WMD -- clear and present danger, or not?
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is quoted in USA Today, calling for an investigation into POTUS' pre-war allegations of WMD in Iraq:
"Sooner or later, we will have hearings. It's entirely appropriate to do so," said McCain, the No. 2 Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which could hold hearings soon.
Rejecting the White House argument that U.S. search parties should first be given time to comb hundreds of possible weapons sites, McCain said: "Any delay will, I think, not be in the interest of the American people.
"Let's move forward, have those hearings and have the American people in on it."
Senate GOP leaders are resisting calls for an investigation.
The Associated Press "gets it," however:
Those seeking an investigation say the issue goes beyond the failure to find weapons.
Some of the administration's evidence of Iraqi weapons programs has proven false. Documents indicating Iraq imported uranium from Niger were forgeries. Aluminum tubes described as intended for nuclear weapons were likely meant for conventional artillery rockets.
What's at issue, Senator Levin (D-MI) said, is whether American intelligence can be trusted in the future as a basis for action against other adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea.
"I've got to have confidence in that intelligence, and the American people have to have confidence and if we're going to lead the world in a war on terrorism," he said.
The House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, Rep. Jane Harman of California, said she and her staff will carefully examine the CIA documents before deciding how they want to proceed.
"The war was premised on the notion that there was a clear and present danger to American interests and we need to understand whether all of those claims were appropriate," she said.
Leave a comment