Timeline of Bush Ignoring Intelligence on Iraq

[On the Road]

With David Kay making the breathtaking accusation that the intelligence agencies are to blame for bad intelligence, here's a detailed timeline of how the intelligence agencies had good information and how Bush ignored it:


Neglecting Intelligence, Ignoring Warnings

A chronology of how the Bush Administration repeatedly and deliberately refused to listen to intelligence agencies that said its case for war was weak.

---snip

In 2001 and before, intelligence agencies noted that Saddam Hussein was effectively contained after the Gulf War. In fact, former weapons inspector David Kay now admits that the previous policy of containment – including the 1998 bombing of Iraq – destroyed any remaining infrastructure of potential WMD programs.

OCTOBER 8, 1997 – IAEA SAYS IRAQ FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: "As reported in detail in the progress report dated 8 October 1997…and based on all credible information available to date, the IAEA's verification activities in Iraq, have resulted in the evolution of a technically coherent picture of Iraq's clandestine nuclear programme. These verification activities have revealed no indications that Iraq had achieved its programme objective of producing nuclear weapons or that Iraq had produced more than a few grams of weapon-usable nuclear material or had clandestinely acquired such material. Furthermore, there are no indications that there remains in Iraq any physical capability for t he production of weapon-usable nuclear material of any practical significance."

FEBRUARY 23 & 24, 2001 – COLIN POWELL SAYS IRAQ IS CONTAINED: "I think we ought to declare a success. We have kept him contained, kept him in his box." He added Saddam "is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors" and that "he threatens not the United States."

---snip

Link: http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=24889

[lovedems]

1. So, In February 2001 Colin Powell said Iraq was contained.

Clinton did a good job of keeping Saddam "in his place" and I bet that drove this "anything opposite of Clinton" administration nuts. This is still at the height of the "blame Clinton" propaganda that was ciculating the air waves!

Blaming the CIA is the easy way out. The buck stops on the desk of the person who declared war, why are there so many stoopid people out there who don't want to believe that. The chimp had a duty to make sure the intelligence he was receiving was accurate and I know there were voices of dissent regarding the intelligence.

[darkstar]

2. logged in from my daily lurking to say

Thank-you, ribofunk!!!

:toast: :toast:


And of course, a :kick:


No crackpot sources, the very stuff we used here at DU in our pre-war arguments, nice presentatation.

In short, damning.

Send everyone on yr personal e-mail lists this link. I am.


Thanks again, rf!!!!!!!!!!!

edit: spelling

[DoctorMyEyes]

3. oooohhh a plentiful bounty

all lined up and sourced.

Thank you for posting this!

edited to add this link from the memory hole:
http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/powell-no-wmd.htm

Condi on July 29,2001 -
But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.

[leftchick]

4. thanks ribofunk....

excellent link and I am passing this baby on.... :)

[Wonco_the_Sane]

5. Great post!!

Thank you thank you.

Only wish everyone would get informed.

[truthspeaker]

6. I wrote about this on my blog, two days in a row

Basically Kay and the administration are blaming the CIA and DIA for being right.