Congress

On Tuesday, August 2, Sen. Diane Feinstein's office issued the following press release:

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is urging the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to complete its investigation into the use of intelligence by policymakers prior to the Iraq War, with additional attention paid to the “ Downing Street Memo

By SCOTT SHEPARD
Cox News Service

WASHINGTON — As Congress tip-toes into the controversy over the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity, some lawmakers and analysts worry that the criminal investigation of the matter could be undermined by any congressional grant of immunity from prosecution, as has happened in the past in politically charged investigations.

The cases of key Iran-contra figures Oliver North and John Poindexter underscore their worries: both were prosecuted and convicted by independent counsel Lawrence Walsh, but their convictions were overturned because Congress had granted them immunity in order to compel them to testify in the congressional investigation of the Reagan administration's arms-for-hostages deals.

John Bonifaz and Congressman Barney Frank
Click image for more photos

Welcome to Part II of my Online Town Hall Meeting on the War in Iraq
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Congressman Charlie Rangel (NY-15)
I would like to thank you for your participation in part two of my e-town hall meeting on the War in Iraq. The questions have been informative and stimulating. More than anything, they demonstrated just how much you care about our troops, about our government and America. Following are the responses to some of the questions that time did not allow covering last week.

Why were so many people misled about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

By Congressman John Conyers
Huffington Post

When the Downing Street Minutes began to gain some notoriety in May and June, the President and Prime Minister Blair answered a question about them briefly. Interestingly, both seemed to want to spend the most time talking about the minutes' contention that the President had always intended to go to war (despite the President's public pronouncements to the contrary). That was a smart thing to do, in a political sense, because the President's state of mind is a much more difficult allegation to prove, requiring subjective interpretations of the President's actions.

New Blogger, More Bolton, and Other News
LINK TO ORIGINAL

Good morning, everyone.

Joining our cast of bloggers today is Leon Hadar, a research fellow in foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, a journalist, a professor, and a gentleman. Leon is the author of the just published Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)."

Overnight, AP's Liz Sidoti reported on Senator Biden's request for information on whether Bolton testified before the Fitzgerald grand jury, providing significant exposure to the story (Google News shows around 150 newspapers picked it up). Hidden in the bowels of Sidoti's piece was a bit of new information - Representative Jane Harman is looking into the production of the State Department memoranda that identified Wilson's wife:

Forty members of Congress have now co-sponsored Congresswoman Barbara Lee's Resolution of Inquiry. Many more will almost certainly do so if asked by their constituents.
More Info. and What You Can Do.

DEMOCRATS:
Ranking Member Tom Lantos, California, 12th District (a report on lobbying Lantos)
Howard L. Berman, California, 28th District
Gary L. Ackerman, New York, 5th District
Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, American Samoa
Eliot L. Engel, New York, 17th District
Earl Blumenauer, Oregon, 3rd District
Grace F. Napolitano, California, 38th District
Adam B. Schiff, California, 29th District
Ben Chandler, Kentucky, 6th District

REPUBLICANS:
Ron Paul, Texas, 14th District
Henry J. Hyde, Chairman, Illinois, 6th District
Christopher H. Smith, Vice Chairman, New Jersey, 4th District

Sanford Bishop Jr.
GK Butterfield
Donna Christensen
James Clyburn
Artur Davis
Chaka Fattah
Harold Ford Jr.
Al Green
Alcee Hastings
Jesse Jackson Jr.
William Jefferson
Cynthia McKinney
Kendrick Meek
Juanita Millender-McDonald
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Bobby Rush
David Scott
Edolphus Towns
Melvin Watt

Xavier Becerra
Michael Capuano
Donna Christensen
Lloyd Doggett
Chaka Fattah
John Larson
James McGovern
Cynthia McKinney
Grace Napolitano
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Nick Rahall II
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Bobby Rush
Linda Sanchez

FORUM: THE DOWNING STREET MEMOS
Has Bush Conspired to Lie to Congress and the American People about the Basis for the Iraq War?

Date, Location and Speakers:
Sunday, July 31, 6:30-8:30pm
Arlington St. Church
Arlington & Boylston Streets, Boston

Barney Frank
Representative, Massachusetts 4th Congressional District
John Bonifaz
Constitutional Lawyer
Gloria L. Fox
State Representative, Seventh Suffolk District (Boston)

Discussion of what we can do in response to this information.

The speakers will include Representative Barney Frank, State Representative Gloria Fox and John Bonifaz, a Boston-based attorney who specializes in constitutional law and is co-founder of www.afterdowningstreet.org. Mr. Frank and Mr. Bonifaz will discuss the Downing Street Memos and their implications, while Ms. Fox will discuss the impact of the illegal Iraq War on Boston and other inner cities. After questions and answers, a discussion will ensue about the need to launch a full investigation of these stunning and disturbing revelations.

