Mark Adams, who's always correct, get used to it. (mail) (www):
I called my CongressCritter, Marcy Kaptur, about the Iraq supplemental. Her aide told me they just got the final language on the bill at 9:00am and the vote was that afternoon -- 400 pages.
No way anyone had a chance to read it all.
No way Bush read it before he signed it into law.
That's how we got that little addendum in the Patriot Act that let Gonzales replace US Attorneys without Congressional oversight. That's how removing habeas corpus got through the military commissions act.
This process is a feature, not a bug of an overreaching executive and all too influential bureacracy.
Mark Adams, who's always correct, get used to it. (mail) (www):
CORRECTION
Rose, Edwards did NOT read the entire NIE, but was briefed on it.
I don't know if this makes a difference one way or the other, and undoubtedly that's how a lot of this stuff has to work since politicians obviously don't have as much time as us bloggers to read everything out there.
A spokesman for Mr. Edwards, Mark Kornblau, offered this explanation by e-mail this afternoon: “He simply misunderstood the question. As Senator Edwards has said many times before, he read the declassified version of the N.I.E., as well as other intelligence documents which were ultimately summarized in the classified version of the N.I.E.”
Mr. Edwards and his aides have indeed often said that he did not read the classified version of the estimate before voting for force in Iraq; other presidential candidates, including Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Christopher Dodd, also did not read it before voting to authorize military action, and were only briefed by aides or administration officials on the estimate, their advisers say.
The Politico recently asked several senators if they had read the estimate; among them, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., another Democratic presidential candidate, said he had read the estimate.
Mark Adams, who's always correct, get used to it. (mail) (www):
Amazingly different post invasion stances between those two, don't ya think?
The NIE, don't forget, was just a summary of all the intel reports they had been reading right along. They both knew the intel better than most humans whether they read every word of the NIE or not.
Knowing what they already knew from all the reports the NIE was based on, I doubt they would have changed their votes. NOW, however, Edwards says he was wrong, and McCain can't admit this was a collosal mistake and would compound this tragedy.
They both made a bad choice in the heat of the moment, as did the vast majority of the entire country. Now, in retrospect with a chance to see the consequences, Edwards has displayed good judgment in reevaluating his position -- McCain shows no judgment at all.
What's more important in a leader, always making the right choices or having the good judgment to acknowledge and correct errors? Except for Ron Paul, every GOPer will continue the war, and every Dem will end it -- period.
They both made a bad choice in the heat of the moment, as did the vast majority of the entire country. Now, in retrospect with a chance to see the consequences, Edwards has displayed good judgment in reevaluating his position -- McCain shows no judgment at all.
Well, McCain is at least owning it. He's criticized the Admin on the handling of the war but he knows, from his own personal experience, what could happen if we pull out. I also think that he, like many of us, realize we fucked up but it's our mess and we have the responsibility to clean it up.
Run Al, run.
Screw that...
The people who took us to war should be removed from the office of President.
IJS.
Wake up, people: why are we blaming everyone EXCEPT the very people who made this mess to begin with?
It's like Bush saying: "Y'all were too dumb to stop me so I'm not accountable."
Nice try. I ain't buyin'.
Paraphrasing Rose: "Cooking all the intelligence available isn't exactly something we want in a leader."
You think??
No way anyone had a chance to read it all.
No way Bush read it before he signed it into law.
That's how we got that little addendum in the Patriot Act that let Gonzales replace US Attorneys without Congressional oversight. That's how removing habeas corpus got through the military commissions act.
This process is a feature, not a bug of an overreaching executive and all too influential bureacracy.
Rose, Edwards did NOT read the entire NIE, but was briefed on it.
I don't know if this makes a difference one way or the other, and undoubtedly that's how a lot of this stuff has to work since politicians obviously don't have as much time as us bloggers to read everything out there.
I saw this via Carpetbagger referencing NYTime's Caucus blog:
Accuracy is always a good thing.
The NIE, don't forget, was just a summary of all the intel reports they had been reading right along. They both knew the intel better than most humans whether they read every word of the NIE or not.
Knowing what they already knew from all the reports the NIE was based on, I doubt they would have changed their votes. NOW, however, Edwards says he was wrong, and McCain can't admit this was a collosal mistake and would compound this tragedy.
They both made a bad choice in the heat of the moment, as did the vast majority of the entire country. Now, in retrospect with a chance to see the consequences, Edwards has displayed good judgment in reevaluating his position -- McCain shows no judgment at all.
What's more important in a leader, always making the right choices or having the good judgment to acknowledge and correct errors? Except for Ron Paul, every GOPer will continue the war, and every Dem will end it -- period.
Well, McCain is at least owning it. He's criticized the Admin on the handling of the war but he knows, from his own personal experience, what could happen if we pull out. I also think that he, like many of us, realize we fucked up but it's our mess and we have the responsibility to clean it up.
But he wouldn't be able to get away with it, because LeBron James would slam dunk the duck.