Reid seeks to rein in Bush

June 15, 2006

During the fall of 2002, the Bush administration spoke darkly of Saddam Hussein's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons - and weeks before the November election, President Bush asked Congress for authorization to go to war with Iraq.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and 28 other Democrats voted for the resolution, which divided their party. The Democrats were beaten badly in the election, and the war began a few months later.

There will be no repeat with Iran, Reid said this week. He is putting forth legislation that would impose strict oversight on Bush's Iran policy, even forcing the administration to report to Congress on its process for vetting the accuracy of all statements of the president, vice president and others in the administration.

The legislation has virtually no chance of passing, and even if it did, the administration would fight it as an intrusion into its realm. As a political move, however, it offers a clear picture of an aggressive Democratic strategy five months before the election.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/jun/15/566618206.html

Their fault was thinking the president of the U.S. had some credibility. They know now, he doesn't.

"But the Democratic strategy carries substantial risk, political analysts said. Republicans can try to fire up their base of hard-core supporters by warning that Democrats will try to thwart the administration's initiatives and call hearings to review its conduct of the last six years.

Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA Middle East specialist and currently a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, called Reid's proposal an attempt to tie the administration's hands.
Reid is "trying to show and demonstrate, I suspect, that you don't have perfect intelligence," Gerecht said.

In reality, Gerecht said, intelligence can give a vivid snapshot in time, but rarely provides lawmakers the definitive information they seek. He said he suspects Reid is using a lack of definitive information to avoid a confrontation with Iran. "
...

""Everything they say will have to be supported by facts," Reid said in a statement. "I have no doubt the White House won't like this requirement, but after what happened in Iraq, the American people deserve nothing less."

The bill is just one of a series of recent moves, including a call for a troop drawdown in Iraq. Together, those steps indicate Reid feels emboldened by recent polling, which shows his party has drawn even with Republicans on national security for the first time in years"
...
"The move also foreshadows what the government will look like if the Democrats recapture a majority of one or both houses of Congress."


dp