A shout-out for Bob Graham

At last night's Democratic debate in New Hampshire, former Sen. Bob Graham was cited by Sen. Barack Obama as having learned important details about Iraq from the National Intelligence Estimate. The classified version of the NIE has become an issue in the presidential campaign because most senators, including Sens. John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton, have said they did not read it, although they say they were briefed on it or read a de-classified version.

Here's the exchange:

WOLF BLITZER: Senator Obama, you didn't think the war was the right thing to do, even though you weren't in the U.S. Senate. You didn't have access to any intelligence information at the time.

Do you think someone who authorized the use of force to go to war in Iraq should be president of the United States?

OBAMA: I don't think it's a disqualifier. I think that people were making their best judgments at the time.

I will say on the National Intelligence Estimate that Chairman Graham -- Bob Graham of Florida, who at the time was the head of the Intelligence Committee -- cited that specifically as one of the reasons that he voted against it.

So obviously there was some pertinent information there.

Comments

Yes and Bob Graham turned that vote into a steamroll over Kerry, Dean, Edwards and George W. Bush in 2004.

bob graham was so prescient in his decision not to support the iraq invasion. how sad that so many fell for the jingoistic b.s. coming from the white house. just what has the iraq campaign accomplished for the benefit of the u.s.? it has benefitted the war-profiteers and their lackeys, but our nation is paying a terrible price for this mess.
god help the poor iraqis.

I have recorded in my note book that the post is June 4, 2007 . ..

No Shout-out:

A "shout-out" occurs when the speaker calls out the name of a person who is in the audience. Like: "Mr Mayor, great to see you here, sir." Just referring to someone by name like Obama did with Sen. Graham doesn't count.

[Old Graham Cracker]

3,400 young American soldiers would still be alive if George Bush and John Kerry had listened to Bob Graham. And another 28,000 would not be wounded. And we could have spent $600 billion on something positive for this country instead of on death and destruction. Bob Graham showed great courage in speaking out and voting against the war in the Senate. That was a very unpopular view in Florida back then. Graham said the outcome of this war was not in doubt, it was like the US Army attacking Iowa. Graham said the question was what are we going to do with Iraq when we take over. As Chairman of Intelligence he had asked for and gotten what passed for "plans" and he told his fellow Senators there was no plan! He said it would be a disaster and actually complicate the war on terror. NOBODY LISTENED!! The reason Bob Graham always got such a large vote in Florida was that a lot of Republicans voted for him too. That was because voters knew two things about Bob Graham: he tried to do the right thing, regardless of ideology and he always told the truth. Those are two lessons the Bush family should have learned. W wouldn't be at 28% in the polls if he had. And it's a lesson that Charlie Crist seems to have taken to heart which is why he is at 70%.

Hey Crackher Head pick a team will ya?

11:04, just couldn't wait to correct someone this morning, eh? Why don't you go wash your bloomers.

why is it that the biggest supporters of the iraq war on this blog will not sign up and go to fight in iraq? they spend so much time heaping vitriol and nastiness on anyone not deemed "republican" or "conservative" enough for them, but they will not serve in this war. why is it that so many republicans under 40 who pride themselves on their republican identification will not volunteer to serve in this war? it's so easy to wave a flag, to scream and to yell about killing the enemy, and to "support" the troops (whatever the hell that means), but it is so impossible to join the military to fight this war.

The young Republicans will not enlist for Iraq because they are bullies and chickens. They were whiny and selfish kids, used to getting their own way on everything. It is shocking that so many of them can show up for a Young Republican Convention in Florida, partying and having a grand old time, while our poor soldiers are being wounded, kidnapped and killed.
Where are they as far as service in Iraq? Some "future" leaders these little twerps are.

[taxedToDeath]

Let's apply your stupidly ridiculous assertions to other issues: If your taxes are not going to go up as part of the Democrats plan to raise them, then you are not entitled to an opinion on the subject.

Bush's approval rating among members of the military is much much higher than the population in general. So either more Republicans have joined the military than Democrats or even Democrats in the armed forces are not so stupid as Democrats in the general population (and in this blog)

there are plenty of young republicans serving our country in the military. I myself am one of them. There are plenty of them in Iraq right now. Yes, we do have our convetions, and yes, we do enjoy celebrating with those who share our beliefs, but that is the same as others who have differing beliefs. They have their conventions and such. I know that the Young Republicans have been nothing but supportive to those serving our country, and I am thankful to them for that.

[Joe]

Bob Graham is an example of the price to be paid for being right too soon.
In our last mistaken war, Viet Nam, we
did the same thing to George McGovern.

It makes us feel uncomfortable to be around people who were right from the
start.

[Mascotte]

11:04. Perhaps Graham was in the TV audience. Wouldn't that qualify?

Joe: Please don't tell us how "we" feel. If you are uncomfortable with people being right, then stick with the Democratic Party. They prefer feelings to thought and hence are mostly wrong.

[Redemption for Bob.]

No - Good old Senator and Governor Graham wasn't in the audience. But wherever he was I'm sure that he was feeling a little bit of redemption. After being painted as a partisan and as someone who had changed his stripes because he was running for President - its nice that people are now finally realizing that standing up for something you truly believe in whether it is popular or not is actually heroic - not partisan - and that reading the intelligence report on a country you are about to invade isn't "wonkish, boring and dull" - it's actually a rather important thing to do.

[Redemption for Bob.]

No - Good old Senator and Governor Graham wasn't in the audience. But wherever he was I'm sure that he was feeling a little bit of redemption. After being painted as a partisan and as someone who had changed his stripes because he was running for President - its nice that people are now finally realizing that standing up for something you truly believe in whether it is popular or not is actually heroic - not partisan - and that reading the intelligence report on a country you are about to invade isn't "wonkish, boring and dull" - it's actually a rather important thing to do.

[taxedToDeath]

Such a lovefest going on in here, as soon as one of you invents a time machine that allows you to go back and change history let me know, till then how about solutions to today's problems?

[Paul D. Harvill]

I still highly recommend reading Bob Graham's "Intelligence Matters" - available at Amazon and other websites.

[Old Graham Cracker]

Graham's book, Intelligence Matters, is excellent. It reads like a spy novel. He was able to put it together with all of the sources available to him from his time as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee during and after the attacks on 9/11 and in the run up to the Iraq invasion. Graham tells you what he heard and who he heard it from during those very tense days, which is a fascinating look at how all the intelligence agencies actually work together, or don't. Graham also served with his good friend, Porter Goss, then serving as House Intelligence Committee Chairman on the first Congressional Joint Committee that reported on the intelligence failures that led to 9/11. Historical footnote: Graham gave Goss a leg up in politics in the 1980's when he appointed Goss, a Republican, to the Lee County Commission. Goss was a retired CIA officer living on Sanibel Island who had been on the Sanibel Council when they met. Graham was impressed by his intelligence and willingness to serve and believed he would be a good public servant, regardless of his party affiliation. So he appointed Porter to the County Commission. This helped Porter run successfully for Congress when Connie Mack moved up to the Senate.