All 435 House Members Can See Iraq Intelligence — and Talk on Iraq Next Week
The Politico
To the surprise of the Bush administration, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to allow all 435 House members to see the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq sent to the White House last week. The report is classified in part because it contains information about sources and methods used in intelligence-gathering.
The document will provide fuel for a House debate, scheduled to begin Tuesday, on a resolution of disapproval of President Bush’s plan to boost U.S. troop strength in Iraq. Remarkably, each House member will be given five minutes to speak. The decision to provide such broad access to the microphones is based on the fact that each member got the chance to speak before the Iraq war began, according to House leadership aides.
In announcing the vote to allow all members access to the classified portion of the NIE, the committee said those examining it “will be required to review the document in the Committee’s secure offices in the Capitol and sign a secrecy oath.” The members will not be allowed to leave with notes, congressional sources said.
The White House was not informed or consulted about the decision. Such access for members is rare but not unprecedented. The document had been made available to members of several committees with jurisdiction over the intelligence community, but other lawmakers would have needed to request permission to read it. The committee had received written requests from one Republican and one Democrat, plus some other informal inquires, and decided it would be better to allow blanket access instead of voting on each request, congressional sources said.
The report, called “Prospects for Iraq’s Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead,” was approved Jan. 29 by the heads of the government’s 16 intelligence agencies. It paints a generally bleak picture of conditions in Iraq and warns that without successful efforts to rein in insurgent violence and political extremism, the overall security situation “will continue to deteriorate” at current rates for the next 12 to 18 months, the period covered by the report.
The decision raised fears among some Republicans that members not used to dealing with classified information might play fast and loose with what they saw. But Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement: “It is critical that all Members of Congress understand the consensus view of the Intelligence Community on the gravity of the situation in Iraq and the consequences for U.S. troops and our long-term national security interests.”
Republicans who voted for this:
Peter Hoekstra, Republican — Michigan
Ray LaHood, Republican — Illinois
Terry Everett, Republican — Alabama
Elton Gallegly, Republican — California
Heather Wilson, Republican — New Mexico
Jo Ann Davis, Republican — Virginia
Mac Thornberry, Republican — Texas
John McHugh, Republican — New York
Todd Tiahrt, Republican — Kansas
Mike Rogers, Republican — Michigan
Rick Renzi, Republican — Arizona
Darrell Issa, Republican — California
Wild Thing’s comment…..
Dear God … protect and save us! This is VERY dangerous and a totally insane move! When you think it can’t get worse, well.. IT DOES! This is beyond a slippery slope.
For pete’s sake………LET THE MILITARY RUN THIS WAR!!!! I am so sick of these politicians! And to have it set up for this…..”and sign a secrecy oath” ……Oh yeah an ‘oath” that sure as heck will work…..NOT. Like that means anything to them. These people will be leaking information like crazy and we all know it. Get ready for lots of secrets about our covert activities to get leaked. OMG
God help our troops, God help us all, this will be in the New York Times. NYSlimes Headline, “Hey look what we are doing and who is doing it” And what about the Muslim sympathisers who will see it and pass the sources and methods to our enemies, we do have some in our government.
Now why would they want to “blast” this all over tarnation?
Why don’t we just tell the enemy everything?
We won’t have to knock at the door when we get there, it’ll be wide open and they’ll be standing there ready.
There are secrets I wouldn’t want to know about going on and I wouldn’t want let out either.
Those RINOs who voted for this have made a BIG mistake. i’m afraid someone might leak secrets out and that’ll open a whole new kettle of fish.
But I didn’t see Chuck Hagel on the list. That surprises me. I thought for sure, he’d vote to let this out.
Yeah, we have to let the military run the war. They’re still trying to micromanage it when they don’t know how to manage it. Time to stop, sit back, have a cup of coffee or tea and a roll and let our boys and girls in the military do their jobs.
Instead of giving congress all this information, to save money and time why not just send the reports to Osama Bin Laden instead.
Afterall, giving this information to people like Dennis Koo-sin-nich is like giving Hitler the day and time of the D-day invasion.
I know these people hate this country but to be so blatant about it and to so wantonly do it with the end result being the destruction of their Country and the President makes no sense… To me.
It make me wonder who has raised these people to be such traitors, were they raised in a third world country, where, they were brainwashed to hate this country ?
If this doesn’t stop then we all, may as well drink the cool-ade because it’s over.
How long will it be before we see the contents of this report on the front page of the New York Times?
This congress is going to destroy this country.
What disturbs me most is how many of America’s finest young men and women will die because of this.
Mark is right, they might as well just send the reports to Osama.
And look at those running to be the next President–that scares me!
What kind of future are we going to hand over to our descendents?
