Senators write Bush after classified Iraq briefing is cancelled
RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday June 7, 2006
President Bush has cancelled a classified briefing on the situation in Iraq, according to a letter obtained by RAW STORY.
In the letter, four U.S. Senators call on the White House to "publicly and immediately commit to making senior Administration officials available" for questioning regarding the current state of Iraq. US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad had been set to brief Senators today.
Although the correspondence states that the group was set to be bipartisan, just four Senators, all high-ranking Democrats, are known by RAW STORY to have signed: Reid (D-NV), Durbin (D-IL), Levin (D-MI) and Biden (D-DE). The letter, as acquired, was unsigned.
Khalilzad, an Aghan-American and former attorney for Iraqi Sunnis, has been widely reported as the primary component of America's attempts to get the new Iraqi government off the ground. Sectarian violence continues to escalate in Iraq, while ministers for the nation's departments of interior and defense have yet to be named.
The letter, as obtained by RAW STORY, follows:
June 7, 2006
The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Today the Senate was expecting to receive a classified briefing from Ambassador Khalilzad on recent developments in Iraq. Yesterday, however, we learned that Ambassador Khalilzad was not available to conduct this briefing and the Administration was unwilling to make other officials available to brief in his place. Given the recent escalation of violence, the increasing risk to U.S. forces, and the failure of the Iraqis to agree on two of the most important Cabinet positions, we are concerned that not a single national security official from your Administration was willing to appear before a bipartisan group of Senators to explain your strategy in Iraq.
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