WP: Kerry Intelligence Briefings Delayed

[kskiska]

Agreement on Venues, Clearances Are Awaited

By Dana Milbank

Aides to President Bush and John F. Kerry are sparring over the terms for intelligence briefings for the Democratic presidential nominee, delaying the post-convention overview typically given to the challenger.

Those on Bush's side say the Kerry campaign is insisting on having briefings outside of Washington -- a hardship for top CIA officials during a time of heightened threats -- and is demanding that an unusually large number of Kerry advisers be permitted to participate in the highly classified sessions. Those on Kerry's side say it is the Bush administration that has been slow to deal with the logistics, including security clearances, needed for the briefings.

The result is that at a time when access to sensitive intelligence is more important than ever for national leaders, a skirmish between the White House and the Kerry campaign has postponed the sort of intelligence-sharing that has been standard during presidential races over the past half-century.

(snip)

According to a paper about such briefings written by the CIA, the preelection sessions for nominees have typically been open to the presidential candidate, the vice presidential nominee and one or two aides, and have been held in various locations. Carter was briefed with Walter F. Mondale and two aides. In 1980, Ronald Reagan was joined by George H.W. Bush and three aides. In 1988, Michael S. Dukakis received the briefing with Lloyd Bentsen, one aide and two members of the House intelligence committee. In 1992, Bill Clinton was joined by Al Gore and two lawmakers.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13218-2004Aug18.html

[DeepModem Mom]

1. My gut feeling is that they don't want to brief Kerry, and may not...

brief him, given that there's nothing to stop their stone-walling. Traditional political norms and practices mean nothing to them.

[JDPriestly]

3. Typical Repub. conduct

Wonder what surprises W. is preparing for Kerry after the election? Think Bay of Pigs -- conceived under Eisenhower; Viet Nam -- conceived under Ike; the mess in Iran -- caused by Nixon's mishandling of the first oil crisis; and the many surprise messes Clinton inherited from the first Bush - for starts, Somalia, Koresh, but too numerous to mention.

How about a war in Iran? an oil crisis beyond anything we have ever known? a coup in Venezuela? The possibilities are endless.

[Leilani]

7. Not really typical

If you read the article, it seems all former Presidents & candidates did not have these problems.

This is typical Bush...everything is political...& everything is to win at all costs, even if it imperils national security.

[lapfog_1]

2. Isn't Kerry a member of the Senate Intelligence committee

and they were complaining that he missed a number of briefings?

So now they are stonewalling? Expect porn bombs and missing JFK
keys on computers in Jan. They always accuse others of things they
either do or have thought of doing themselves.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Well Hell!! Just pull off Poppy Bush's briefers

and assign them to Kerry! Dammit, I don't really give a flying fuck if it's logistically difficult. Get the job done!

[underpants]

12. What? in the midst of "Intelligence Week"?

The Bush campaign has designated this week "Intelligence Week," designed to raise questions about Kerry's commitment to intelligence and to portray him as eager to cut intelligence spending during his years in the Senate.


The paranoia and secrecy continues.

[LizW]

17. No. He didn't!

Bush declared "Intelligence Week"? The irony there should cause the world as we know it to end.

(We need a "smilie" for "bangs head against wall.")

[underpants]

18. Try these LizW

[LizW]

21. LOL! Thanks! n/t

[54anickel]

19. Makes one wonder if the Kerry campaign is up to/on to something?

Kerry aides declined to discuss the dispute on the record. "We are just waiting for the White House to grant appropriate clearances," campaign spokesman Chad Clanton said.

I sure hope so!

[kskiska]

5. They don't really want to acknowledge that Kerry may be President

Remember how mad they were that Clinton wouldn't give them the keys to the transition offices during the recount?

[Fleshdancer]

6. This article fails to say how many aides W had for his briefings

as a candidate.

I also don't understand how the reporter can say that the sessions typically include just one or two aides and yet all the following examples cite 2-3. I'm still waiting on how many aides W had with him, but, again, according to this article, the Kerry campaign is requesting four aides...one more than the examples given, but hardly a "ridiculous amount".

[TacticalPeek]

8. L'Histoire:

Afterward, while talking with reporters, Bush offered rare thanks to the Clinton administration for helping him prepare for office by "following the tradition of briefing a candidate."

The briefing was conducted by acting CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin and three other intelligence analysts.. In addition to Bush, the presentation was attended by three Bush campaign advisers, Josh Bolten and international policy specialists Condoleeza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz.

Bush said the more information a president has, the better his decisions will be. "It's an important part of the process, to prepare, obviously, both candidates to assume the highest office in the land," Bush said.

'Clearance from the American people'

The Texas governor said his aides had security clearances for the classified briefing. "My clearance is the clearance from the American people," Bush said. "At least the Republicans."

(what an asshole)

more
http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/09/02/bush.cia.briefing


So, either 3 or 6 aides, depending on how one interprets that loose sentence by the otherwise estimable Dana Milbank.

[Stephanie]

9. Bolten, Rice & Wolfowitz! PNAC did not waste any time!

How did they manage that? Wolfowitz the slime!

I read it as just those three, not six. Thanks for finding that.

[tlcandie]

10. Wouldn't surprise me if the Kerry campaign doesn't have to sue

them to get the info. They do NOT release anything to anyone and hide it all in secrecy! They would love him having to sue them because it would take up a LOT of his time and money... another sideshow to get off the real issues!

If it doesn't go that far it will get damned close...it is their MO!

[Corgigal]

11. Then

they must have something to hide. Kerry's people should use that and then tell the American people he won't hide anything from us.

[underpants]

13. Hate to ask but -Doesn't W recieve briefings "outside of DC"?

or are they just trying to keep a lid on one of their October surprises?

[TacticalPeek]

14. aWol got his pre-election briefing in Crawford at the pig farm,

then-Gov. Clinton at Little Rock in '92 and Dukakis at Brookline in '88, according to the article in #8 above.

[Hobarticus]

15. Run this WAY up the flagpole, balanced news media!

What hypocrisy.

[seafan]

16. Note this story is buried on page A23.

If the media could trouble themselves to do their jobs to stop this fascism, it would be sorely appreciated.

:spank:

[arwalden]

20. BUSH: "I've Got A Se-e-e-cret... And I-i-i'm Not Te-e-lling You-u-u

I cannot wait until the ADULTS are back in charge.