Acharya
2005-03-31 19:37:07 UTC
"U.S. intelligence" are the same idiots who never had a clue about Al-qaeda
.and the World Trade Center.
.and the World Trade Center.
Report Says U.S. Intelligence 'Dead Wrong' on Iraq
Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:42 AM ET
By Steve Holland and Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence on Iraq was "dead
wrong," dealing a blow to American credibility that will take
years to undo, and spymasters still know disturbingly little about
nuclear programs in countries like Iran and North Korea, a
presidential commission reported on Thursday.
The commission's bluntly written report, based on more than a
year of investigations, offered a damning assessment of the
intelligence that President Bush used to launch the Iraq war two
years ago and warned that flaws are still all too common
throughout spy agencies. "We conclude that the intelligence
community was dead wrong in
almost all of its prewar judgments about Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction," the commissioners wrote.
And at a time when the United States is accusing Iran of nuclear
ambitions and pressuring North Korea on its nuclear programs,
the report said: "Across the board, the intelligence community
knows
disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the
world's most dangerous actors."
The presidential commission, led by appeals court judge Laurence
Silberman and former Virginia Republican Sen. Charles Robb,
called for a broad overhaul in the spy community to increase
information-sharing and foster dissenting views.
"The flaws we found in the intelligence community's Iraq
performance are still all too common," they wrote.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president agreed
the intelligence community needs fundamental change. He said its
recommendations would be reviewed and acted on "in a fairly
quick period of time."
A key chapter in the report -- on U.S. intelligence on alleged
nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea -- was
classified and not released publicly.
But sources familiar with that section said it was among the
most critical, finding U.S. intelligence on Iran's nuclear
program in particular to be inadequate.
The White House has acknowledged intelligence shortcomings --
national security adviser Stephen Hadley called data on Iran
"hard to come by" -- but the administration has made clear it
stands
by its policy of preemption.
A senior administration official said "there has been no change
in our policy to confront threats before they have the opportunity
to strike the homeland."
IRAQ INTELLIGENCE 'WORTHLESS OR MISLEADING'
The 600-page report sharply criticized the
intelligence-gathering on Iraq by the CIA, Defense Intelligence
Agency
and other
agencies for producing "worthless or misleading" intelligence
before a war fought over claims that Saddam Hussein possessed
weapons of mass destruction, none of which was found.
In what amounted to a direct assault on George Tenet, who was
CIA director in the run-up to the Iraq war and gave the
president his daily intelligence briefing, the commission found
that
"the
daily reports sent to the president and senior policymakers
discussing Iraq over many months proved to be disastrously
one-sided."
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, accused of hyping the
intelligence on Iraq in order to pursue a costly war with a
deadly aftermath, escaped direct blame.
"The analysts who worked Iraqi weapons issues universally agreed
that in no instance did political pressure cause them to skew or
alter any of their analytical judgments," the report said.
But it added: "It is hard to deny the conclusion that
intelligence analysts worked in an environment that did not
encourage skepticism about the conventional wisdom."
CHANGES NECESSARY
Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:42 AM ET
By Steve Holland and Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence on Iraq was "dead
wrong," dealing a blow to American credibility that will take
years to undo, and spymasters still know disturbingly little about
nuclear programs in countries like Iran and North Korea, a
presidential commission reported on Thursday.
The commission's bluntly written report, based on more than a
year of investigations, offered a damning assessment of the
intelligence that President Bush used to launch the Iraq war two
years ago and warned that flaws are still all too common
throughout spy agencies. "We conclude that the intelligence
community was dead wrong in
almost all of its prewar judgments about Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction," the commissioners wrote.
And at a time when the United States is accusing Iran of nuclear
ambitions and pressuring North Korea on its nuclear programs,
the report said: "Across the board, the intelligence community
knows
disturbingly little about the nuclear programs of many of the
world's most dangerous actors."
The presidential commission, led by appeals court judge Laurence
Silberman and former Virginia Republican Sen. Charles Robb,
called for a broad overhaul in the spy community to increase
information-sharing and foster dissenting views.
"The flaws we found in the intelligence community's Iraq
performance are still all too common," they wrote.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president agreed
the intelligence community needs fundamental change. He said its
recommendations would be reviewed and acted on "in a fairly
quick period of time."
A key chapter in the report -- on U.S. intelligence on alleged
nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea -- was
classified and not released publicly.
But sources familiar with that section said it was among the
most critical, finding U.S. intelligence on Iran's nuclear
program in particular to be inadequate.
The White House has acknowledged intelligence shortcomings --
national security adviser Stephen Hadley called data on Iran
"hard to come by" -- but the administration has made clear it
stands
by its policy of preemption.
A senior administration official said "there has been no change
in our policy to confront threats before they have the opportunity
to strike the homeland."
IRAQ INTELLIGENCE 'WORTHLESS OR MISLEADING'
The 600-page report sharply criticized the
intelligence-gathering on Iraq by the CIA, Defense Intelligence
Agency
and other
agencies for producing "worthless or misleading" intelligence
before a war fought over claims that Saddam Hussein possessed
weapons of mass destruction, none of which was found.
In what amounted to a direct assault on George Tenet, who was
CIA director in the run-up to the Iraq war and gave the
president his daily intelligence briefing, the commission found
that
"the
daily reports sent to the president and senior policymakers
discussing Iraq over many months proved to be disastrously
one-sided."
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, accused of hyping the
intelligence on Iraq in order to pursue a costly war with a
deadly aftermath, escaped direct blame.
"The analysts who worked Iraqi weapons issues universally agreed
that in no instance did political pressure cause them to skew or
alter any of their analytical judgments," the report said.
But it added: "It is hard to deny the conclusion that
intelligence analysts worked in an environment that did not
encourage skepticism about the conventional wisdom."
CHANGES NECESSARY