« Bush Approval Rating Free Fall -- The Game | Main | Bear Naked Libby's »
November 04, 2005
Dems vs. the "Republican cover-up Congress"
I've had a hard time finding transcripts of some of the surprisingly forward statements that have suddenly come forth from the Democratic leadership. The Dems have finally stated that the White House and the Republican-controlled Congress are in collusion, engaging in a cover-up of lies and misdeeds executed by the Bush administration.
Moreover, I've not even found a single source in the print or Internet news media that even quoted the most important sound bite, when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, Tuesday, that "the separation of powers doctrine is something that does not exist in this town," since the Congress takes its marching orders from the White House.
There may be good stories out there that include this coverage, but I just haven't found them.
Thankfully, video of the statements made by Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is amply available, so I've done a little transcribing on my own, just because I feel these statements should be more widely publicized, or at least readily available to the public.
Yesterday Pelosi made the following statements at a press conference:
_____________________
…As you know, this week my colleagues in the Senate had to resort to drastic measures, to demand answers to many unanswered questions about Iraq. The Republican Congress has failed in its responsibility to examine the Administration's conduct of the war in Iraq.
The Republican cover-up Congress refuses to answer questions about the existence of weapons of mass destruction as justification for the Iraq war, the mistakes made in the war's management, and the endless cost of this war in terms of -- first in all, lives and the good health of our troops; secondly, the cost in dollars; third the cost in reputation to our country; and [fourth] the cost to the readiness of our military to protect America.
The second part of the Republican Congress cover-up is in intelligence. They refuse to investigate manipulation and misuse of intelligence for political purposes.
There is no greater danger in the intelligence business, than manipulating intelligence to fit a desired outcome. It undermines national security. It's dangerous to our troops, intelligence operatives, and it's dangerous to the American people, and it's destructive to the intelligence process. If mistakes were made, Americans deserve to know.
Congress has an obligation to make sure that decisions to go to war are based on truth and trust. Democrats have repeatedly asked Congress to investigate what went wrong with the intelligence to justify the war in Iraq.
Congress, again, has an obligation to make sure that decisions to go to war are always made properly – anything less is not supporting our troops.
This Congress, which -- you [journalists] have talked about the culture of corruption and cronyism -- is now also and has been for a long time, the Congress of cover-up.
Later today I'll ask the full House to investigate whether the intelligence that led us into war in Iraq was manipulated. Stay tuned on that.
_____________________
Later in the day Pelosi took these words to the House Floor and took Speaker Hastert to task: "Mr. Speaker, I think it think it brings shame to the House for this Congress to be engaged in a cover-up when it comes to reviewing what's happening in Iraq and I appeal the ruling of the Chair."
Earlier in the week, just prior to calling for a closed session of Congress, Senator Reid tore the White House and his Senate colleagues a new one. The following are excerpts from that speech (see the video).
-------------------------------
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 [and] Hurricane Katrina, and the cronyism and corruption in numerous agencies throughout this administration.
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 these issues. During the time that we had a Democratic president – eight years – and when the Democrats were in charge of the [Senate] committees – we were in the majority – oversight hearings were held covering the gamut of what went on in that administration. Today there is not an oversight hearing held on anything…
What has been the response by this Republican-controlled Congress to the administration's manipulation of intelligence? Nothing! Did the Republican-controlled Congress carry out its Constitutional obligations to conduct oversight? No! Did it support our troops by providing to them and their families the answers to many important questions? No! Did it even attempt to force this administration to answer the most basic questions about its behavior? No!
Unfortunately the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities is not limited to just Iraq.
We see it with respect to the prisoner-abuse scandal. We see it with respect to [Hurricane] Katrina. And we see it with respect to the cronyism and corruption that permeates this administration.
Time and time again, this Republican-controlled Congress has consistently chosen to put its political interests ahead of our national security. They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than to get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened...
Unfortunately, the Senate committee that should be taking the lead in finding these answers is not...
-------------------------------
Holding a press conference after the closed Senate session, Reid said the following to reporters:
"What we saw Friday with the indictments [of I. Lewis Libby] is only a small glimpse of what has gone wrong with this administration.
Congressional oversight is something I have grown up with…in the House of Representatives I spent most of my time in committees doing oversight of the agencies over which the committees had jurisdiction.
This Republican Senate does no oversight – none! None. It's all part of a plan. They obstruct, they take orders from the White House, they do nothing without getting orders from the White House. The separation of powers doctrine is something that does not exist in this town. (See the video.)
Posted by MJuhre at November 4, 2005 04:07 PM