[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8642-S8643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President last week, Kurdish security forces captured 
15 militants in Kirkuk. Among them is a man purported to be second in 
command of Ansar al-Islam, an Iraq-based terrorist group linked with Al 
Qaeda.
  Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces swept through a downtown Baghdad 
neighborhood and arrested over 500 suspected criminals. The operation, 
which was conducted without the assistance of U.S. soldiers, was the 
largest operation of the interior ministry since the fall of Saddam 
Hussein.
  The developments in Kirkuk and Baghdad are positive signs of Iraq's 
progress. The interim government is taking on the tough responsibility 
of defending its citizens and confronting terrorists. We know that it 
will be a long and difficult process. The governor of the Nineveh 
province was gunned down last week by terrorists. Jordanian militant 
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claims credit for the vicious murder. And on 
Tuesday this week, the interim governor of Basra was assassinated as he 
was heading to work.
  The ongoing violence is frustrating and painful. Still, the Iraqi 
people remain optimistic. As my colleagues, Senators Lieberman and Kyl, 
pointed out in their excellent editorial in the Washington Post this 
week, a BBC/Oxford Research International poll finds released this 
month finds that a majority of Iraqis believe their lives today are 
quite good or very good, and a majority believes that their lives will 
be better next year.
  Meanwhile, Saddam will soon face his crimes. And Iraq is working to 
become a free and peaceful country in the heart of the Middle East that 
doesn't threaten its neighbours or terrorize its citizens.
  Which brings me to pre-war Iraq, and the Senate Intelligence 
Committee report on what we knew and what we did not know.
  The Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a detailed report on the 
intelligence community's estimate of Iraq's WMD. I commend my 
colleagues for their hard work and commitment. They launched a thorough 
investigation and produced a unanimous judgment. Indeed, their 12-month 
inquiry is, and I quote Senator Pat Roberts, ``without precedent in the 
history of the Senate Intelligence Committee.''
  Acting together with clear purpose, the committee has produced a 
report that genuinely addresses an issue of critical importance to our 
Nation's security.
  Their efforts are an example of the best of the Senate working in a 
bipartisan manner to advance the interests of the American people.
  The report is tough and detailed. It reveals disturbing lapses in our 
intelligence gathering and processing methods, and it points to the 
clear need for major reforms not media driven or politically expedient 
measures, but deep and serious changes to how we gather intelligence--
the critical information we need to protect ourselves from stealthy, 
vicious, and determined enemies.
  One of the most troubling aspects of the Senate report is that 
following 1998, our Government had no human intelligence sources inside 
Iraq collecting against the WMD target. That is unacceptable.
  Meanwhile, what information we did collect was not properly shared 
among intelligence agencies. Again, unacceptable.
  It must be acknowledged, however, that from the United Nations to 
intelligence agencies all around the world, informed people believed 
that Saddam had WMD and the means to produce and deliver them.
  Following Saddam's defeat in Desert Storm in 1991, inspectors found 
stockpiles of chemical weapons and biological agents. They also found a 
nuclear program that was believed to be less than 2 years from 
completion.
  Then, for the next decade, Saddam refused to provide a clear 
accounting of his weapons programs. He defied 16 Security Council 
resolutions, ultimately defying Resolution 1441 passed in 2002.
  So we know that Saddam used chemical weapons in the past, that he 
obtained dual-use materials, that he had nuclear scientists on his 
payroll, and that he had billions of dollars of oil money with which to 
pursue his goals. In addition, we know that he invaded two neighboring 
countries, lobbed missiles at a third, and declared America to be a 
mortal enemy.
  A new British report further amplifies these facts. Led by Lord 
Butler, the British investigative team determined that the claim that 
Saddam attempted to buy uranium from Africa was ``well founded.'' And I 
quote:

       We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence 
     assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the 
     Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi 
     attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government's 
     dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, 
     were well-founded.
       By extension, we conclude also that the statement in 
     President Bush's State of the Union Address of 28 January 
     2003 that: `The British Government has learned that Saddam 
     Hussein recently sought significant

[[Page S8643]]

     quantities of uranium from Africa' was well-founded.

  The report also rebuts many of the widely circulated claims made by 
Ambassador Joe Wilson about his role in the mission to Niger; the 
report he made to Washington upon his return; and later his claims that 
the administration manipulated intelligence. This report reveals that 
Ambassador Wilson's repeated attacks on the President's credibility 
were misleading, at best, and without merit.
  Furthermore, both reports find that no political pressure was applied 
to influence intelligence estimates. President Bush and Prime Minister 
Blair were, in fact, scrupulous in their presentation of the evidence 
as it was known.
  Saddam Hussein intended to resume his illegal weapons programs, and 
was taking steps to do so. The Butler report corroborates that, prior 
to the war, Iraq was ``carrying out illicit research and development, 
and procurement activities to seek to sustain its indigenous 
capabilities.''
  In other words, Saddam was a threat to our peace, security, and 
interests. He never abandoned his ultimate goal to acquire WMD. Saddam 
may have been biding his time, but as the President told the nation, in 
this case, time was a ticking bomb.
  I applaud the efforts of both our Intelligence Committee and our 
British allies. Their examinations of the intelligence problems and 
misjudgments prior to the war are crucial to making the reforms 
necessary to winning the war on terrorism. This war, more than any 
other, depends on information.
  I look forward to the discussion of how we can strengthen our 
intelligence gathering and analysis. Brave men and women are out in the 
field, right now, risking their lives to defend America's freedom. They 
need an intelligence system that backs them up. America needs an 
intelligence system that works, and works well.

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