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Intelligence findings present political obstacle for Republicans
By Ron Hutcheson
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15599775.htm
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
WASHINGTON - A newly disclosed intelligence assessment that contradicts President Bush's claim that the war in Iraq has made America safer also casts doubt on the Republican campaign strategy for the November elections.
Democrats seized on the intelligence findings Sunday to challenge Republican assertions that Bush and his congressional allies offer the best protection against terrorists. The assessment, the consensus opinion of the entire federal intelligence network, concluded that the Iraq war has fueled Islamic extremism and contributed to the spread of terror cells.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a prepared statement that the intelligence analysis "should be the final nail in the coffin for President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war."
"Despite what President Bush says," Kennedy said, "the intelligence community has reported the plain truth - the misguided war in Iraq has metastasized and spread terrorism like cancer around the world."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the analysis is "further proof that the war in Iraq is making it harder for America to fight and win the war on terror." She said Bush "should read the intelligence carefully before giving another misleading speech about progress in the war on terrorism."
White House officials declined to discuss the classified intelligence findings, which were disclosed in Sunday editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post. The assessment came in a report known as a National Intelligence Estimate, which reflects the consensus view of 16 government intelligence services, including the CIA.
The newspapers did not offer direct quotations from the report, relying instead on characterizations of the document by unnamed government officials. White House spokesman Peter Watkins suggested that the newspaper accounts did not provide the full story, but he declined to elaborate because the report remains classified.
The classified report was completed in April, but disclosed just six weeks before congressional elections that are likely to hinge on national security issues.
Republican strategists are hoping that voter confidence in Bush's handling of terrorism will help their party retain control of Congress.
"The Bush administration lives or dies, in terms of national security, on the claim that they have indeed made America safer," said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. "This is at the heart of the Republican rationale for continued control of government." He called the report "kryptonite for Superman," referring to the substance that disabled the comic book hero.
But Goldford said the political impact depends on "how skillful the Democrats are in exploiting" the newly disclosed intelligence findings.
"Never underestimate the Republicans' ability to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and never underestimate the Democrats' ability to make a sow's ear out of a silk purse," he said.
Polls indicate that Bush's handling of the war on terrorism remains a strong point for Republicans, despite widespread discontent with the war in Iraq. A recent Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of Americans think the war on terrorism is going well.
Bush has played up his strength with a series of recent speeches linking Iraq to the broader war on terrorism and defending his national security record. Watkins, the White House spokesman, echoed the president's previous remarks when asked Sunday to respond to the intelligence assessment.
"Terrorists are determined, and we're taking the fight to them," Watkins said. "We're keeping the pressure on and staying on the offensive, and that's the best way to win the war on terror."
But even some Republicans acknowledged that the intelligence report undermines Bush's claims that his decision to invade Iraq has made America safer. Appearing on CNN, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, agreed that the Iraq war has become "a focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism."
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By Ron Hutcheson
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15599775.htm
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
WASHINGTON - A newly disclosed intelligence assessment that contradicts President Bush's claim that the war in Iraq has made America safer also casts doubt on the Republican campaign strategy for the November elections.
Democrats seized on the intelligence findings Sunday to challenge Republican assertions that Bush and his congressional allies offer the best protection against terrorists. The assessment, the consensus opinion of the entire federal intelligence network, concluded that the Iraq war has fueled Islamic extremism and contributed to the spread of terror cells.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a prepared statement that the intelligence analysis "should be the final nail in the coffin for President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war."
"Despite what President Bush says," Kennedy said, "the intelligence community has reported the plain truth - the misguided war in Iraq has metastasized and spread terrorism like cancer around the world."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the analysis is "further proof that the war in Iraq is making it harder for America to fight and win the war on terror." She said Bush "should read the intelligence carefully before giving another misleading speech about progress in the war on terrorism."
White House officials declined to discuss the classified intelligence findings, which were disclosed in Sunday editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post. The assessment came in a report known as a National Intelligence Estimate, which reflects the consensus view of 16 government intelligence services, including the CIA.
The newspapers did not offer direct quotations from the report, relying instead on characterizations of the document by unnamed government officials. White House spokesman Peter Watkins suggested that the newspaper accounts did not provide the full story, but he declined to elaborate because the report remains classified.
The classified report was completed in April, but disclosed just six weeks before congressional elections that are likely to hinge on national security issues.
Republican strategists are hoping that voter confidence in Bush's handling of terrorism will help their party retain control of Congress.
"The Bush administration lives or dies, in terms of national security, on the claim that they have indeed made America safer," said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. "This is at the heart of the Republican rationale for continued control of government." He called the report "kryptonite for Superman," referring to the substance that disabled the comic book hero.
But Goldford said the political impact depends on "how skillful the Democrats are in exploiting" the newly disclosed intelligence findings.
"Never underestimate the Republicans' ability to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and never underestimate the Democrats' ability to make a sow's ear out of a silk purse," he said.
Polls indicate that Bush's handling of the war on terrorism remains a strong point for Republicans, despite widespread discontent with the war in Iraq. A recent Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of Americans think the war on terrorism is going well.
Bush has played up his strength with a series of recent speeches linking Iraq to the broader war on terrorism and defending his national security record. Watkins, the White House spokesman, echoed the president's previous remarks when asked Sunday to respond to the intelligence assessment.
"Terrorists are determined, and we're taking the fight to them," Watkins said. "We're keeping the pressure on and staying on the offensive, and that's the best way to win the war on terror."
But even some Republicans acknowledged that the intelligence report undermines Bush's claims that his decision to invade Iraq has made America safer. Appearing on CNN, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, agreed that the Iraq war has become "a focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism."
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