Rep. Sherrod Brown (D- Ohio), Hack

Via Glenn Reynolds has the text of a contentious exchange between Secretary of State Colin Powell and House Democrats.

As others have noted the best way to rile up a sleeping and disgruntled Republican electorate than to continue down this path. There are plenty of issues for Republicans to be pissed at Bush for, why throw Karl Rove a lifeline?

This version of the Powell/Brown story has an extra few paragraphs, where smarmy committee staffers are called out for poor behavior.

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Associated Press – But Reps. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., Robert Melendez, D-N.J., Rep. Robert I Wexler, D-Fla., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, challenged Powell about the administration’s case, suggesting it may have been misleading from the outset.

“Truth is the first casualty of war,” Ackerman said. “I would contend truth was murdered before a shot was fired.”

“We went into this war under false premises,” Melendez said.

Wexler told Powell he considered him to be “the credible voice in the administration.”

“When you reached the conclusion that Iraq represented a clear and present danger to the United States, that meant a lot to me,” Wexler said. “But the facts suggest there was a part of the story that was not true.”

Powell fielded the assertions calmly, defending the president’s judgment and his own.

But when Brown contrasted Powell’s military experience to Bush’s record with the National Guard, saying the president “may have been AWOL” from duty, Powell exploded.

“First of all, Mr. Brown, I won’t dignify your comments about the president because you don’t know what you are talking about,” Powell snapped.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Secretary,” Brown replied.

“You made reference to the president,” Powell shot back.

Brown then repeated his understanding that Bush may have been AWOL from guard duty.

“Mr. Brown, let’s not go there,” Powell retorted. “Let’s not go there in this hearing. If you want to have a political fight on this matter, that is very controversial, and I think it is being dealt with by the White House, fine, but let’s not go there.”
Powell then went on to defend the Bush administration’s assertions on Iraq’s prewar weaponry. “We didn’t make it up,” Powell said. “It was information that reflected the views of analysts in all the various agencies.”

Powell then went on to defend the Bush administration’s assertions on Iraq’s prewar weaponry. “We didn’t make it up,” Powell said. “It was information that reflected the views of analysts in all the various agencies.”

But the dispute with Brown did not end.

“Are you shaking your head for something, young man?,” Powell asked when he noticed an aide to Brown apparently disagreeing.

“I seldom come to a meeting when I’m talking to a congressman and I have people aligned behind you giving editorial comment by headshakes,” Powell said.

Brown, defending his assistant, said “I think people have opinions.”

Media Moonlighting

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