developing

Quote :

" Reid takes Senate into closed session over Iraq intelligence RAW STORY Print This | Email This The Senate's Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the Senate into secret session Tuesday afternoon in order to have closed discussion of Iraq intelligence, RAW STORY has learned. Specifically, the senator sought to discuss a Senate Select Committee on Inteligence report on the failure of Iraqi WMD intelligence. The maneuver immediately shuttered the doors of the Senate and cleared the Senate press galleries. It has been invoked just 53 previous times in the history of the body. It was last used during the Clinton impeachment hearings. Closed sessions were also employed in 1997 for the Chemical Weapons Convention, and in 1992 during debate over China's "Most Favored Nation" trade status."

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Reid_takes_Senate_into_closed_session_1101.html

11/1/2005 3:12:10 PM

i was wondering what was going on

11/1/2005 3:15:45 PM

First time in 25 years. It must be big.

11/1/2005 3:16:37 PM

UHM
8 YEARS?

11/1/2005 3:17:23 PM

^^ Looks like your reading hasnt gotten any better

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 3:18 PM. Reason : .]

11/1/2005 3:18:11 PM

This was a spur of the moment closed session, not a planned one.

11/1/2005 3:26:45 PM

holy hell

democrats with cojones???

11/1/2005 3:27:35 PM

bananas in pajamas

11/1/2005 3:35:23 PM

this is just a cheap exploitation designed to try to pull the news back to libby/wmd intelligence after losing the media to the supreme court nomination

pretty fucking transparent

11/1/2005 3:43:36 PM

actually, no

it's not that transparent at all

11/1/2005 3:48:11 PM

Quote :

"holy hell democrats with cojones???"

Apparently, they're not afraid to finally use them.

11/1/2005 3:50:14 PM

^^ ok maybe not to someone who insists on denying reality

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 3:50 PM. Reason : s]

11/1/2005 3:50:20 PM

Maybe it's time the Senate does the part 2 9-11 commission investigation of the use of pre-war intelligence by the administration.

11/1/2005 3:52:02 PM

or its an orgy

11/1/2005 4:04:33 PM

everyone back in the pile..

11/1/2005 4:30:04 PM

i dont think a lot of senators, left and right, want an investigation of pre-war intelligence. It may make them look like hipocrits by referring to what they said leading up to the war.

11/1/2005 4:30:39 PM

I want to see some violence on the Senate floor. It's been a while since our last caning.

11/1/2005 4:31:05 PM

Brooks vs. Sumner 1856 baby...


someone ring the bell.. I wanna see a fight

11/1/2005 4:34:47 PM

Quote :

"this is just a cheap exploitation designed to try to pull the news back to libby/wmd intelligence after losing the media to the supreme court nomination pretty fucking transparent"

Or is this a counter move to pull the media back to libby/wmd after Bush's cheap exploitation of Harriet Miers to pull the media away from libby/wmd/plame?

Round and round we go with the conspiracies.

11/1/2005 4:40:10 PM

wtf is going on?

I'm lost

11/1/2005 4:41:35 PM

some senator walked up to the podium

and just said

"lets close these doors, cut off the cameras, get most of the interns out, and play a little game called who's in my mouth"

11/1/2005 4:41:43 PM

But why?

Nevermind, Wolf Blitzer told me.

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 4:47 PM. Reason : .]

11/1/2005 4:46:39 PM

Quote :

"In a speech on the Senate floor, Reid demanded the Senate go into closed session. The public was ordered out of the chamber, the lights were dimmed, and the doors were closed. No vote is required in such circumstances. "

because old folks is horny too

11/1/2005 4:47:50 PM

Quote :

"or its an orgy"

11/1/2005 5:00:30 PM

AHAHAHAH

reid just pissed all over a couple of reporters

funny

11/1/2005 5:03:36 PM

CONSULT?!?

I MEAN, LIEK WTF?!

11/1/2005 5:05:52 PM

They probably just bitched at each other for a few hours, throwing around accusations and policy beliefs that they would never be caught in front of the press saying. It would've been pretty interesting to hear. I'm sure someone will leak some juicy quotes soon.

11/1/2005 5:56:53 PM

i thought frist was gonna cry

he was trying to act hurt

man he can act

11/1/2005 5:59:45 PM

i wonder if there are weapons in the closed session.

100 men enter 1 man leaves!!!