This morning a group of eight citizens from Fauquier County, Virginia were cordially greeted by their Congressman, Rep. Frank Wolf (Republican - Virginia’s 10th Congressional District). We were made comfortable in his Capitol Hill office and invited to let him know our concerns. One member of his staff also sat in on the meeting.

Rep. Wolf had been invited to attend an AfterDowningStreet house party in Warrenton, VA last Saturday evening but he declined to attend or to provide a statement to be read. His scheduler did invite us to meet with him in his office whenever we would like, and since the August recess starts next week, we took the opportunity to meet with him today.

Ceder Creek Pilot (Texas)
Thompson gearing up for Congressional seat run

By John H. Cox

A retired U.S. Navy Commander and economic development executive acknowledged recently that his official announcement to seek the Democratic nomination is still forthcoming.

However, Charles Edward "Charlie" Thompson was ready to make his unofficial notice available to the public.

"Right now I'm in the midst of putting together a campaign team," the 61-year-old Athens resident said. "I do have a well-known Cedar Creek Lake Area resident as my campaign manager, Bill Hanstom. "When we get everything together, we hope to make our major official announcement."

Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee

Nearly four years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 tragedy, many of us warned that we should not let our anger over an attack against our nation be used as an excuse to undermine our fundamental liberties. Unfortunately, today, as the USA PATRIOT Act comes up for renewal, it seems increasingly clear that we have failed in the task of balancing our nation's need for security and our citizen's freedoms.

While the PATRIOT Act may not deserve all or even most of the ridicule that is heaped against it, there is little doubt that the legislation has been repeatedly and seriously misused by the Justice Department. Consider the following

A Bill That Would Prohibit Permanent US Iraq Bases
Thursday, 28 July 2005, 1:14 pm
Article: Between The Lines

Between the Lines Q&A
A weekly column featuring progressive viewpoints
on national and international issues
under-reported in mainstream media
for release July 27, 2005
http://www.btlonline.org/btl072905.html

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Introduces Bill That Would Prohibit Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq

- Interview with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Listen in RealAudio:
http://www.btlonline.org/btl072905.ram

(Needs RealOne player or RealPlayer)

By Rick Klein, Boston Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- For eight months, the Senate Intelligence Committee has made little effort to pursue its long-promised probe into whether the Bush administration intentionally misconstrued intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war -- an investigation that would have delved into whether White House aides tried to put pressure on CIA analysts.

The revelation that Karl Rove, a White House political adviser, leaked information about a CIA operative to discredit her husband's complaints about President Bush's use of intelligence has focused new attention on the relationship between the White House and CIA. But the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has shown no signs of moving ahead with its investigation.

Eureka Times-Standard
By James Faulk

North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson is among a group of congressional representatives demanding answers on whether the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to make a war with Iraq seem inevitable.

Thompson, a Democrat from St. Helena, signed a letter dated June 30 that was sent to the heads of four congressional committees.

"We are writing to request that your committees hold hearings to investigate reports of a pre-war deal between the United Kingdom and the United States and evidence that pre-war intelligence was intentionally manipulated," the letter reads. "On May 1, 2005, the Sunday London Times published a leaked document with the minutes of a secret meeting from highly placed sources inside the British government."

Downing Street Memo Teach-In
Part IV | Fernando Suarez del Solar: Bush Lied and Who Died? -- 07.27.05
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

Here are some links to audio and video from the Seattle DSM event.

McDermott audio mp3

McDermott video – Windows Media Format

Broadband

Dial-up

Representative from Rep. Inslee's Office - Windows Media Format

Broadband

Dial-up

Press Release from Congresswoman Waters

Inglewood, CA – Supported by veterans, activists and concerned citizens, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) addressed an overflowing audience as the featured speaker at the Downing Street Town Hall coordinated by the Out of Iraq Coalition—Los Angeles last Saturday, July 23rd. The four hour event, one of over 300 national events organized by Rep. John Conyers and AfterDowningStreet.org, was held at the Convenant Worship Center in Inglewood on the third anniversary of the Downing Street Memo. The phrase ‘Downing Street Memo’ refers to the minutes taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior aides where the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service said that he felt that war was inevitable, and that President Bush was ‘fixing’ the intelligence to fit his decision to go to war.

Rep. McDermott's Speech on July 23, 2005

Good afternoon, and welcome to my e-town hall meeting on the War in Iraq.

For me, as a veteran of the Korean War, our continued occupation of Iraq is the most heartbreaking of issues. Placing our young men and women in harm's way is always difficult. But it is devastating to ask them to sacrifice their lives when every reason, every justification for war given by their leaders is proven false.