Anyone remember Sombertown from Santa Claus is Coming to Town with the Burgermeister Meisterburger?
That’s what we’re coming to!
The next President has to KNOW how to be a manager–not some lawyer or career politician with his hands in his or her own pocket.
And they need to know when to put their foot down and say NO!
Is this Congress full of children?
You know I think a bunch of ADHD second graders
could run this country better than it is being
done by the Pres and Congress.. Biggest problem
“NO CAJONES”…
So… what you mean is this:
1. The military is always right.
2. Never question the military. They have documents that prove they are right, but…
3. Noone is allowed to see these documents, even the legislature, because they cant be trusted.
4. If you do not trust the military, you are an america-hating traitor exposing the country to danger.
A military that sets policy is usually a sign of a corrupt government…
They “will not be allowed to leave with notes”??
Really? Like Sandy Hamburgaler? Will they be checking the Congresscritters pants and socks when they leave?
Soricou
Quite a mouthful of straw ya got there, buddy.
Doesn’t quite sop up the drool, though.
This is sick, as are Suricou Raven’s remarks. It is a sign of anti-war, anti-US military and anti-Bush by Congress. Congress considers itsself an elite fraternity, not the representation of normal Americans. The aircraft demand by Pelosi is just one example.
This is a blatant attempt to publicize America’s secrets and undermine our war effort. It shows that many members of Congress, especially Democrats, do not really care about the safety of our troops. They always attack the war, claim to support the troops, but actually endanger the troops.
I expect to only get angrier the next few years as the leadership of our nation becomes more and more self-serving , selfish, unqualified and unrealistic.
It’s a dangerous precident, why stop at 435, let’s include Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud Abbas, Hasan Nazrallah and Kim Jong Il in the revelation, it will spare the Times having to publish it for them. Thanks Darleen for the obvious. Verbal Incontinence – although it’s completely embarrassing, she just can’t stop the words from dribbling out uncontrollably.
Shithead Raven;
First, This is national security, the public doesn’t have a right to know, and the democrats can not be trusted with National Security, in fact the democrats can’t be trusted with out money but they keep trying to steal it.
No the Military isn’t always right but they know how to fight a war, leave them alone and let them fight the damn thing.
We don’t need a bunch of pussified democrat and Rino congressman telling our troops they disapprove of the war.
These same congressmen asked General Patreuous what he needed to win, He said, I don’t need a resolution saying you don’t support the war.
So Your Moron congressmen, Morons because the democrat morons are now in charge, turns areound and writes a Gutless NON-binding resolution to destroy the morale of the troops.
But you Shithead Raven you don’t have the guts to come back here and debate, you are just like the terrorists you hit and then run and hide your scrawny ass in some dark hole so you don’t have to fight.
They should bring the draft back just to piss off assholes like you and send your worthless ass to Iraq or better yet Afghanistan. That would give you something to protest, then we will bring back the ’68 Chicago police for crowd control.
Then you can go ‘over the hill’ and we can shoot your sorry ass for being a deserrter.
You worthless piece of shit.
Mark – I’ll be waiting up here in Canada for Raven to cross. You needn’t waste your bullet! I’ll take it from here!
RG – accidentally born Canadian
I have thought about this most of the day being Sunday and all. WTF is it Suricou? Your pseudonym, is it an Armenian name or a Harry Potter fantasy name about a love affair with the imaginary Harry Potter character Sirius Black? You can’t be real, flying around like the moonbat you are. Since you are anti-war and pro-socialist have you or anyone in your family given anything toward protecting the freedoms you enjoy? What are you hiding from, closet paranoia? Are you a closet Islamist, or just a dyed in the wool Socialist? The UK military is amongst the finest in the world, do you harbor the same ill will toward those of your countrymen who forfeit their lives to protect your sorry ass as you do toward the American troops? John Griffith Chaney wrote a befitting poem about your kind, not under any pseudonym BTW, yeah he was a bastard as well as an American Socialist, his father abandoned him before he was born, what’s your excuse? He took his stepfathers surname, London and wrote under the name of Jack London. He’s not the only bastard to make a name for himself, let’s look at one. Thomas Edward Lawrence or T.E. Shaw. T. E. Lawrence was the second of five illegitimate sons of Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman, an Anglo-Irish landowner. Lawrence distinguished himself in the 1916-1918 Arab war and was made a Companion in the Order of the Bath and awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the French Legion of Honour, though in October 1918 he refused to be made a Knight Commander. In the words of King George V, “He left me there with the box in my hand.”.
