Then and Now: What Nancy Pelosi Says About Pre-War Intelligence

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Pre-War Intelligence

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last Friday was asked whether President Bush deliberately disregarded the advice of his intelligence community before going to war in Iraq. She said — "Five years ago ... I said the intelligence does not support the threat ... It did indicate there might be chemical or biological but not in any way deliverable or a threat to the United States to justify a preemptive strike on Iraq. There was nothing there. That's why I voted against the war... We saw the intelligence. It simply wasn't there."

But here's what Pelosi said on the House floor in October of 2002 — "He (Saddam Hussein) has chemical weapons. He has biological weapons. He is trying to get nuclear weapons."

And then a month later — "Saddam Hussein certainly has chemical and biological weapons. There's no question about that."

Quitting Democratic Party

Yesterday we told you anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan was quitting the Democratic party over its support of the Iraq war funding bill.

Now Sheehan says she is being heavily criticized for it.

Sheehan writes on Daily Kos — "I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party... However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the 'left' started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used... Being called an 'attention whore' and being told 'good riddance' are some of the more milder rebukes."

Sheehan says she is selling her five-acre "Camp Casey" near the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas — and going home.

New Rights

Senate Democrats are backing a bill that would grant new rights to terror suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay.

The proposal approved last week by the Armed Services Committee would give detainees access to counsel even if they are not put on trial. It would also further restrict the use of coerced testimony and hearsay evidence — and tighten the definition of who qualifies as an enemy combatant.

The measure was tucked into the defense budget bill for the upcoming fiscal year.

Check Please

And a British man who spent more than three years in prison after being falsely accused of rape — may have to pay almost $14,000 in room and board costs to the government.

The Daily Mail reports the money will be deducted from whatever settlement Warren Blackwell can get for being wrongly imprisoned.

Blackwell says he was flabbergasted when he heard the news. He says — "Burglars and murderers who actually did commit a crime and deserve to be in jail don't get charged for being in prison. So why charge me?"

—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.