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Posted by Joel Mathis November 8, 2005 at 10 a.m.

A broader inquiry?

Pat Roberts links [(Washington Post) Wider Scope in Prewar Probe Sought:][1] Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee want the right to interview top policymakers or speechwriters as part of the inquiry into whether the Bush administration exaggerated or misused intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), the panel's vice chairman, said yesterday. Rockefeller raised the possibility of issuing subpoenas, and outlined a more wide-ranging approach than the one described by Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who said the work would center on comparing public statements by administration officials to intelligence reports circulating at the time. ... Yesterday, a Senate staff member familiar with Roberts's views said he thinks it may not be necessary to interview anyone. "But if the committee members decide they need to speak to those involved, they can agree to do that," he added.[(Boston Globe) Democrats press for inquiry:][2] But Reid and other top Democrats called on the chairman of the intelligence panel, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, to focus the inquiry on answering three key questions: How did the Bush administration build its flawed case for war? How did the Bush administration sell its case for war? How did the Bush administration coordinate and carry out its strategy to question its critics? A bipartisan group of six senators is scheduled to meet today to chart a way forward for the so-called Phase II investigation. But a yawning partisan divide over how to proceed could grow wider as the panel tries to complete its work, according Capitol Hill aides and outside observers.[(Media Matters commentary)Led by Roberts, conservatives continued to falsely claim government reports found that Bush administration didn't manipulate intelligence:][3] In recent days, conservative pundits have repeated the false claim -- now advanced by Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) -- that government investigations have already cleared the Bush administration of "manipulat[ing]" intelligence in 2002 and 2003 as it made the case for the war in Iraq. In fact, while several reports found that analysts felt no "pressure" from senior policy-makers in reaching their intelligence assessments -- a conclusion that has since been challenged by several senior intelligence officials -- no government entity has thus far investigated and reported on whether Bush administration officials manipulated that intelligence once they received it.[(Weekly Standard commentary) Three Years of the Condor:][4] According to the "additional views" section of the Senate report (written by Senator Pat Roberts), Wilson had baldly fabricated his alleged disclosure of the forged documents: "On at least two occasions [Wilson] admitted that he had no direct knowledge to support some of his claims and that he was drawing on unrelated past experiences or no information. For example, when asked how he knew that the Intelligence Community had rejected the possibility of a Niger-Iraq uranium deal, as he wrote in his book, he told Committee staff that his assertion may have involved 'a little literary flair.'"Sam Brownback links [(Patriot-News) New push to ban gay marriages heats up:][5] U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, a likely conservative candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is pushing a constitutional amendment that would ban gays and lesbians from marrying. A similar amendment failed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate last year. ... Political analysts and gay-rights advocates see Brownback's effort as an attempt to bolster his credentials among social conservatives for his own political gain.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][6] [1]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/07/AR2005110701546.html [2]: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/08/democrats_press_for_inquiry/ [3]: http://mediamatters.org/items/200511070005 [4]: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/327jhrsr.asp [5]: http://www.pennlive.com/enter/index.ssf?/news/patriotnews/index.ssf%3f/base/news/11314454853830.xml&coll=1 [6]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed