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Originally Posted by host
politicophile....I've already explained that a combination of restrictions that confine who in congress was authorized to view classified information, combined with overwhelming political pressure and administration co-ordinated propaganda, timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, caused the senate October 11, 2002 "vote" to be as skewed toward the authorization for the president to use force, as it was. The chairman of the senate intelligence committee tried to open the consideration of all of the facts that he was privy to....to the rest of the senate. The white house blocked the CIA director from co-operating. Chairman Bob Graham then voted against the resolution.
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I'm aware that Senator Graham voted against the resolution, as did four other Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee. What I want to know is this:
Did Senators Rockefeller, Feinstein, Bayh, and Edwards have access to the same intelligence as Senator Graham? If they did not have access to that intelligence, then your statement above is true. However, if these four Democrats, who are some of the President's harshest critics, were pursuaded by the same intelligence that the use of force was at least potentially necessary, how can you continue to hold that the President deliberately misled the country?
I provided you with the grounds on which I would consider my position falsified. You have not yet presented the evidence I would need to see in order to change my position. Thus, your accusation that I am being "unresponsive to an informed argument or to any evidence that flies in the face of [my] assumptions" is a bit disengenuous. I recognize that five members of the Senate Intelligence Committee voted against authorizing the use of force. What you seem to be ignoring, however, is that twelve other members, including four Democrats, voted for the authorization. You have not provided any reason as to why I should disregard the view of twelve Senators who saw the full intelligence in favor of the view of five Senators who drew the opposite conclusion from the same material.
Just under 30% of the Senators on that committee hold you view. Why on earth do you think this is evidence that your position is correct? If anything, I would infer the opposite.
Here are my questions for you (or anyone else) in a simple numbered format:
1. Did all seventeen members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, including Senators Rockefeller, Feinstein, Bayh, and Edwards, have access to the complete intelligence that caused Senator Graham to oppose the resolution?
2. If it turns out that question 1 is answered in the affirmative, how would it be possible to claim that the President was deliberately misleading the nation without also claiming that Rockefeller, Feinstein, Bayh, and Edwards were willing participants in that lie?
3. Why should a vote of 12-5 in favor of the resolution amongst the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee be taken as a sign that the available evidence did not support the President's position?
Riddle me this.