From the annals of “Bush to Congress: Drop Dead.”
The Bush administration acknowledged yesterday that it had long known about Pakistan’s plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House was working to dissuade Pakistan from using the plant to expand its nuclear arsenal. …
The acknowledgment came as arms-control experts and some in Congress expressed alarm about a possible escalation of South Asia’s arms race. Some also sharply criticized the administration for failing to disclose the existence of a facility that could influence an upcoming congressional debate over U.S. nuclear policy toward India and Pakistan. …
“What is baffling is that this information — which was surely information that our own intelligence agencies had — was kept from Congress,” said [Henry D. Sokolski], now director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. “We lack imagination if we think that this is no big deal.”(Washington Post)
This administration has given “separation of powers” a whole new meaning…