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| The Levin "report" |
| 2004-10-23 |
| SENATOR CARL LEVIN, the Senate's fiercest and most partisan critic of the Bush administration, released a "report" Thursday challenging the administration's claim that Iraq had a relationship with al Qaeda. The report was produced by the Democratic staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with no input from the panel's Republicans. Its release comes 13 days before the presidential election. If those facts alone don't suggest a transparently political maneuver, the contents of the report do. The 45-page Levin report is third-rate partisan hack-work. Its anonymous authors and its namesake should be deeply embarrassed. I say this not only because I disagree strongly with its inherently subjective conclusions. Basic facts are wrong. Congressional testimony is misdated. Quotes are erroneously sourced. Context is nonexistent. First, some background on Levin. No one in Congress has been as dogged in his efforts to downplay the relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. He has grilled witnesses in Congress, crafted numerous press releases, and sent dozens of letters to the executive branch. He even held a preemptive press conference to challenge the Senate Intelligence Committee's review of pre-Iraq war intelligence. He did this despite the fact that he signed the unanimous, bipartisan report. Shortly after the end of the Iraq war, Levin faulted the intelligence community for bowing to administration pressure and producing overheated intelligence products. This is how he put it in a June 16, 2003, interview on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. "We were told by the intelligence community that there was a very strong link between al Qaeda and Iraq." Eight months later, Levin reversed himself in an interview on Fox News on February 2, 2004. "The intel didn't say that there is a direct connection between al Qaeda and Iraq. That was not the intel. That's what this administration exaggerated to produce." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #9 unfortunately my fellow moronic Michiganders keep voting this cheese-dick in. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-10-23 10:01:36 PM |
| #8 Levin has had his ass handed to him at "debates" in the Jewish community between him and Kock, and even a Blogger or two who spoke against him. Of course these were all out in NJ and Fla, so not much was heard nationaly about it, nor in his home state. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-10-23 1:05:47 PM |
| #7 yep: Slow Joe Biden |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-23 12:30:42 PM |
| #6 Ooooh, don't forget the Chia Pet - Joe Biden! Just think, he wants to be our next SecState! This is the guy who's stumping for Skeery calling Bush "brain dead" - and SecState is his payoff. Must've put Holbrooke's shorts in a bunch. He'll have to settle for NSA Advisor or go back to UN Amb or Amb-at-large or something. Gotta hurt, y'know? But anyway, ol' Plagiarism 101 Chia Pet Joe - don't forget him when you think "Adventures in Hair"! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-23 12:09:56 PM |
| #5 Levin does have one redeeming quality. He has one of the most adventureous hair jobs on earth. As more leaves, the blender gets turned up. Look for nasal and ear hairs to be thrown onto the pate. He and that idiot Graham from Florida are absolute baffoons, not serious people for serious times. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-10-23 12:04:21 PM |
| #4 Levin is a self hating jew. What else do you need to know. Thanks for your insightful diagnosis, SPD. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-10-23 10:01:14 AM |
| #3 Levin is a self hating jew. What else do you need to know. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-23 2:54:09 AM |
| #2 Levin: âOh no, no relationship whatsoever. Sure, they had lunch every now and then, but discussions on how to finish off us infidels once and for all, is that really a crime?â /Levin |
| Posted by: jn1 2004-10-23 2:46:02 AM |
| #1 Levin is the worst sort of political hack. Right up there with Rangel, Kennedy, and Rockefeller, capable of saying anything, telling any half-truth, misleading anyone - for partisan purposes. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-23 1:54:17 AM |