Bush Robbs Democrats of credibility in calling Bush's bi-partisan Commission to review pre-war intelligence a tool of the White House.

Feb. 7, 2004: PoliSat .Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
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Bush Robbs Democrats of credibility in calling Bush's bi-partisan Commission to review pre-war intelligence a tool of the White House.·

By naming former-Senator/ex-Virginia-Governor Chuck Robb as one of the two co-chairmen of a Presidential Commission to review pre-war intelligence about Iraq, President Bush "Robbs" the Democrats of credibility in trying to characterize the Commission as a "tool" of the Bush Administration. Robb, like Kerry, served with gallantry in the Vietnam War-- the political crucible upon which the Democratic Party (but not Robb) began cannibalizing traditional bipartisanship in foreign policy by: (a) repudiating (while pretending to embrace) the high-minded, pro-liberty, anti-tyranny foreign policy so eloquently articulated by John Kennedy (JFK) in his inaugural address and (b) politically recasting as a "Republican" war the war begun, but waged unsuccessfully, by a Democratic president before being ended by the Republican president whom John Kerry now tries to demonize as though he were the author of that war.

With respect to foreign policy, Robb, who supported the 1991 resolution for the first Gulf War as a U.S. Senator, generally allied himself with leaders (e.g., Scoop Jackson, Sam Nunn) of the remnants of the rapidly diminishing wing of the Democratic Party still loyal to the pre-cannibalization era of bipartisan foreign policy exemplifying the pro-liberty/anti-tyrany principles in JFK's inaugural address. Although Robb, like most Senators in both parties, often put party interests ahead of national interests on domestic issues, he avoided doing so on foreign policy issues.

The co-chairman, retired Judge Laurence Silberman, who served as Deputy Attorney General in the Nixon and Ford administrations, has a reputation as a smart, hard-nosed realist. Other members include Lloyd Cutler, who served as White House Counsel to Presidents Carter and Clinton; Judge Patricia Wald, a former chief judge for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia who also served as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Yale University President Richard Levin; former Deputy CIA Director Adm. William O. Studeman, and last, but the least-least of them all, John McCain. Washington Post reporter Mike Allen says Bush planned to name nine members but decided to name two more later to serve with the seven already named. (One suspects he's holding two aces in the hole in case criticism of the panel's composition were to appear to be gaining traction.) The New York Times, famed for its recent tour de force in "investigative prowess" and "objective analysis," dismissively characterized these seven people as lacking sufficient "stature" to give their ultimate report "credibility." Perhaps the Times should suggest Howell Raines to fill one of the two remaining slots.

Critics of Bush immediately criticized him not only for failing to allow the Democratic leaders inthe House and Senate to name members to the Commission but also for setting March, 2005, as the deadline rather than a date well before the November 2004 election. Apparently, for an investigation of whether our intelligence community reached conclusions too soon, they would prefer that the Commission render a report too soon.

Although one may conclude that appointment of this Commission was politically necessary, it's difficult to understand how adding another investigation on top of several already in progress can avoid draining resources from, and impair the performance of, the intelligence-analysis now in progress. One also worries that persons and/or officials in other countries who might have been on the verge of cooperating with our intelligence services may now become reluctant to do so out of fear that they may likely become exposed, and devoured, by the political cannibalism running rampant in this election year.

John Kerry and the lesser Democratic candidates react quickly to the appointments.·

Immediately after Bush's announcement of his appointment of seven members to the Presidential Commission on Pre-War Intelligence, reports sought a response from all the Democratic candidates. John Edwards criticized the panel as not representing the "two Americas" because none of the appointees was a "working person" without a "college degree." Wesley Clark said he opposed the creation of the panel but might later decide to support it. Dean said, "Aaarrgghhh!" Dennis Kucinich said, "Rather than appointing a Presidential Commission, I would establish a "Department of Commissions." John Kerry, seeking to at least superficially emulate JFK's Camelot Persona (though not his foreign policy) so fondly associated with JFK's penchant to quote great poets, provided reporters with the following poetic response:

Kerry Sobs about Robb: ·

When Bush named the members, I sobbed,
My Democrat heart doesn't throb
for whom Dubya named
for fixing of blame--
a tactic of which I've been Robbed.

Shortly after making this statement, Kerry expressed relief that he had always described the Vietnam War as "Nixon's War" than as "Johnson's War."

Pot-Shots from the Annan Cannon.·

Seeing such partisan debate in the U.S. becoming increasingly rancorous, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan decided to provide comic relief by lecturing the United States on the importance of "credibility" in the international arena. An outdoor press conference yesterday outside U.N. Headquarters afforded Annan the opportunity to present international-law arguments to buttress his point. More details about this are being transferred to the next installment of our Daily Updates.

--Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com.

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