Roberts is right: Politics and national security don’t mix

Though many will see him as the pot calling the kettle black, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., made a persuasive case against politicizing national security in a commentary in The Hill newspaper. “The problem has become apparent to me as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee,” Roberts wrote. “While some of my colleagues talk about oversight, they seem less interested in fixing the intelligence community’s problems than in the political benefit to be achieved by exploiting them. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that many in the minority would prefer to serve on ‘the Committee Against Everything the Bush Administration Does.’” He also called the leaking of the warrantless wiretapping “criminal,” and chided Democrats for flip-flopping on the program upon realizing it was supported by two-thirds of the American public. Roberts’ defensive tone somewhat diminishes his righteous point: that Americans can’t afford to have their lawmakers squabbling while terrorists are busy plotting.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

14 Comments

  1. Sum1
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 6:49 am | Permalink

    First and foremost Pat Roberts what are the differences between the Valerie Plame leak and the NSA wiretapping leaks? Why is one criminal and the other hardly worth our attention?

    Maybe, just maybe the people are tired of waiting for the intelligence community to be fixed. It’s been how many years and you can’t even finish the 2nd phase of your investigation.

    Maybe, just maybe you are the problem Pat Roberts. Step down, recuse yourself and lets see if we can come up not just some answers of how the intelligence was skewed (you appear one of the few who doesn’t believe it was) but answers on how to fix the problem

  2. devster
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 7:35 am | Permalink

    I think Roberts may be right about politics and natinal security. Since he thinks that way he should resign from the Senate Intelligence Committee so they can get some real work done. He is nothing but a rubber stamp for the current administration, stonewalling anything that looks like it might in any sense put W in a critical light.

  3. XXX
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 7:57 am | Permalink

    Good idea, Sum1. I’ll bet if we put a Democrat in charge of Phase 2, we’d get something done quick.

  4. Darwin'sDisciple
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 8:27 am | Permalink

    See this Washington Post op/ed piece for what would be an effective jihadist strategy against the U.S.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/03/AR2006030302046.html

    Time for hybrid technology and 40MPG minimum ratings on new vehicles.

  5. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 8:42 am | Permalink

    The best way to put a dem in charge of intelligence is for the dems to take back the house and senate. Not likely for the gang that couldnt shoot straight, but otherwise…it is a free pass for shrub and company.

  6. CF
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 8:45 am | Permalink

    What a hack you are, Senator Roberts. Shameless and disgraceful. Who pulls your strings?

    We’ll see if he goes along with Majority Leader Frist’s threat to dissolve the bipartisan composition of the Foreign Intelligence Committee in order to turn it in a partisan rubber stamp. Nice of him to ignore the WH’s threat to cut off any Senator voting for the inquiry.

  7. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 10:08 am | Permalink

    Still no roberts defenders here?

  8. steve
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 2:11 pm | Permalink

    How long has it been since Roberts was going to “roll up my sleeves, and get to work”? I understand much of the delay was caused by Roberts insistence that they just look to see what kind of intelligence the Administration was utilizing, and not any competing information they had received. Seems since bush came in all the systems used for decades are found badly wanting.

  9. nwks18
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 2:37 pm | Permalink

    With Bush’s Senator Roberts and God’s Senator Brownback who is representing Kansas?

  10. Ben Huie
    Posted March 5, 2006 at 6:24 pm | Permalink

    The Roberts should quit mixing them and do a real investigation rather than a political whitewash.

  11. ksfarmgrrl
    Posted March 6, 2006 at 7:52 am | Permalink

    Still no Roberts defenders here?

  12. J M Walker
    Posted March 7, 2006 at 10:55 am | Permalink

    “Still no Roberts defenders here?”

    Julia Roberts is hot.

  13. steve
    Posted March 7, 2006 at 10:38 pm | Permalink

    Just read that Roberts came through for Bush yet again, the Senate Intelligence committee voted along party lines to set up an oversight committee and give Bush 45 day grace period to spy freely, and turned down a full investigation into the warrantless wire tapping. Heckuva job Patsy!

  14. J R
    Posted March 7, 2006 at 10:58 pm | Permalink

    Here is another thread that invites the bushies (like Roberts) to defend the indefensible.

    Roberts cries “politics” and slinks away from questions.

    Bushies avoid this thread completely, just as they avoid the other thread about whether bush asks questions.

    Telling?