CIA Warns of Iraq Civil War, Contradicting Bush's Optimism.... SOTU

[ElsewheresDaughter]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0122-01.htm


WASHINGTON - CIA officers in Iraq are warning that the country may be on a path to civil war, current and former U.S. officials said Wednesday, starkly contradicting the upbeat assessment that President Bush gave in his State of the Union address.

The CIA officers' bleak assessment was delivered verbally to Washington this week, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the classified information involved.

The warning echoed growing fears that Iraq's Shiite majority, which has until now grudgingly accepted the U.S. occupation, could turn to violence if its demands for direct elections are spurned.


Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims protest in the streets Baghdad, Iraq. The protesters are demanding a fair election process for Iraq. (Photo/ Tom Pennington)

Meanwhile, Iraq's Kurdish minority is pressing its demand for autonomy and shares of oil revenue.

"Both the Shiites and the Kurds think that now's their time," said one intelligence officer. "They think that if they don't get what they want now, they'll probably never get it. Both of them feel they've been betrayed by the United States before."


more

[judge_smales]

1. Damn! Rumsfeld better kick some ass

out there in Langley and get those traitors to toe the NeoCon party line!!

[Barrett808]

2. "It's all politics right now"

One option being informally discussed is to delay the transfer of power until later in 2004, which might give the United Nations time to organize some sort of elections...

But that is almost certain to be opposed by White House political aides who want the occupation over and many U.S. troops gone by this summer to bolster Bush's re-election chances, the official said.

"It's all politics right now," he said.

Other options are to go ahead with the June 30 turnover as planned, whatever the fallout, or to accelerate it by handing over power to the Iraqi Governing Council in March or April, he said.

They got nothin'. The catastrophe looks to be inevitable.

[Bandit]

3. But the Bush* Administration doesn't listen to CIA they have their own

intelligence agency now. It tells them just what they want it to tell them.

[leftofthedial]

4. didn't the CIA contradict half of last year's SOTU too?

The buffoon in chief must go!!

[Jacobin]

15. You're right. They did. They also warned of civil war as a consequence

of invasion when Smirky was beating his war drums

[Go Eagles]

5. we knew this was likely

We are finding ourselves in the same predicament as the British in the 1920's when they occupied Iraq. The promise of automomy and not being an occupying force was made then until the Brits realized all the clashing ethnic, religous and tribal divisions that are in Iraq and wound up ruling the country with brutality to hold Iraq together. The possible scenarios are frightening from the US using similar tactics and becoming bogged down trying to hold down these various groups, inserting a strong man puppet who essentially does what Hussein did to maintain order, or a full scale civil war blood bath that could result in a broader regional war. Shrub or Rove's only concern is that things don't totally unravel before November 2004.

[louis-t]

8. Anyone with a brain knew this was likely

yet the PNAC cabal et al puts only words of victory and flag waving into the smirky mouth of their 'boy' *. This shows once again how little this bunch understands the people in that part of the world (not that they ever wanted to) and how little they respect anyone else. They still regard the Iraqis as 'brown trash'. They have no regard for Iraqi culture, as evidenced by Dumsfeld's mocking quote "how many VASES could they have?". * doesn't worry about details, he has said so himself. He doesn't read the news, he doesn't know anthing about history (except right-wing revisionism), and he doesn't care. They will keep making the same foreign policy blunders that created Saddam and Osama and that are now creating thousands of others just like them.

[JoFerret]

16. Poison gas

...this was of course when Churchill authorized and defended the use of poison gas against the Kurds.

[Ernesto]

6. Watch out for this religious Sistani (?) guy

He's getting plenty of press for standing up to the occupiers.... Could he be the Arafat of Iraq?... Theocracy anyone?

[judge_smales]

7. Or maybe

Assasination, er, I mean, tragic accident, anyone?

[Gman]

9. We want a fair election process too

why just Iraq?

[Career Prole]

10. Just thinking aloud here...

...the date on the story is today's date. Today is Thursday. It was leaked Wednesday. The discussions went on this week. Hmmm...Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday then? But wait! The SOTU was given Tuesday night, so if they had received this bit of bad news before then, they surely would have included it in the speech, or at least edited out the rosy prognosis which was already in the speech. Wouldn't they? I mean, it's the State of the Union, man...you can't lie in that one, can you?
Oh...I forgot. In the New World Order it's to be expected. :mad:

[Barrett808]

11. It's very likely the CIA specifically released this to undermine *

Looks like the intelligence war is raging on.

[dweller]

12. BING BING BING....exactly!

As noted above, anybody with a brain could have seen this coming.

Kucinich: Bush Administration Could Precipitate Uprising in Iraq 1/16/04

Kucinich Calls for Free, Direct Elections in Iraq 1/19/04

Kucinich: Dems Risk Forfeiting Election Over Iraq Occupation 1/18/04

Press Releases


standing down now from my soapbox, and walking away from the YellowBrick Road.....


peace,
dp

[maggrwaggr]

13. how dare they ask for elections!

the ungrateful peons. Can't they be happy with a nice, American-style version of "we'll select your leaders for you"?

[Say_What]

14. Well JASUS, I'd say that's a no f*ck'n brainer and that's why

Bush is looking to run away so fast as well--the POS

[ElsewheresDaughter]

17. kick

[Moderator]

18. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=324818