2008 KS Senate Debate between Pat Roberts & Jim Slattery: on War & Peace


Jim Slattery: Roberts delayed prewar intelligence to justify war in Iraq

Slattery accused Roberts of using his position on the Senate Intelligence Committee to protect the Bush administration from political embarrassment. Slattery says Roberts intentionally delayed a review of how the president and his allies used prewar intelligence to justify the war in Iraq. “Many Kansans,” he said, “do not even know that Senator Roberts was chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the lead-up to the war in Iraq and that he blocked investigations to determine who was responsible.

Roberts said Slattery’s charges are inaccurate: “Since it’s not accurate and he knows it, it’s not responsible.”

Experts in national defense and foreign policy think Slattery makes a valid point, although they question a second charge that Roberts failed to inform the American people prior to the war in 2003 that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had no role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Source: 2008 Kansas Senate Debate reported in the Kansas City Star Oct 22, 2008

Pat Roberts: I led exposure of pre-Iraq war intelligence failures

Slattery says Roberts intentionally delayed a review of how the president and his allies used prewar intelligence to justify the war in Iraq. Experts in national defense and foreign policy think Slattery makes a valid point, although they question a second charge that Roberts failed to inform the American people prior to the war in 2003 that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had no role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Roberts stands by the committee’s work and its reforms of the intelligence network. “We had an egregious intelligence failure in the United States, and it was worldwide... and the reason now that my opponent even knows that there was bad intelligence and America knows it and everybody knows it... was because of the work that I led,” he said.

Roberts’ panel finished its work in June, long after interest faded and even 18 months after Democrats seized control of the Senate. Many think the committee dragged its feet.

Source: 2008 Kansas Senate Debate reported in the Kansas City Star Oct 22, 2008

Jim Slattery: Roberts should have known Iraq intelligence was inaccurate

As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Slattery believes Roberts should have known the intelligence used to invade Iraq was wrong. Roberts countered that the whole world believed the intelligence was accurate, and that once that was deemed not to be the case, his committee let the truth be known.
Source: 2008 Kansas Senate debate reported on KSN News Sep 6, 2008

Pat Roberts: Whole world believed Iraq intelligence was accurate

As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Slattery believes Roberts should have known the intelligence used to invade Iraq was wrong. Roberts countered that the whole world believed the intelligence was accurate, and that once that was deemed not to be the case, his committee let the truth be known.
Source: 2008 Kansas Senate debate reported on KSN News Sep 6, 2008

  • The above quotations are from 2008 Kansas Senate Debate between Pat Roberts & Jim Slattery.
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