911 Report: We want Declassification

As CNN reported this morning, Bob Graham telephoned the current committee chairman, Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and vice-chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia,
"to suggest that they use an existing but untested process by which the Senate
can publicly disclose classified material despite the objections of the White House."

But Graham is not alone anymore.
He is supported by many other US Lawmakers and Saudi Prince Faisal,
who spoke up since last week:

Photos: Max Cleland, John W. Dean, Prince Saud Faisal, Eliot Engel, Vito Fossella, Chuck Schumer, Richard Shelby, Dick Durbin, Bob Graham, Richard Shelby, Dick Durbin, Olympia Snowe

Last week the criticism on the 911 Report started with Max Cleland, who said in an interview with UPI, that "the White House did not want the report made public before launching military action in Iraq."

One other person who has seen the classified version of the document told UPI subsequently that the Iraq issue is not addressed in the still-classified section, either. "They didn't ask that question," the person said.

Then former Nixon-Lawyer John W. Dean demanded also the declassification of the president's briefing of August 6, 2001 and pointed out, that Condoleeza Rice's statements "don't fit comfortably with the Inquiry's information".

In a surprising move, Prince Saud Faisal (Saudi Arabia) requested to declassify the 28 classified pages in the 911 report, which might refer to possible links between individuals in the Saudi government and some of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers. But the White House rejected the Saudi Request so far.

Already last week, NY Congressman Eliot Engel asked for a declassifiication of the "Saudi Involvement".

He was supported by Rep. Vito Fossella from Staten Island, who was pushing for a congressional hearing into the charges .

On Sunday, Senator Chuck Schumer (NY) released a letter asking President Bush to press the Saudi royal family to return an associate of the Sep11th-hijcakers, Omar al-Bayoumi to the United States as a material witness.

Bob Graham's loudest supporter for a declassification of the 28 pages so far had been only Richard Shelby.

But due to a CNN report from Wednesday, another call for a "vote to declassify may come from intelligence committee member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, a vocal critic of administration secrecy.

Also intelligence "committee member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said she believes the entire section should be declassified. "

Due to CNN, "the process, which according to committee staff has never been used, works like this: