Letters to the Editor
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Is that Jane Harman?
Among the most important details lost in all this is the struggle for power on the Permanent Select Comm on Intel. After the midterms Pelosi demoted Jane Harman, and appointed Reyes of Texas, who was initially in favor of the troop surge, and telecom immunity [the Comm drafted that legislation, Reyes was in favor of immunity, and woefully ignorant about Iraqi politics, but he bowed to Democratic pressure].
You can read it all at Wikipedia. The Harman dustup with Pelosi came after the administration ran its bad intelligence through the committee, at a time when Republicans controlled the Congress. Harman was equivical. She had some tepid words about the 9/11 Commission and the advance warnings Condi Rice had on her desk, stuff that should have been brought to light.
The FBI has been investigating Harman for making deals with AIPAC. The FBI is not an apolitical law enforcement agency. Republicans will cite chapter and verse about Waco, and Ruby Ridge, and their own abuses are a matter of record.
Then there is the Central California Democrats club, Pelosi, Harman and Condit. Condit [supposedly] murdered an intern, Chandra Levy, who he was having an affair with. COndit was an honorary seat on the Senate Intell Comm, which was headed at the time by Duncan Hunter. Hunter was never directly tied to close associate Randy Cunningham, in the Wilkes bribery scandal, although the black contracts in that case are still sealed.
Ms. Levy was no Monica Lewinsky, she had made trips to Israel, and ran out of college eligibilty. Her photos suggest a young woman with mature values. Her family belongs to a Conservative Jewish Synagouge. The rumors about her death included mention of the Israeli secret police, and various Palestinian organizations. Officially the murder is a cold case, but it derailed Condit, a blue dog, or moderate Democrat. The group had been stealing Republican seats across the country. With the moderates out of the way, the mice could play. Harman is also considered a Blue Dog.
Then came 9/11, the bad intelligence caught a free ride through Congress, American foreign policy toward Israel took a hard right, and Congressional Democrats were looking over their shoulders. Interesting the Pelosi chose someone, Reyes, who was less than competent on the issue of Iraq. Consider that impeachment was always off the table, (she was booed in SF) and that virtually nothing the Democrats promised in 2006 has come to pass.
Pelosi is fighting a stiff challenge in her own district, an election perhaps more important than the Presidency. Maybe it's just dissatisfaction with the Blues, or maybe they were politically infiltrated. Either way their power, or lack thereof, shaped the entire Iraq war intelligence.