What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

by Jean Carnahan

Far above the hubbub of activity in the U.S. Capitol is a quiet, highly secure room designed for classified briefings of U.S. Senators.  Electronic devices and phones are checked at the door.  The austere room outlined with a U-shaped table is windowless, soundproof, and regularly swept for listening devices.  No staff is permitted and no notes can be taken.  

Each time I entered this sacrosanct area, I thought of the war room scene from Dr. Strangelove and Peter Sellers’ hilarious line during a heated scuffle: “You can’t fight here,” he said, “This is the war room!”

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It was in the “upper room,” that I first heard Rummy’s infamous comment on our intelligence gathering capacity—a comment that could have come directly from Gen. Turgidson in that movie war room.

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Deciphering such gibberish was as impossible as believing anyone could utter it in the first place.  Despite the dire and cryptic warnings, some senators had doubts about the war, especially if it meant taking unilateral action.  When Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle expressed concerns, however, he was promptly put down by Minority Leader Trent Lott saying, “How dare Sen. Daschle criticize President Bush and our war on terrorism.”  The President piled on, declaring Saddam Hussein a “grave threat to the region, world, and the United States.” 

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