Bereuter Broadsides Bush

In an interesting turn of events and another blow against BushCo.'s misadventure in Iraq, Rep. Doug Bereuter, a senior Republican on the House International Relations Committee and vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to his Nebraska constituents telling them that the war in Iraq was "a mistake" and "not justified." From the Lincoln Journal Star:

"Knowing now what I know about the reliance on the tenuous or insufficiently corroborated intelligence used to conclude that Saddam maintained a substantial WMD (weapons of mass destruction) arsenal, I believe that launching the pre-emptive military action was not justified."

As a result of the war, he said, "our country's reputation around the world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened."

Because of his outstanding reputation among Republicans and his usually low-key approach, Bereuter's missive has left his colleagues unable to do much but praise him while Republicans tried to distance themselves from the contents of the letter. From the WSJ (subscription):

"I was shocked by the letter," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R., Ill.), who has served on the House intelligence panel where Mr. Bereuter has been vice chairman. "I never heard Doug express these doubts, but he is one of the most serious legislators I've ever met. This is a double-barrel shotgun blast for the Democrats."

"He's a very serious guy and cares deeply about these issues. He's a credible witness," said former Nebraska Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey of Mr. Bereuter

[snip]

But Mr. Bereuter is well-respected in both parties and, however surprised they were by his essay, Republicans uniformly praised him as a serious figure on foreign-policy issues.

G.W., of course was having none of it:

The White House declined to comment on the letter, but campaigning in Wisconsin, President Bush said: "Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision. America and the world are safer because Saddam Hussein sits in a prison cell."