corrente

AP via WaPo here:

President Bush named seven people Friday to sit on an independent study commission to look into intelligence failures regarding Iraq's weapons capabilities, choosing former [Democratic] Sen. Charles S. Robb and [Republican] retired judge Laurence Silverman [sic—it's Silberman] to head the panel.

Bush, who said the commission will report to the nation by March 2005 and who [sic] said he's told federal agencies to cooperate with its work.

Bush also picked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to be a member of the commission.

Two more members are expected to be named.

UPDATE The balance besides Robb, Silverman, and McCain? From CNN:

• Lloyd Cutler, who served as White House counsel to Presidents Carter and Clinton

• Former apellate court judge Pat Wald, a Democrat

• Rick Levin, president of Yale University, Bush's alma mater

• Ret. Adm. Bill Stuberman, a former deputy director of CIA

Of the Democrats, is Cutler still of the opinion that he can cut deals with these guys?

Looks at first sight like a panel of "Wise Men" (well, almost all men). Ten to 1 Bush won't be able to keep from pre-judging their work, or from trashing or politicizing them. As of now, the sole and only function of the commmission is to serve as aWol's beard on WMD lies until after the 2004 election. If Bush is re-elected, the bait and switch will come.

The good news? Bush has just handed the Dems the tools for their own October surprise: resignations based on the usual White House tactics of stonewalling, delay, obstructionism .... "It's my nature, as the scorpion [Bush] said to the frog [Democrats Robb and Cutler]." That slippery little scut won't be able to stop himself, just wait.

UPDATE Alert reader Dwight Meredith informs us that Cutler's firm is representing the Saudis in the 9/11 case. [BUSH: "Now that's my kind of Democrat!"] Conflict of interest issues, anyone?

UPDATE Alert reader James Madison's Dog catches WaPo (and me) spelling "Silberman" as "Silverman." (Reuters has it right). And JMD gives us the scoop on Silberman, from Brock's book Blinded by the Right:

"...If Republican aides were eager to abet my savaging (Anita) Hill, so were Thomas's closest friends. Among others, they included fellow DC Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman..."
(Brock, p.95)

And:
"Judge Silberman speculated that Hill was a lesbian 'acting out.'"
Ibid.

"[Silberman] was a behind-the-scenes adviser to the conservative editors of the Wall Street Journal editorial page."
(ibid, p. 96)

Or, this little bit of interest,
"Of course, it had been none other than Judge Silberman who gave me the false information on his colleague, Pat Wald, whom he hated with a passion."
(ibid. P. 116)

Group dysfunction already, since Pat Wald is on the commission. Pass the popcorn!

UPDATE Meanwhile, the Times has positioned its story right next to an ad for Bertolucci's new film, Dreamers (like those who believe Bush will give the commission "everything it needs"?), for which the slogan is: "An orgasm is better than a bomb." Well, yes.

UPDATE Hasty error on my part: Pat Wald is a respected (and female) jurist, not a Federalist Society member. Thanks also to alert reader Walden.

UPDATE Text of Bush's announcement here:

[BUSH] Last week, our former chief weapons inspector, David Kay, reported that Saddam Hussein's regime had weapons programs and activities in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and was a gathering threat...

What, not "grave and gathering?

... to the world. Dr. Kay also stated that some pre-war intelligence assessments by America and other nations about Iraq's weapons stockpiles have not been confirmed. We are determined to figure out why.

And OJ is going to find the real killer!

UPDATE Here are the bios of the committee members. And here's a little tidbit about Cutler:

Cutler was named last year to an oversight board set up to monitor Pentagon anti-terrorist technology.

Hmmm.... I wonder what that's all about. Poindexter's wacky schemes? Yep.