the vice president, his staff or anyone in the administration to influence the speed at which the committee did its work,” said Bill Duhnke, who was Roberts’ staff director.

Amazing. Roberts dragged his feet, was caught lying repeatedly about what he’d do, and now we learn that he was taking direction from the very person he was supposed to be investigating. And who’s to blame? Democrats, of course.

Two final thoughts. One, we won’t have to wait too much longer for the report Roberts kept under wraps; Rockefeller is moving forward with the release of the full document. And two, Rockefeller sure has been liberated now that he’s the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, hasn’t he?

Well it’s about f***ing time. Color me unimpressed with Rockefeller’s spine.

Harry Reid was right to shut down the Senate way back, and they should have done several more times to keep the heat on. But now it will be clear why they kept it from the American people, and they won’t be too happy about it.

  • One day an odious Repub will come up with a final solution for Dems, since we seem to cause alll the problems in the world. But then who they get to blame everything on?

  • Okay WHY THE F did Rockefeller sit on this during the entire time he was on the Commitee……

    He is partially to blame for not exerting more pressure on Roberts…

    This is the single most important investigation to be undertaken during the 6 years of Bush Cheney and Rockefeller did what….NOTHING….

    and in the end what does he get to show for his cowardice…..
    the old bait and switch Republican Blame Game

  • OK, this is the kind of clear wording we need to hear, but I HOPE Jay Rockefeller isn’t just making more speeches.

    From the most recent report:

    In an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia also accused President Bush of running an illegal program by ordering eavesdropping on Americans’ international e-mails and telephone communications without court-issued warrants.

    […]

    Rockefeller charged that Bush had violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires the government to obtain permission to eavesdrop on Americans from a secret national security court.

    “For five years he’s (Bush) has been operating an illegal program,” he said, adding that the committee wants the administration to provide the classified documents that set out its legal argument that Bush has the power to wiretap Americans without warrants.

    Rockefeller is among a handful of lawmakers who were kept briefed on the program after it started following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But he told Cheney in a handwritten note in July 2003 that he was deeply concerned about its legality.

    If Bush has been “operating an illegal program” for five years, we should see a serious move to impeach. Right?

    Maybe Jay is really a turtle, he seems to move awfully slowly.

  • Borrowing a page from The Other Dick, when the (vice)-president does it that means that it is not illegal, right?

  • Looks like “Spiro T.” just might be getting some company. Pull Cheney down, then block all nominations for VP. A replacement for Cheney cannot be confirmed except by a ‘majority” of the Senate; the absolute best that the dark forces of darth Liebaeman could hope for is a 50-50 tie.

    Sorry, Joe—you will NOT be the next Vice President of the United States….

  • Between this and the Libby trial, I’m wondering if the creepy veep will finish his term. If his interview with Wolfie was any indication, he’s literally unravelling. The more he’s questioned, the more insane he appears – and there are quite a few questions left. Maybe we should have a resignation poll. I say he’s gone by August.

  • “The delays came from the Democrats’ insistence that they expand the scope of the inquiry to make it a more political document going into the 2006 elections. Chairman Roberts did everything he could to accommodate their requests for further information without allowing them to distort the facts.”

    Ever notice how when the GOP was ever “accomodating” (i.e., “well, we just had to do what they wanted”) to the Democrats, it’s to cover up their own mistakes?
    Oh sure, the Republicans did everything in their power to keep Democratic Congress members out of the legislative loop (closed door sessions, limit floor debate, late night sessions, rewriting committee legislation), but were only more than happy to be accomodating on this issue.

    Sure

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