11/1/2005 6:13:07 PM

SENATE DOME

11/1/2005 6:17:07 PM

Quote :

"^^ Looks like your reading hasnt gotten any better "

Quote :

""The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions," Reid said. "I demand on behalf of the American people that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted, and in accordance with Rule 21 I now move the Senate go into closed session." Shortly thereafter, fellow Democrat Dick Durbin seconded the call, the public was ordered out of the chambers, all 100 Senators were ordered in and the lights were dimmed, according to CNN. The move sparked bitter reaction from Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who called the action a "stunt." It is the first time in more than 25 years that such a closed session has been called for."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1512734/20051101/index.jhtml?headlines=true

11/1/2005 6:41:00 PM

Bout time they use em

11/1/2005 7:31:48 PM

^^

LOL

you cited MTV.com

11/1/2005 7:41:38 PM

can someone make an "Attention Whores" pic with the democrat senators on it please?

kkthx

11/1/2005 7:43:33 PM

Hey, something happened on capitol hill!

I hope something good comes of this.

11/1/2005 7:46:50 PM

Quote :

"As Reid spoke, Frist met in the back of the chamber with a half-dozen senior GOP senators, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas, who bore the brunt of Reid's criticism. Reid said Roberts reneged on a promise to fully investigate whether the administration exaggerated and manipulated intelligence leading up to the war."

Stunt or no, is the bolded section true?

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 8:18 PM. Reason : ...]

11/1/2005 8:17:56 PM

ha
pryderi cited mtv

11/1/2005 8:30:13 PM

As a former parliamentarian, I love this move.

WTG Reid

11/1/2005 8:34:19 PM

Big doings no matter if you like the move or not.

11/1/2005 8:36:26 PM

haha the daily show made the same sex party joke that you guys made

11/1/2005 11:27:21 PM

Quote :

"As Reid spoke, Frist met in the back of the chamber with a half-dozen senior GOP senators, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas, who bore the brunt of Reid's criticism. Reid said Roberts reneged on a promise to fully investigate whether the administration exaggerated and manipulated intelligence leading up to the war."

Quote :

"Stunt or no, is the bolded section true?"

Pat Roberts is the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, and Jay Rockefeller is one of the members. This committee was to supposed to investigate the White House's use of pre-war intelligence for the justification to invading Iraq.

Phase II was supposed to have been done over a year ago, and Republicans have been stonewalling.

The indictment of Libby was the catalyst for today's closed session, in order to force phase II.

Quote :

" ROBERTS: Well, as Senator Rockefeller has alluded to, this is in phase two of our efforts. We simply couldn’t get that done with the work product that we put out. And he has pointed out that that has a top priority. It is one of my top priorities. It’s his top priority, along with the reform effort. Now, we have 20 legislative days. We want to have hearings from wise men and women in regards to the reform effort, and we will proceed with staff on phase two of the report. It involves probably three things -- or at least three. One is the prewar intelligence on Iraq, which is what you’re talking about. Secondly is the situation with the assistant secretary of defense, Douglas Feith, and his activity in regards to material that he provided with a so-called intelligence planning cell to the Department of Defense and to the CIA. And then the left one -- what is the last one? What’s the third one? Help me with it. (CROSSTALK) ROBERTS: Well, that’s prewar intelligence on Iraq. There is a third one, and I don’t know why I can’t come up with it right now. But, anyway, it is a priority. And, hey, I have told Jay, I have told everybody on the other side of the aisle, everybody on our side of the aisle, "We’ll proceed with phase two. It is a priority." "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38650-2004Jul9_4.html

11/1/2005 11:43:35 PM

haha, barbara boxer was flying to NYC to be on the daily show while this happened, and jon stewart was like "i knew about this before you did"

stewart made a good point in the interview - he basically said "good move, but why didn't you guys do this BEFORE THE WAR?"

11/2/2005 10:14:31 AM

Pat Roberts...........





Almost Pat Robertson

11/2/2005 11:12:07 AM

Quote :

"haha the daily show made the same sex party joke that you guys made"

if a sex party wasn't the first thing on your mind
you're just never gonna be a funny person

plain and simple

11/2/2005 11:30:39 AM

Quote :

"Roberts succeeded in his transparent effort to kick that inconvenient can down the road. (Imagine the headache for the Bush campaign if news stories appeared before the election reporting that the committee had found Bush had stretched an already stretched truth.) Now -- with Bush re-elected -- Roberts no longer considers Phase II a priority. In mid-March, Roberts declared further investigation pointless. He noted that if his committee asked Bush officials whether they had overstated or mischaracterized prewar intelligence, they'd simply claim their statements had been based on "bum intelligence." Roberts remarked, "To go though that exercise, it seems to me, in a postelection environment -- we didn't see how we could do that and achieve any possible progress. I think everybody pretty well gets it." Gets what, precisely? "

Pat Roberts was a flip-flopper.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/25/opinion/main683141.shtml

11/2/2005 12:21:01 PM

Giblets is outraged... outraged at Democrats who have debased the great institution of the United States Senate today with a shameless political stunt! Instead of focusing on the vital business of womb regulation and gay marriage bans, Harry Reid held the Senate hostage with some trivial piffle about weapons of mass destruction and manipulated prewar intelligence. "Oh the nation has been deceived, oh the president has lied us into a massive military quagmire." Well boo hoo hoo! Do you hear that sound, Democrats? It is the world's smallest violin playing just for being lied into a massive military quagmire. Well, okay, make that two thousand violins. And about twenty-six thousand buzuq for the Iraqis.

