Remember the Downing Street Memos? Dems on the Hill do. In fact, despite the odds, a number of House Dems introduced several “resolutions of inquiry” to compel the White House to turn over documents on pre-war meetings and intelligence to Congress, which in turn could shed light on how information was “fixed” to give the administration the results it wanted.
In a vote that surprised no one, the Republican majority did not respond favorably to the requests.
The White House has taken heat since the disclosure this year of the “Downing Street memos,” British documents that suggest the Bush administration had made up its mind by 2002 to invade Iraq. […]
Largely along party lines, the House International Relations Committee unfavorably reported two of the resolutions on Iraq and one resolution on the Plame matter. Earlier, the House Judiciary Committee “unfavorably” reported a similar Plame resolution.
Republicans were almost out of time on this one. When a “resolution of inquiry” is introduced, a House committee has 14 legislative days to act on it — or its sponsors can force the measure onto the House floor for a vote. Needless to say, this was not an option Republicans would look forward to.
Rep. Joseph Crowley, a member of the committee, talked briefly about the vote yesterday at TPM Café.
As was the case after September 11th and will be the case following Katrina, it is impossible to move forward without looking at past mistakes. The constant cover-ups and unwillingness to share information does nothing to help the issue of creating stability in Iraq.
With all we have learned over the past two years the President and his team did not take into account the risks of the post invasion and the need for diplomacy instead of the go it alone approach.
It is time for the President to do something he has yet to do, which is to stand up in front of the country to tell the truth and finally provide a transparent and fully accountable disclosure of the information that led us to this war and the deaths of more than 1800 US troops, countless Iraqi citizens and the aid and humanitarian workers trying to bring basic services to the people of Iraq.
What members of Congress need to do is hold this Administration accountable and take back our oversight role. The American public needs to know that these fights are being fought, but that we will not know the truth until partisanship can be put aside in favor of the best interests of the American people.
Maybe my expectations are low, but I’m just glad the DSM controversy hasn’t completely faded from the political radar.