No issue is more important to me and to our nation. More than 1,750 American troops have been killed and 12,000 wounded, many maimed for life. Though seldom mentioned, tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi's have been bombed and strafed to their deaths. The land we swore to liberate is now the world's leading training ground for terrorists, and as proven recently in London, a provocation to attackers abroad. Iraq is the most devastating military catastrophe to our nation since the Vietnam War, and there is no end in sight.

YubaNet.com
By Rep. Henry Waxman

The disclosure of the covert identity of Valerie Plame Wilson in a July 14, 2003, column by Robert Novak has triggered a criminal investigation and led to calls for congressional investigations. The Novak column, however, appears to be only one of multiple leaks of Ms. Wilson's identity. A new fact sheet released today by Rep. Waxman documents that there appear to be at least 11 separate instances in which Administration officials disclosed information about Ms. Wilson's identity and association with the CIA.

New Fact Sheet Details Multiple Administration Security Breaches Involving Valerie Plame Wilson

Poughkeepsie Journal

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, will take part in a panel discussion today in New York City regarding the alleged manipulation of pre-war intelligence by the Bush administration.

The event, titled, ‘‘Torture and Lies: Who is Accountable? From Abu Ghraib to the Downing Street Minutes,’’ is being held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, at 2 W. 64th St. in Manhattan.

Hinchey will be joined on the panel by former New York congresswoman Liz Holtzman and Randi Rhodes, a host on Air America Radio.

The forum is being held in commemoration of the third anniversary of the meeting at #10 Downing Street in London, which generated the so-called ‘‘Downing Street Memo.’’ The memo purportedly offers proof the United States and Great Britain secretly agreed to invade Iraq in the summer of 2002, well before seeking a U.N. resolution to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — President Bush is jeopardizing national security by not disciplining Karl Rove for his role in leaking the name of a CIA officer, and has hampered efforts to recruit informants in the war on terror, former U.S. intelligence officers say.

Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson used the Democratic Party's weekly radio address Saturday to reiterate comments he made Friday to a panel of House and Senate Democrats.

At that event, Johnson and others expressed great frustration that CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was made public. Plame is married to former ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of Bush's Iraq policy.

By Political Affairs

Yesterday, Rep. Barbara Lee (D–CA) introduced a Resolution of Inquiry in the House of Representatives which would require the White House and the State Department to "transmit all information relating to communication with officials of the United Kingdom between January 1, 2002, and October 16, 2002, relating to the policy of the United States with respect to Iraq." The resolution was introduced with 26 co-sponsors.

The resolution is regarded as a first step in an official congressional investigation of recently leaked information showing that in the spring and summer of 2004, as much as one year before the war began, high-level British government officials believed that the Bush administration was intent on going to war with Iraq, that is was planning to fix intelligence to support its cause, and that its case for war was insupportable with the known intelligence.

RAW STORY

The following statement was delivered to the Democratic Policy Committee hearing on the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson Friday, and released to RAW STORY.

#
I would like to thank our esteemed co-chairs this morning, Senator Dorgan and Congressman Waxman for calling this special joint hearing of Congress.

George W. Bush campaigned on ‘restoring dignity’ to the White House. During his first inaugural address, he affirmed a commitment “to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.

Congressman José E. Serrano
PRESS RELEASE

On Third Anniversary of Infamous Downing Street Meetings, Serrano Calls For Investigation, Bringing Troops Home

Washington, DC, July 22, 2005—Marking the third anniversary of the controversial Downing Street meetings, during which it was revealed that the Bush administration was determined to push ahead against Iraq regardless of its “thin case

Oakland Tribune

An Oakland representative introduced a resolution Thursday demanding answers from the White House about the "Downing Street memo" suggesting intelligence was "fixed" to justify the war in Iraq.
"Americans deserve to know the truth about the circumstances under which our troops were sent to war," U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, said in a news release.

Lee's bill, which has 26 co-sponsors, would require the president and secretary of state to give Congress all information relating to the administration's communication with British officials regarding U.S. policy in Iraq between Jan, 1, 2002, and Oct. 16, 2002, the latter date being when Congress authorized the use of force in Iraq.

Rutland Herald (Vermont)
By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff

A Congressional candidate who wants to impeach President Bush insists he can win the Republican primary.

Dennis Morrisseau, 62, of West Pawlet, plans to seek the Republican nomination to run for U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is being vacated by Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., who plans a run for the U.S. Senate.

A central part of his platform, Morrisseau said, will be bringing articles of impeachment against Bush.

He will most likely face Maj. Gen. Martha Rainville, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard, in the September 2006 primary, along with any other candidates who might get themselves placed on the ballot between now and then.