Sensenbrenner to Conyers: “Piss Off” — Hearings Commence Tomorrow
“On Thursday June 16, 2005, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Room HC-9 of the U.S. Capitol, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Congress Members will hold a hearing on the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence of efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence. The hearings had been planned for the Democratic National Committee offices because the Republicans controlling the House Judiciary Committee had refused to permit the ranking Democratic Member to use a large room on the Hill”Move to a lagrer room on the Hill
This was clearly an attempt to dimish the importance of the hearing, and to incovenience Committe members as far as possible. These age old tactice. Jeus was born in cave, and it worked out just fine.
This does not indicate any change in position from the Republicans.
What to Expect At The Hearings:
Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.
What They Will Be Looking At the Hearing:
1. BRIEFING PAPER; IN ADVANCE OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S MEETING ON IRAQ
- DAVID MANNING; “WHAT ABOUT THE MORNING AFTER?” ACCOUNT OF HIS DINNER IN CRAWFORD TEXAS WITH CONDI RICE.
- THE DOWNING STREET MINUTES The Downing Street Minutes; JULY 23; 2002
- THE GOLDSMITH MARCH 2003 OPINION THE GOLDSMITH MARCH 2003 OPINION
4. WILMSHURST’S RESIGNATION LETTER
5. BBC INTERVIEW WITH MEYER 2001 - BBC INTERVIEW WITH MEYER 2004
7. BBC TRANSCRIPT: IRAQ: TONY & THE TRUTHUS: O’NEILL AND CLARKE BACK UP ACCOUNT IN THE MINUTES:
1. O’NEILL; JANUARY 2004
2. CLARKE; AND CLARKEUK GOVERNMET REPORTS
1. BUTLER REPORT
2. HUTTON REPOR“COOKED INTELLIGENCE”
1. SEXED UP SEPTEMBER DOSSIER
2. DIS EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT COOKING INTEL
3. ACCESIBLE HUTTON INQUIRY EVIDENCE
4. THE FORGED INTELLIGENCE DOSSIER ON IRAQ
5. “THE PUBLIC MUST LOOK INTO WHAT IS MISSING IN REPORT” Scott Ritter
6. DOSSIER NOTHING LIKE REALITY: UN CHIEF INSPECTOR
7. BLAIR USES BUTLER REPORT TO BACK UP CLAIMS IRAQ WAR LEGAL; House of Commons, 14th July, 2004.NEWS REPORTS 2001-2005
“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”George Orwell, Politics and the English Languange
NEWS:
Michael Smith1. Failure Is Not An Option”;Telegraph; 18 September, 2004
- RAF Bombing Raids Tried to Goad Saddam Into War”
; May 29, Times On Line - “Blair Hit By New Leak of Secret War Plan“; May 1, 2005; Times On Line
4. “Blair Planned Iraq War From The Start” May 1, 2005 - “The Downing Street Minutes That Lasted A Month” June 9, 2005
Also See:
1. “Spies Threaten Tony Blair With ‘Smoking Gun’ Over IraQ” Sengupta & Smith; Independent; June 2003RAY McGOVERN:
1. “Proof Bush Fixed the Facts” May 4, 2005
2. “Downing Street II” June 13, 2005Among those speaking at the rally will be:
Congressman John Conyers (schedule permitting); Congresswoman Barbara Lee (schedule permitting); Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (schedule permitting); Congressman Maurice Hinchey (schedule permitting); Cindy Sheehan, Co-Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace; John Bonifaz, Co-Founder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of Global Exchange; Stephen Cleghorn, Member of Military Families Speak Out; Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Board Member of Progressive Democrats of America; Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst; Reg Keys, Member of Military Families Against the War, challenger to Tony Blair in last election (flying in from UK); William Rivers Pitt, Reporter for Progressive Democrats of America; Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice; Kevin Zeese, Director of Democracy Rising
We haven’t yet got the final tally of Coners’ letters signed through MoveOn.or, but it is well over 500,000 Americans, with 89 members of Congress signimg.
JOIN THE COALITION SEEKING RESOLUTION OF INQUIRy
(Apian’s Note: Hearings Will Be Broadcast on C-Span)
flamethrowers, flower throwers, word throwers, everyone welcome!
Conyers said he has 553k on AAR (Franken show).
Thx for all your work Apian!
Hi Apian, I was out for awhile and just now catching up on the news. Conyers has 500,000 signatures so far. It was just covered by CNN with a very good piece, asking the question at the end, did the US go to the UN to avoid the war or to justify a war. Avoid or Justify should be our new slogan for this whole mess.
This issue is sure heating up.
Thanks for rounding this up,
Folks put a rec. on this diary.
some of us at afterdowningstreet.org are already organizing for the second wave. although four of us within ADS have organized a mailing of a press packet to reach unions and profressional organizations who represent more that 58 million members, encouraging them to sign Conyers letter, we don’t know what that impace has been (out of 158 organizations we only got 8 bounces… pretty good!)
We are getting ready for the second wave of letters to the media, to representatives, and to increase the numbers in the Coalition, especially those groups in the UK and Australia.
We are going places. It’s time to regroup and reread the dossier that numbers about 1,500 pages by now. I am entirely optomistice that we will see our goal met… a Resolution of Inquiry into the impeachabole offenses of GWB (and Tony Blair for that matter.)
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ here is an active link to the site mentioned above., check it out folks…
I can’t wait to see the sparks start to fly clear out here in TN!!!!! thanks for th eupdate and looking forward to watching it in c-span3 sometime when they decide to make it for allto see… I am finally so happy to see something about this getting some traction….Thanks again…..
Mark Danner did a good job of discussing the admin’s pre-war UN dilemma in the June 9th issue of NYRofB, The Secret Way to War. You don’t need a subscription to read it.
Great work up above. But to be sure people find this and it stays up, perhaps change the word tomorrow’s (since soon enough, it will be today) to Conyers’ ?
The rest is up to us to recommend, recommend. . . .
I did not see this earlier and posted that the Conyers Forum will be on Cspan tomorrow. If you want I can take it down but we could also use as a live thread tomorrow. It’s your call. Very well laid out and informative diary. I highly recommend!!
might I suggest you change the diary title now to include Conyers forum today?
should we start an open thread?
We’re working on that … exciting breaking news about it soon!
I wish someone would start a pre Forum thread. I am at work and do not have access to cspan3 or I would do it. Susan has a thread about Conyers on the front page. Maybe it could be done from there.