Intelligence

DATE=7-16-03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=CONGRESS IRAQ INTELLIGENCE (L-wrap)

NUMBER=2-305508

BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE

DATELINE=CAPITOL HILL

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S Senate Democrats say the White House should be held responsible for including faulty pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons program in a speech by President Bush earlier this year. They spoke Wednesday night after attending a closed hearing at which the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency testified about the matter. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

TEXT: C-I-A Director George Tenet testified before the Senate Intelligence committee for nearly five hours.

Lawmakers say Mr. Tenet was asked about a now discredited statement that President Bush made in his State of the Union address last January in which Mr. Bush said Iraq had sought uranium from Africa. The statement was used, in part, to make the case for going to war.

Senator Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican and chairman of the panel, indicated he was satisfied with Mr. Tenet's response.

/// ROBERTS ACTUALITY ///

The Director was very contrite, he was very candid, he was very forthcoming, and he accepted full responsibility.

/// END ACT ///

But Democrats on the committee say responsibility lies with President Bush. They argue that while Mr. Bush may not have known the statement on African uranium was false, others in the White House did know, and sought to use it to exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq to garner more support for war.

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana:

/// BAYH ACTUALITY ///

It is my judgment that there were those in the White House who were pushing for the inclusion of something along these lines and were willing to push the process to the limits to accomplish that. So I think some responsibility lies there.

/// END ACT ///

/// OPT /// Senator Bayh hopes administration officials will testify before the committee about the matter. /// END OPT ///

The committee's top Democrat, Senator Jay Rockefellar of West Virginia, like others in his party, is calling for a full investigation:

/// ROCKEFELLAR ACTUALITY ///

We need to know whether this was isolated, or whether this was part of pattern that was misleading public opinion in other areas including that one.

/// END ACT ///

Republicans dismiss the call for an inquiry, saying the Intelligence Committee is already conducting a review of pre-war intelligence. They argue that the C-I-A should be held accountable.

Director Tenet had been responsible in getting a reference to the faulty uranium matter taken out of a speech the President delivered in Ohio in October. Lawmakers asked MR. Tenet why the reference reappeared in the State of the Union address.

In public comments Friday, Mr. Tenet said the C-I-A had agreed that the text of the speech was factually correct because it pinned it on a British government report.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to defend the quality of British intelligence when he addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday. (signed)

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