- US President George W. Bush has insured against political
fallout by ordering the independent commission into weapons of mass destruction
intelligence to report on March 31, next year -- almost five months after
the November 2 presidential election.
-
- And he confined the commission, the members of which
he handpicked, to investigating whether the intelligence that led to the
Iraqi weapons claims was flawed.
-
- Democrats have demanded the probe also cover whether
Mr Bush and his administration exaggerated the intelligence to fit their
pre-determination to oust Saddam Hussein.
-
- Mr Bush named seven members of the panel yesterday and
said "we will let you know" about the other two.
-
- Among them are maverick Republican Senator John McCain,
who is on the record as saying about Iraq "I don't think anyone intentionally
misled the American people".
-
- In the spirit of bi-partisanship, Mr Bush named former
Democrat Senator Chuck Robb as a co-chair. He is the son-in-law of former
president Lyndon Johnson.
-
- The other co-chair is senior Judge Laurence Silberman.
-
- Mr Bush said it was important to "figure out why"
no weapons were found in Iraq, but stood by his decision to invade.
-
- The commission will also look into WMD intelligence about
North Korea, Afghanistan and Libya.
-
- © Herald and Weekly Times
-
- http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8609159%255E663,00.html
|
