Lose Miller, Gain Bereuter? Dems win.

[BurtWorm]

Why is Miller being given the keynote address? To take the sting off of having Bereuter desert the fold, perhaps?


http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/08/18/top_story/10053833.txt


Bereuter: War in Iraq not justified
BY DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

In a dramatic departure from the Bush administration, Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter says he now believes the U.S. military assault on Iraq was unjustified.



"I've reached the conclusion, retrospectively, now that the inadequate intelligence and faulty conclusions are being revealed, that all things being considered, it was a mistake to launch that military action," Bereuter wrote in a letter to constituents in the final days of his congressional career.

That's especially true in view of the fact that the attack was initiated "without a broad and engaged international coalition," the 1st District congressman said.

"Knowing now what I know about the reliance on the tenuous or insufficiently corroborated intelligence used to conclude that Saddam maintained a substantial WMD (weapons of mass destruction) arsenal, I believe that launching the pre-emptive military action was not justified."

As a result of the war, he said, "our country's reputation around the world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened."

Bereuter is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee and vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

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1. Too bad he's retiring, though

I have a feeling there's many more (both Repub and Dem) just like him, who are too afraid to speak the truth about this. However, they're running for re-election, and have to keep the facade intact, lest they jeopardize their jobs.

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2. Dupe

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