Robers - Open hearings on Iraqi weapons programs are possible

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee held out the possibility Sunday of open hearings in the panel's examination of the quality of prewar intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and how it was used by the Bush administration.

But Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., would go no further than promising eventual public hearings "if we think that is warranted."

Senate Democrats have demanded open hearings and a public report to be issued after the committee ends its review. He also said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that the committee would publish a secret report of its findings, but a public report probably would be released as well, another possible concession to Democrats.

The closed hearings of Roberts' committee will begin this week, handling the question of the information President Bush used to build a case for war against Iraq as routine oversight of the nation's intelligence services.

The format overrules Democratic members' demands for a more formal investigation with extensive questioning of witnesses about why weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq and accusations that some evidence cited by the administration has proved false or misleading.

Last week, the GOP suggested that such a probe could become politicized or harm national security and said it instead favored the routine oversight formula for hearings by the intelligence and armed services committees. The Senate Armed Services Committee already has begun closed hearings.

Sen. Carl Levin, the top Democrat on Armed Services, expressed disappointment with the way his Republican colleagues are handling questions about Iraqi weapons intelligence.

"We need a thorough, bipartisan investigation," said Levin, also appearing on CBS.

The doubts that have been raised about some of the prewar weapons assessments go to the "heart of our intelligence," said Levin. "Is it objective, or has it been shaded, has it been stretched by the intelligence community to reach some conclusion?"

Levin complained that Senate Republicans are not working and consulting with the Democrats on how to move ahead with the intelligence reviews.

He said Senate lawmakers should adopt the more conciliatory working spirit exemplified in the House, where intelligence committee leaders on both sides have agreed on a similar review.

The House Intelligence Committee will start its hearings this week with two closed meetings. Open hearings would follow if appropriate, panel members have said.

The House inquiry also will include staff interviews of intelligence personnel and updates on efforts to find weapons of mass destruction.

The panel's top Democrat, Jane Harman of California, said Sunday there's a real need to ensure that reports from the intelligence community matched the strong rhetoric from the Bush administration in the lead-up to the war.

Harman, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said it is too early to say whether the administration hyped or manipulated intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in order to justify pre-emptive military action. She added: "We're going to find that out."

President Bush and other administration officials maintain that Iraq had an active weapons program and that time will bear that out. More than two months have passed since President Saddam Hussein was routed, and weapons of mass destruction have not been found.

According to a new CBS News Poll, six in 10 Americans say it is important for the United States to find the illegal weapons. Two-thirds of those polled said they think the administration exaggerated the weapons threat. That sentiment appeared not to have harmed Bush politically, with his job approval still at 66 percent.

The poll of 841 adults was taken Thursday and Friday and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. ------------