The L.A. Times printed an article yesterday titled “ rebukes Bush, Cheney on Prewar Claims” and begins by stating that the “the panel’s reproach, the most pointed on pre-invasion intelligence, doesn’t call for penalties or a follow-up inquiry 

SAY WHAT! Rebukes? Doesn’t call for penalties or a follow-up inquiry? Just so you know the dictionary defines ‘rebuke’ as “to criticize or reprimand”. I am sure that it’s a safe bet that that was cause for a good laugh in the Oval Office.

Exactly what crimes do Misters Bush and Cheney need to commit before they will be called upon to answer for their actions. Many have done far less, impacting few and have paid dearly with the loss of freedom and life. Or are we to adopt the belief that there are two or more sets of rules depending on your station in society or the size of you bank account.

Well, this past Thursday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a long-delayed report and rebuked Bush and Cheney for making pre-war claims – particularly those that “Iraq had close ties to Al Qaeda and that they weren’t supported by available intelligence.”

Wait, it gets better! This ridiculous report is considered “the most pointed reproach to date of the Bush administration’s use of intelligence to build the case for the Iraq war and then goes on to insult the American public once more by saying that the document stops short of calling for any follow-up investigation or sanction.

WHY BOTHER? Save the time, ink and oh yea, our tax dollars. The committee is obviously misnamed by including the word “intelligence” in its title. It might be better named the “Business As Usual Committee.

"In making the case for war, the administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when, in reality, it was unsubstantiated, contradicted or even nonexistent," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the intelligence panel. "Sadly, the Bush administration led the nation into war under false pretenses."

AND HOW IS THAT NOT A CRIME? “Sadly” we were led into an unnecessary war where, so far 4092 American soldiers have been needlessly killed with many more thousands injured for life and “sad” is the best adjective our elected leaders can come up with. Now, I know their vocabulary has great breadth than that!

In a second report, the committee provides new details on clandestine, post-Sept. 11 meetings between Defense Department officials and Iranian dissidents seeking support for a plan to overthrow the Islamic regime. The report faults national security advisor Stephen Hadley and others for their roles in an effort that was hidden from the CIA.

The dictionary defines “faults” as – a mistake; an error or a minor offense or misdeed. It makes it sound like they were jay-walking!

LET’S CONTINUE…..and highlight some of the very harsh words that the Committee mustered. 

The report on the Bush administration’s case for war, 170 pages long, reads like a catalog of erroneous claims. The document represents the most detailed assessment to date of whether those assertions were backed by classified intelligence reports available to senior officials at the time.

The report largely exonerates Bush administration officials for some of their prewar assertions, including claims that Baghdad had stockpiles of illegal chemical and biological weapons and was pursuing a nuclear bomb. Even though those claims were subsequently proved wildly inaccurate, the report notes, they were largely consistent with U.S. intelligence at the time.

But the report says the Bush administration veered away from its own intelligence community’s conclusions in two key areas: Iraq’s relationship with Al Qaeda and the difficulty of pacifying Iraq after a U.S. invasion.

Of course the report was met with the usual denials from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino who called the report "a selective view," adding that the White House regretted faulty information. 

There is much more of this nonsense documented in the report however I am finding it difficult to continue reporting it as I’ve past frustration several paragraphs ago and am now enraged that this is real life and not a bad movie.

I believe that our only hope of holding the Bush Crime Family accountable for their actions is if Barack Obama is elected our next President and he keeps his promise to seek justice in these matters.

So be smart at the ballot box this November!

More… On the Bogus Senate Intelligence Report - I posted something on the Senate Intelligence report earlier but Mick Wright posted a video blog takedown of the latest bogus Democratic attack on Bush.

Senate Intelligence Report: Can You Say "Impeachment"? - With the release of the Senate Select Committee Report, impeachment is more urgent than ever. Here we have the proof that the President and the Vice President repeatedly misled the nation into war.

Sen Intel Committee Releases Another Report to Show Bush LIED … - The report that many politco-geeks have been waiting YEARS to read, has finally been released; the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Investigative Report on Pre-War Intelligence About Saddam’s Iraq. We’ve waited FIVE YEARS for clear …

Senate Intelligence Committee report lays bare Bush-Cheney-McSame lies - Summary: Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to … Statements by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the … community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing. …