Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
TechnoratiWASHINGTON - After pundits have commented about the muted reaction to author Ron Suskind's explosive allegations last week, the House Judiciary Committee said today it will "review" the reports of White House and CIA misconduct.
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) didn't mention anything about hearings or subpoenas in his press release this afternoon. But the committee chairman did say he instructed his staff to look into the report that former CIA Director George Tenet in late 2003 ordered agents to concoct a letter showing false evidence linking Saddam to 9/11.
"Mr. Suskind reports that the Bush Administration, in its pursuit of war, created and promoted forged documents about Iraq," Conyers said in the press release. "I am particularly troubled that the decision to disseminate this fabricated intelligence is alleged to have come from the highest reaches of the administration."
After Suskind's new book was released last week, the White House promptly denied the accusation and two of Suskind's key CIA sources criticized the report, claiming Suskind misrepresented their remarks. Suskind responded by releasing a partial transcript of one taped interview with a key CIA source.
While that allegedly forged letter got all the press attention last week, Conyers indicated he would review several other questions raised in the book, "The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism."
A number of issues raised in Mr. Suskind's book to be reviewed include:
- The origin of the allegedly forged document that formed the basis for Bush's 2003 State of the Union assertion that Iraq sought yellowcake uranium from Niger;
- The role of this document in creating the false impression that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta had a working relationship with Iraq;
- The relationship between this document and other reported examples of the Bush Administration considering other deceptive schemes to justify or provoke war with Iraq, such as the reported consideration of painting a U.S. aircraft with UN colors in order to provoke Iraq into military confrontation;
- Allegations that the Bush Administration deliberately ignored information from Iraq's chief intelligence officer that Iraq possessed no WMDs;
- The payment of $5 million to Iraq's chief intelligence officer and his secret settlement in Jordan, beyond the reach of investigators;
- The September 2007 detainment and interrogation of Mr. Suskind's research assistant, Greg Jackson, by federal agents in Manhattan. Jackson's notes were also confiscated.
© 2008 Copyright 2007 TPM Media LLC
17 Comments so far
Show AllThe fact that there are less than two dozen comments posted with this article should indicate that we've given up trying to get Bush impeached.
It's a shame. It's our job as citizens to make sure our elected officials honor their oaths. Bush has made a mockery of the presidency.
Soon he'll be relaxin' in Texas while our kids continue to die and suffer injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hail to the Chief.
Sometimes we need to reframe the news partly because, ultimately, it's not "new"s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBEdy9pvUE
As a very old saying goes, "If you print it the idiots will believe it."
jamadison4, (question)
unnamed sources state emphatically that you beat your wife every day, is that true?
jamadison4 (answer)
"no"
thank you for confirming you only beat your wife every other day
(end of question and answers.)
The next day... Headlines,,,
Newspaper articles indicate jamadison4 beats his wife every other day.
That's how writers and "news reporters" can smear anyone they want, when ever they want, how ever they want and hide behind the shield laws that say they don't have to tell who their "unnamed" sources are, Suskind is no different.
There is no question bushie boy and his administration have fucked up royally and have broken some laws. If you have "sources" that can prove bushie boy or someone in his administration really conspired to trash the constitution and are guilty of high treason, NAME THEM and let a grand jury hear what they have to say, don't hide behind "they are unnamed sources and I don't have to tell you who they are" bull shit. If they are telling the truth a grand jury WILL indite and congress will have no other alternative but to impeach.
My take on this is that America's store is bankrupt, that we are stuck in a contrived proceeding which denies us America's traditional dividends, and are enlisted to Support-Our-Store! while the storekeepers make off with the swag!
Do the storekeepers compete? Hmm...maybe, but only with each other, except when they actually cooperate with each other. But no matter our choice of storekeeper, we citizen-customers of America's store are left holding the bag, an empty one.
I guess I'll give them about 3 seconds to come to the rightful conclusion that this country has been hijacked by a fakedemocracy corporatocracy. Failing that.... it must all be theater.
Though I do love how quick the writers are working these days... gotta hit your audience while the goons are still in office. Hilarious.
If they impeach Bush and Cheney, Pelosi will become president. While impeachment is obviously indicated for reasons of justice, rule of law, deterrent and response to international outrage, it wouldn't result in much improvement in governance.
The same argument that the Democratic Congress has the power to do anything is simply unfair. The margin is so narrow that nothing much CAN happen now. Doing anything, even talking about it is something.
Vote the Republi-nazi's out and see what CAN happen, how many filibusters have we had, obstructionism. If congress gets a veto proof majority then we can judge what that do.
To criticize this tiny Democratic majority is simply naïve.
.
....IMPEACH....IMPEACH.....IMPEACH.....IMPEACH....
IMPEACH both Bush and Cheney.........NOW
.
Wow, that's like 5 years too late.
They'll put on a fake show of phony hearings. Their goal will be to get a few cheap headlines to aid their campaigns. They'll do nothing of real consequence though. No one is going to prison for a crime that has contributed to the deaths of over a million people.
More like they will investigate the investigator. Suskind is likely to be the only one taking any oath at any hearing that might take place. We know that Bush appointees/flunkies will not even bother showing up and subpoenas? Forget it. The Bush administration isn't going to enforce any Congressional subpoenas, probably not even if the pro-corporate US Supreme Court ordered them to. They're not interested, not home.... And even if they were, they wouldn't remember. Back to business as usual, which is government FOR business.
What does anyone want to bet that like the faux impeachment hearings, this too will go nowhere? Does anyone besides me sense how painful it is to sit through and listen to one of John Conyers's hearings?
There is NO WAY conyers will do an "under oath" investigation before the end of bush's term. There will also be no pressure from the MSM (co-conspiritors)
I wish they would at least be honest. "We know they are a bunch of criminals, but we don't care because we want to dot he same thing when we get to the White House"
House Judiciary To Probe Allegations - White Wash Ordered
I gotta say, this bullshit is beginning to exhaust even MY formerly infinite capacity to sneer and snark.
I can't even see where these toothless feints even constitute bits of "red meat" to encourage loyal Democratic voters.
The loyal Democratic voters have long since locked into voting for their charlatan du jour, so they certainly don't give a damn if Congressional Democrats pretend to take an interest in opposing the tsunami of corruption in which they so merrily froth and frolic.
Do ya spoze they still mouth these empty intentions because they still need to fool THEMSELVES into thinking they have a shred of integrity and responsibility?
It's a head-scratcher, all right.
"the House Judiciary Committee said today it will "review" the reports of White House and CIA misconduct."
Translation: They will get an intern to read Suskind's book.
ah!
mr atta's name brings us right back to the 9/11 fraud
what does conyers think about bushco killing a couple of thousand americans at work in nyc
probably, like all his other ruminations, not much
the gutless american public does not want to know how their own government attaked them
cowards
you didn't want to know about who killed jfk either
or martin
or bobby
we know the cia killed the panthers
like the bunny they keep going and going