Whitewash!

Link

The NYT's is reprting that a Senate intel report is going to completely sidestep the issue of whether or not the White House misused intel reports in building their case for war in Iraq. Here's the good stuff:

Under a deal reached this year between Republicans and Democrats, the Bush administration's role will not be addressed until the Senate Intelligence Committee completes a further stage of its inquiry, but probably not until after the November election. As a result, said the officials, both Democratic and Republican, the committee's initial, unanimous report will focus solely on misjudgments by intelligence agencies, not the White House, in the assessments about Iraq, illicit weapons and Al Qaeda that the administration used as a rationale for the war.

The effect may be to provide an opening for President Bush and his allies to deflect responsibility for what now appear to be exaggerated prewar assessments about the threat posed by Iraq, by portraying them as the fault of the Central Intelligence Agency and its departing chief, George J. Tenet, rather than Mr. Bush and his top aides.

Great, lets give an adminstration that has no problems spouting a lie that is not even remotely plausible more than enough ammunition to spout a lie that actually seems somewhat plausible. I can see it now. The administration is going to argue that because the report does not indict the administration's use of the intel, it is in fact proof that there was no wrong doing on the part of the administration. Of course, we know that's not the case, but if history has taught us anything, the truth is at best only a
minor obstacle for this administration.