Wednesday, June 02, 2004

My Super Investigative Abilities

Alert! Alert! My government needs help! I must use my powers for the good of the nation! Mr. Powell asks why the administration received "faulty intelligence."

NY Times- Jun 02, 2004 - Powell Presses C.I.A. on Faulty Intelligence on Iraq Arms
I don't have a cabinet position. No staff or even an assistant. But this morning I have a cup of coffee and Google.

Flashback to October 2002
The Guardian - Oct 09, 2002 - Officials in the CIA, FBI and energy department are being put under intense pressure to produce reports which back the administration's line, the Guardian has learned. In response, some are complying, some are resisting and some are choosing to remain silent.

"Basically, cooked information is working its way into high-level pronouncements and there's a lot of unhappiness about it in intelligence, especially among analysts at the CIA," said Vincent Cannistraro, the CIA's former head of counter-intelligence.
Houston Chronicle - Oct 08, 2002 - While President Bush marshals congressional and international support for invading Iraq, a growing number of military officers, intelligence professionals and diplomats in his own government privately have deep misgivings about the administration's double-time march toward war.

These officials charge that administration hawks have exaggerated evidence of the threat that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses -- including distorting his links to the al-Qaida terrorist network -- have overstated the amount of international support for attacking Iraq and have downplayed the potential repercussions of a new war in the Middle East.

They charge that the administration squelches dissenting views and that intelligence analysts are under intense pressure to produce reports supporting the White House's argument that Saddam poses such an immediate threat to the United States that pre-emptive military action is necessary.

"Analysts at the working level in the intelligence community are feeling very strong pressure from the Pentagon to cook the intelligence books," said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A dozen other officials echoed his views in interviews.

No one who was interviewed disagreed
You're welcome, Mr. Secretary.