Republicans hand Democrat's ammo

[one-eyed-fatman]

Intelligence report fuels debate on terror threat
By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Democrats today seized on an intelligence assessment that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat, saying it was further evidence that Americans should choose new leadership in the November elections.
The Democrats hoped the report would undermine the GOP's image as the party more capable of handing terrorism as the campaign enters its final six-week stretch.
Their criticisms came in a collection of statements sent to reporters today amid the disclosure of a National Intelligence Estimate that concluded the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The report was completed in April and represented a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, according to an intelligence official. The official, confirming accounts first published in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post, spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday because the report is classified.
"Unfortunately this report is just confirmation that the Bush administration's stay-the-course approach to the Iraq war has not just made the war more difficult and more deadly for our troops, but has also made the war on terror more dangerous for every American,'' said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democratic effort to take control of the House.
"It's time for a new direction in this country,'' Emanuel, D-Ill., said in the statement.
"Press reports say our nation's intelligence services have confirmed that President Bush's repeated missteps in Iraq and his stubborn refusal to change course have made America less safe,'' said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "No election-year White House PR campaign can hide this truth.''
A White House spokesman, Blair Jones, said, "We don't comment on classified documents.'' But he said the published accounts' ``characterization of the NIE is not representative of the complete document.''
The White House issued a written rebuttal that argued administration officials have been making some of the same arguments as in the intelligence estimate. A White House strategy booklet released this month described the terrorists as more dispersed and less centralized and still a threat to the United States.
Bush himself said on Sept. 5 that "terrorist danger remains'' and the broader terrorist movement is becoming more spread out and self-directed. He also quoted Osama bin Laden describing Iraq as the central battlefield in the fight against terrorism.
The president has said the United States is safer since the Sept. 11 attacks and that fighting the terrorists in Iraq keeps them from attacking America.
Democrats said Bush had misled people about Iraq's contribution to the terrorist threat.
"This intelligence document should put the final nail in the coffin for President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war,'' said Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. "Despite what President Bush says, the intelligence community has reported the plain truth - the misguided war in Iraq has 'metastasized and spread' terrorism like cancer around the world.''
Rep. Jane Harman, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and one of a few lawmakers to have read the classified report, said she agrees with the findings.
"Even capturing the remaining top al-Qaida leadership isn't going to prevent copycat cells, and it isn't going to change a failed policy in Iraq,'' she said. "This administration is trying to change the subject. I don't think voters are going to buy that.''
Three leading Republicans - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - defended the war in Iraq and said it is vital that U.S. troops stay in the fight.
McConnell suggested that the fight in Iraq has stopped terrorists from attacking the U.S. and leaving would only create "a breeding ground for attacks here at home.''
"Attacks here at home stopped when we started fighting al-Qaida where they live, rather than responding after they hit,'' McConnell said in a statement.
McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation'' that if the U.S. were to fail in Iraq, "then our problems will be much more complicated.''
But at least one Republican - Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - said he was very concerned about the intelligence report and agreed that the war had intensified Islamic fundamentalism.
"I think there is a much more fundamental issue how we respond,'' he said on CNN's "Late Edition.'' "And that is what we do with the Iraq war itself. That's the focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism, and that's a problem that nobody seems to have an answer to.''

[einheit 13]

Waiting for tom's response..........

[jeff221]

Yeah, the Republicans gave this to them on a silver platter, but who wants to make bets they don't use it to as much as it could be used?

[one-eyed-fatman]

Originally Posted by einheit 13

Waiting for tom's response..........

You may have to quote me as I think I'm on tom's ignore list. Why should he listen to any truth?

[amishclark]

Originally Posted by einheit 13

Waiting for tom's response..........

something like..."this is bush-hating, left-wing media hooey.







tom"


ha

[cucamelsmd15]