T. E. Lawrence had principles, he rightfully called Lowell Thomas a “vulgar man”.
Do you also hate Sir Winston Churchill, his mother was an American you know and he as well as allied troops stood along side of Americans fighting and dying for the same cause in the great battle against Fascism and Totalitarianism ? I should have prefaced that with which side were you on? We don’t rightly know, Vichy perhaps, pseudonyms hide so much about one until you communicate with them. Both distinguished men I might add had much to do with present day Iraq. Do you run out and rejoice in the street at homicide bombings and Islamic massacres? Your comments make me wonder, when you see joy in the possible missile strike of a US ship, the downing of an US helicopter, the butchering of U.S. soldiers instead of humane treatment, the summary execution of our wounded. Most of the veterans who post on this site have endured unpeakable horrors, neither they nor I love war, we know it as a necessity of freedom. We have all sacrificed to protect your right to live in a free society, whether that be in the U.S. , the UK, France or anywhere else in the free world, all without recompensation. When you have spilled your own blood, picked up the detritus of the battle field, stuffed your fellow countrymen into body bags and have attended the funerals of a fallen soldier to see what has happened to their families, I’ll accept you criticism, until then bugger off, you are nothing, a mere fly speck on the excrement of humanity.
God Bless you, RightGirl.
Just because someone is elected to Congress doesn’t automatically mean they are cleared for classified material. Many congressmen have things in their background that would make them a security risk. Access to classified material is granted on a Need To Know basis. Just being a “lawmaker” doesn’t automatically give you a need to know.
I had guys denied security clearances for things in their past that congressmen do on a daily basis.
Jack
That was outstanding.
Raven or wana be Crow. Eater of road kill…If
the Congress and the Senate had it together
Iraq would be over by now,think about it…
and a little off post. How is it is country
radio don’t play the Dipsey Chicks they get 2
grammys Country song and alblum of the year
its enough to p**s off the pope…And to top
it off Natalie Maines went na,na,na,ha ha ha!
Lynn, you right, the door will be open and our soldier will walk right in to an ambuse thanks to what they are going to do with this information. This is unreal what they are doing to our troops and our country.
Mark, I agree we might as well just send the report to Osama.
LInda they sure are, this Congress is hell bent on destroying this country.
Bob, I never thought I would see this happen to this country. Never.
Tincan Sailor, exactly, no leadership. No one saying NO to these vile people.
Suricou Raven, you just outdid yourself didn’t you. It sure as hell sucks to be you.
How sad to be you, how sad not to have the knowledge that even a child would have to know that without our military, our troops, and our Veterans too need to be included in this…..without them we would not, NO way even a little bit, be the land of the free.
These papers are NOT meant to be in the hands of people that cannot be trusted and that is just what is about to happen. I realize you cannot recognize the enemy within because you cheer them on in your own way. I do NOT and never will.
Knoweldge is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands and it is this knowledge that will soon be in the hands of people that wish to endanger our troops, and that loath our military.
Now go educate yourself in how Nations stay secure, safe and free. It sure as hell is not from the likes of you.
Hi Darleen, thanks.
Tom, I agree, I keep thinking each time this has to be the last of this from the enemy in our country then something like this happens.
Mark ……Thank you! Well said!!!!
Thank you RG, your my favorite Canadian.
Jack, good one, thank you!
I am going to try to make an analogy here.
When I was a kid about 6 or 7 yrs old, we lived on a lake in Indiana. I decided that even though we had a boat I would build one. I got a bunch of tongue and grove boards some nails and build a rectangular boat. I took it down to the lake and threw it in; it sank before I could get in it leaked so bad. I think some in congress will leak this information faster than my home made boat leaked and sank. The sinking part could really hurt this country, the military and the intelligence community. All you have to do is look at all the anonymous leaks in DC now.
Obama Admissions on Drug Use Could Signal New Era in Politics…The Illinois Democrat is the first White House contender to admit trying cocaine
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240992,00.html
If I, or any other GI, would have admitted to drug use in our past, we would have lost our security clearance in a heartbeat. If Obama were to become President, he would be given the highest security clearance in the country but a lowly GI will loose his relatively low clearance?
John5 that is a great analogy, thank you so much.
Bob, none of this makes sense. So many double standards!!
That will teach me to miss this post before I sent my Senator a request to know what Senators and Congressmen have enough clearance to access classified docs. Durbin was the only one I found from the 107th in the Congressional Record to say he was given classified intel but couldn’t speak of it in open session. All those claiming to be fooled by faulty intel can only make that claim if never cleared to study it. Of course it still applies to those in the 107th. But if they start doing right now, damn, I’ll have less to bitch about.
At the first leak, start at the point that the intel is displayed (ie, NYT) and prosecute backwards till the source is found. Hang all parties associated under acts of treason, aiding and abetting, and anything else that can be made to stick. Pile it on.
Repeat with next leak until all leaks cease.