Oh how Giblets longs for the good old days of seven months ago, when the stately Bill Frist held court over an emergency session to prolong the life of the famously vegetative, or when the august Rick Santorum compared gay marriage to terrorism on the Seante floor! Instead we must endure the pernicious and terrible tricks of Harry Reid, Mormon from Hell, as he hijacks America's upper house in some petty quest for Congressional oversight! Giblets just doesn't know if he can ever trust him again. Giblets is a Frist man from now on! Next week Giblets is given to understand the majority leader will restore the dignity of the legislature by dressing up in a giant fetus costume and jumping through a hoop of fire in the Capitol rotunda.

http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/stunt-stunt-stunt-stunty-mcstunt.html

also, boxer on the daily show
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002546.html

[Edited on November 2, 2005 at 12:47 PM. Reason : .]

11/2/2005 12:44:56 PM

^ That is just too freakin awesome of a read

11/2/2005 5:48:21 PM

Quote :

"Pat Roberts........... Almost Pat Robertson"

Ironically Pat Roberts was interviewed by Pat Robertson on the 700 Club today.
They went on and on about how stupid democrats are.

700 club kick's Fox New's liberal ass

11/2/2005 5:52:03 PM

Quote :

"Conservatives falsely claimed White House and Congress saw "same intelligence" on Iraqi threat Shortly after leading Democrats pushed for the completion of a congressional investigation into the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence, White House officials responded that such scrutiny of their handling of the intelligence is unwarranted because both the White House and Congress possessed the same flawed reports and came to the same incorrect conclusions. Numerous conservative media figures have since echoed this argument. But the claim that the administration and Congress saw the same intelligence ignores several important facts. First, taking into account assessments such as the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB), the White House typically has access to more intelligence than does Congress -- and indeed, this was the case with prewar intelligence on Iraq. Second, the Bush administration began making claims about the Iraqi threat months before Congress received any substantial intelligence analysis. And third, the administration received information directly from alternative intelligence sources, specifically the since-discredited Office of Special Plans and Iraqi National Congress."

Quote :

"In recent days, conservative commentators and other media figures have echoed the White House's criticism of the Democratic push for the "phase two" investigation and repeated the claim that the Bush administration and members of Congress saw the same intelligence on Iraq: * Human Events editor Terence P. Jeffrey argued, "The intelligence that [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein [D-CA] used when she voted to authorize that war in October of 2002, provided -- a National Intelligence Estimate provided by the CIA directly to the Senate. We know already from the Senate investigation, it was the same information the president and vice president had. It was bad intelligence, but the Senate and the president had the same intelligence. It came from the CIA." [CNN's The Situation Room, 11/2/05] * A November 3 Wall Street Journal editorial claimed, "The scandal here isn't what happened before the war. The scandal is that the same Democrats who saw the same intelligence that Mr. Bush saw, who drew the same conclusions, and who voted to go to war are now using the difficulties we've encountered in that conflict as an excuse to rewrite history." * New York Times columnist David Brooks stated, "They all had the same evidence." [PBS' The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, 11/4/05] * National Review Online editor-at-large Jonah Goldberg wrote on November 4, "Sens. Evan Bayh [D-IN], Joseph Biden [D-DE], Hillary Rodham Clinton [D-NY], John Kerry [D-MA], and John Edwards [D-NC] all voted for the war. Most of these Democrats had access to the same intelligence as the president." * Roll Call executive editor Morton M. Kondracke said, "[I]t is worth pointing out that Senator [Carl] Levin [D-MI] himself -- who is a member of -- the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and presumably saw whatever he wanted in terms of intelligence before this last war -- said, 'Uh-oh, Saddam Hussein may use chemical and biological weapons against our troops.' Now, what was that based on, if not his reading of intelligence that said that he had those weapons? [Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, 11/4/05] * Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer claimed, "The Democrats are acting as if all of this happened in Armenia in 1917 secretly. It happened here two years ago. They looked at all of that intelligence. And that same night, they could hear what the administration was saying about the weapons. It isn't as if all of this was hidden." [Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, 11/4/05] * Fox News Washington bureau managing editor Brit Hume stated, "[T]hey all looked at the same evidence, those guys on the Hill, many of whom are complaining about this now. And what did they do? They voted to authorize the war." [Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, 11/6/05] * U.S. News & World Report executive editor Mortimer B. Zuckerman wrote in the November 14 edition of the magazine, "Democrats who saw the same intelligence as President Bush drew the same conclusions." "

http://mediamatters.org/items/200511080006

11/8/2005 11:55:43 PM