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

Intelligence report fuels debate on terror threat
By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Democrats today seized on an intelligence assessment that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat, saying it was further evidence that Americans should choose new leadership in the November elections.
The Democrats hoped the report would undermine the GOP's image as the party more capable of handing terrorism as the campaign enters its final six-week stretch.
Their criticisms came in a collection of statements sent to reporters today amid the disclosure of a National Intelligence Estimate that concluded the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The report was completed in April and represented a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, according to an intelligence official. The official, confirming accounts first published in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post, spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday because the report is classified.
"Unfortunately this report is just confirmation that the Bush administration's stay-the-course approach to the Iraq war has not just made the war more difficult and more deadly for our troops, but has also made the war on terror more dangerous for every American,'' said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democratic effort to take control of the House.
"It's time for a new direction in this country,'' Emanuel, D-Ill., said in the statement.
"Press reports say our nation's intelligence services have confirmed that President Bush's repeated missteps in Iraq and his stubborn refusal to change course have made America less safe,'' said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "No election-year White House PR campaign can hide this truth.''
A White House spokesman, Blair Jones, said, "We don't comment on classified documents.'' But he said the published accounts' ``characterization of the NIE is not representative of the complete document.''
The White House issued a written rebuttal that argued administration officials have been making some of the same arguments as in the intelligence estimate. A White House strategy booklet released this month described the terrorists as more dispersed and less centralized and still a threat to the United States.
Bush himself said on Sept. 5 that "terrorist danger remains'' and the broader terrorist movement is becoming more spread out and self-directed. He also quoted Osama bin Laden describing Iraq as the central battlefield in the fight against terrorism.
The president has said the United States is safer since the Sept. 11 attacks and that fighting the terrorists in Iraq keeps them from attacking America.
Democrats said Bush had misled people about Iraq's contribution to the terrorist threat.
"This intelligence document should put the final nail in the coffin for President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war,'' said Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. "Despite what President Bush says, the intelligence community has reported the plain truth - the misguided war in Iraq has 'metastasized and spread' terrorism like cancer around the world.''
Rep. Jane Harman, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and one of a few lawmakers to have read the classified report, said she agrees with the findings.
"Even capturing the remaining top al-Qaida leadership isn't going to prevent copycat cells, and it isn't going to change a failed policy in Iraq,'' she said. "This administration is trying to change the subject. I don't think voters are going to buy that.''
Three leading Republicans - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - defended the war in Iraq and said it is vital that U.S. troops stay in the fight.
McConnell suggested that the fight in Iraq has stopped terrorists from attacking the U.S. and leaving would only create "a breeding ground for attacks here at home.''
"Attacks here at home stopped when we started fighting al-Qaida where they live, rather than responding after they hit,'' McConnell said in a statement.
McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation'' that if the U.S. were to fail in Iraq, "then our problems will be much more complicated.''
But at least one Republican - Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - said he was very concerned about the intelligence report and agreed that the war had intensified Islamic fundamentalism.
"I think there is a much more fundamental issue how we respond,'' he said on CNN's "Late Edition.'' "And that is what we do with the Iraq war itself. That's the focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism, and that's a problem that nobody seems to have an answer to.''

Quoted for Tom. I know Im not on his ignore list, since he cant fathom the fact that I dont contribute to his pension

[Son of Norway]

This is an easy one for the neo-cons to wiggle out of. First of all, they have admitted that the decision to invade Iraq was based on faulty intelligence, so they can easily claim that this intelligence report is faulty as well. These guys are experts at cherry-picking what they need to support their predisposition.

[Wu Wei]

I don't think it is that significant. It was never officially 'completed', so it lacks the seal of approval as quality intel. So did the 'intel' the Adminstration used to fire people up for Iraq, come to think of it..Which brings me back to another reason: I think many in the CIA hate the dumbsh!ts in charge hanging around the offices trying to get the info they want to hear and when they don't get it eviscerating the CIA and fluffing the NSA instead. Mark my words: The Bush administration is gutting the CIA and fortifying the NSA. I believe they are doing this because the CIA is to 'people heavy' and therefore has to many human elements that may balk at doing end-runs around our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and American moral fiber. They prefer the 'electronic-heavy' NSA, which is also less accountable and cellular so they can get what they want without even the 'info-gatherers' being tipped off as to the significance of what is being done. It is another layer of checks and balances being worked around, my biased assessment. I think it was leaked as part of a power struggle in the government. Lots of people at all levels want these people out of power for many different reasons on both ends of the political spectrum.

[Old School]

Radical Islam had its largest growth spurt in the 1990s and has grown ever since. Does this mean that if we did not go into Iraq that the growth of terrorism would have slowed down? I would say not, since the pattern of control that the Mullahs have over their poor followers continues to grow.

Beyond that, anything that has a quote from Ted Kennedy makes me chuckle.

Just my $.02.

OS

[Wu Wei]

OS, you missed the memo that WE are the center of the world, and anything that happens is in some way caused by us. They could not possibly have their own history or timeline, come ON! hehe just tired, going away now..