Why is it, out of the 20 Senators (12 dems, 8 reps) who have access to the most intelligence reports, only 1?

Question

Why is it, out of the 20 Senators (12 dems, 8 reps) who have access to the most intelligence reports, is there only 1 (a dem) who opposes the war?

There are 12 democrats and 8 republicans (listed below) who are on the "United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence". Only one of them (Jan Shakowski) is considered an "opponent" of the war?

Does logic (kryptonite to libs) tell you something there?

Democrats:
* Silvestre Reyes, Chairman, Texas
* Alcee L. Hastings, Florida
* Leonard L. Boswell, Iowa
* Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr., Alabama
* Anna G. Eshoo, California
* Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
* C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland
* John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
* Mike Thompson, California
* Jan Schakowsky, Illinois
* James Langevin, Rhode Island
* Patrick Murphy, Pennsylvania
Republicans:
* Peter Hoekstra, Ranking Member, Michigan
* Terry Everett, Alabama
* Heather Wilson, New Mexico
* Mac Thornberry, Texas
* John McHugh, New York
* Todd Tiahrt, Kansas
* Mike J. Rogers, Michigan
* Darrell Issa, California


"Congressional opponents of the Iraq War"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Congressional_opponents_of_the_Iraq_War

edit,, congressmen, not senators

wally a, in case you have not noticed, the democrats controll the congress, and are thus the 'majority' with 12 democrats and 8 republicans in the committee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Permanent_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence

wally a, in case you have not noticed, the democrats control the congress, and are thus the 'majority' with 12 democrats and 8 republicans in the committee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Permanent_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence

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my thoughts,, do you have any evidence to support your allegations? I thought not.

I guess you don't understand how "checks and balances" work, do you?

try putting on a tin foil hat and keeping your "thoughts" to yourself, because they aren't worth the virtual paper you typed them on. Completely baseless.

Answer 1

The key word here is "intelligence"

Answer 2

Rather than logic, I'll just double check your facts. You talk about Senators, but the info you give is members of the House of Reps. Of those you list: Holt, Tierney, Thompson, Schakowsky are all part of the out of Iraq Caucus (not a complete list of Iraq war opponents, just the most extreme in the democratic party)

How many in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence oppose the war. Membership of the committee is:

John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia Chairman
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri Vice Chairman
Dianne Feinstein, California
John Warner, Virginia
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Bill Nelson, Florida
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island

That's 15 members, Let's see, according to your wikipedia link, only Hegel (Republican). Let's see, in addition to that, how many voted against the war in 2002: Feingold, Mikulski, Wyden. That's up to four opponents.

Have any of the others, said anything that we could interpret as against the failed war (maybe regret about voting for it in 2002):

"Including me. The difference is after I began to learn about some of that intelligence I went down to the Senate floor and I said 'my vote was wrong." -Rockefeller IV

"I wouldn't cast the same vote today as I did then." Bayh

"Nelson, a centrist Democrat, voted last week in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the resolution opposing the troop surge. On Tuesday he said the vote to go to war was not a mistake, but ``the word is misrepresentation. " -From Nelson's Webpage

"With Rhode Islanders calling for a new direction in Iraq, Senator Whitehouse is fighting to keep pressure on the President to take action to bring our troops home. He cosponsored the Feingold-Reid amendment, which would end virtually all funding for the war by March 2008; traveled to Iraq as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee to meet with American military officials and Iraqi leaders; and met with President Bush to urge him directly to begin redeploying U.S. forces." From Whitehouse's Webpage.

"The Iraq government needs to understand that our commitment is not infinite," said Snowe when she proposed legislation with Evan Bayh to withdraw forces.

From the text of a resolution introduced by John Warner:
"“the Senate disagrees with the ‘plan’ to augment our forces by 21,500, and urges the President instead to consider all options and alternatives for achieving the strategic goals [outlined above] with reduced force levels than proposed;” "

That takes the count up to 10...of 15 in the Senate.

Thus, you need to check your facts. Wikipedia is weak (but follow their links and you sometimes get good stuff). But always research stuff before you post it. Please don't make me double check the House of Reps, that would take too long.

To sum up: 10 of 15 Senators on the intelligence committee oppose the war. We still using logic?

Answer 3

The balance as 12 to GOP and 8 to DEMS, its the rule set for a Majority leading the Senate.

Have you passed your civic 101 class?

Answer 4

Those are Congressmen and women

Answer 5

Someone must have reminded that soldiers and their families also vote.

Answer 6

I withdrew my answer, because C.S. answered it better than I did.

Answer 7

Excellent point and question!