Bush has sure taken on a different tone this week. He has been more
forthcoming in his speeches and started agreeing with Senate on controversial
legislation (the torture ban). He even accepted responsibility for faulty
intelligence this week which lead to the Iraq war. The question is – why?

Perhaps you have to look no further than a new report by the Congressional
Research Services, a non-partisan agency that conducts investigations for
Congress. The report states that Congress did not have access to the same
intelligence as President Bush when it came to voting on the Iraq war.

Just two weeks ago, the President was out making attacks against Democrats
questioning the war. He asserted that all members of Congress had access to the
same intelligence leading up to the war. This report proves that claim as
fictional as the one of Iraq being tied to 9/11 –

The Congressional Research Service, by contrast, said: “The president,
and a small number of presidentially designated Cabinet-level officials,
including the vice president … have access to a far greater overall volume
of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence information, including
information regarding intelligence sources and methods.”

Unlike members of Congress, the president and his top officials also have
the authority to ask U.S. intelligence agencies more extensively for
follow-up information, the report said. “As a result, the president and his
most senior advisers arguably are better positioned to assess the quality of
the … intelligence more accurately than is Congress.”

The CRS report identified nine key U.S. intelligence “products” that
aren’t generally shared with Congress. These include the President’s Daily
Brief, a compilation of analyses that’s given only to the president and a
handful of top aides, and a daily digest on terrorism-related matters.

View complete article
here.

This could be the reasons for further delaying the phase two investigation
into the intelligence failures. After last months lock out in Senate,
Republicans assured members on the other side of the aisle and the country that
the report would be completed in a couple weeks. So far that report has not been
completed and only a limited amount of effort has been given to it.

If there was ever any doubt in the minds of Americans about the manipulation
or data mining of intelligence reports to sell the Iraq war, those doubts should
be put at ease. We now know for a fact that the President had access to much
greater intelligence and to make matters worse, he chose to lie about that
access to the American people and American soldiers. How is that for a new level
of honor and integrity being restored to the White House?

You can view the complete report
here.