Is this why/when Cheney was visiting the CIA so often?

[Roland99]

A CIA Cover Blown, a White House Exposed
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-leak25aug25,1,2643475.story?page=5&track=mostemailedlink&coll=la-home-style

In the end, Powell agreed with Tenet to rely mainly on the national intelligence estimate on Iraq, which had been vetted by the CIA. Wilkerson came to believe that the Pentagon officials, and their allies in the White House, doubted what the intelligence community said because "it didn't fit their script" for going to war.

Wasn't the NIE the document that had been scrubbed of the doubts and qualifiers and notes of possible dual-use items? Is this why Cheney went to the CIA to have it "vetted" in a way to suit the rush to war?

Will we ever know for sure since this was supposed to be in the next phase of the Senate investigation. Whatever happened to that next phase?

[Eric J in MN]

1. Colin Powell's former inteligence advisor knew his UN speech was bogus

at the time.
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2005_01_16_conservative_con_of_the_week_bush_sells_fear.asp

Note that at the time Colin Powell made his infamous presentation to the UN, Feb. 5, 2003, Powell's intelligence analyst on wmd, Greg Thielmann, knew the evidence was bogus ("The Man Who Knew" 60 Minutes, Feb. 4, 2004.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/14/60II/main577975.shtml

[MintOreoCookie]

2. So then why didn't Greg say something?

[Roland99]

4. He retired in 2002.

Here's a good interview with him from last summer:
http://www.echochamberproject.com/thielmann

[Eric J in MN]

8. So why didn't Greg Thielmann speak out in Feb. 2003? nt

nt

[Roland99]

10. From an AP article in June 2003 (link is now dead, though)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration distorted intelligence and presented conjecture as evidence to justify a U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to a retired intelligence official who served during the months before the war.

"What disturbs me deeply is what I think are the disingenuous statements made from the very top about what the intelligence did say," said Greg Thielmann, who retired last September. "The area of distortion was greatest in the nuclear field."

Thielmann was director of the strategic, proliferation and military issues office in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. His office was privy to classified intelligence gathered by the CIA and other agencies about Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear programs.

Here's a Guardian story from July, 2003:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,995188,00.html

A former US intelligence official who served under the Bush administration in the build-up to the Iraq war accused the White House yesterday of lying about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

<...>

This was the first time an administration official has put his name to specific claims. The whistleblower, Gregory Thielmann, served as a director in the state department's bureau of intelligence until his retirement in September, and had access to the classified reports which formed the basis for the US case against Saddam, spelled out by President Bush and his aides.

Mr Thielmannn said yesterday: "I believe the Bush administration did not provide an accurate picture to the American people of the military threat posed by Iraq."

He conceded that part of the problem lay with US intelligence, but added: "Most of it lies with the way senior officials misused the information they were provided."

[Eric J in MN]

14. The Iraq War started in March 2003.

The only way to stop it would have been to speak out before then.

[Roland99]

15. The only way this war was going to be stopped would have been to:

blow up the White House before it happened.


This war was on, no matter who said what and how loudly they said it

[BlueJac]

16. He was smart to quit.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. I bet Colin Powell is sorry now that he didn't run for President

when he had a chance. At least all of his mistakes would have truly been his own doing.

[Roland99]

13. I think he would have been a good VP choice for McCain....

had McCain won the 2000 primary.



'course, back then, I was still a staunch Republican.

[burythehatchet]

3. Pat Roberts has effectively killed any further investigation

He is a criminal bastard

[Burried News]

5. Great link thank you.

Judy Miller is bait. Look who's nibbling.

Judy Miller, reportedly looking frail in NY Post by gossip columnist. Let's all feel sorry for Judy and let her out.

Increase your CONfusion, the NY Post will be happy to help you understand events in this complicated world.

The New York Post - we do your thinking for you.

[bleever]

6. The NIE, IIRC, was reverse-engineered under Cheney's direction

to support the case for war.

So the answer would be "yes". Powell was thus set up by his agreement to depend on the NIE.

[Roland99]

7. And we can't get the media to hound on the admin and the Congress sits

idly by while America burns.

[HereSince1628]

9. The philosophy of Rumsfeld, Cheney and their neocon staffs

is much the same as the guiding prinicples of Team B's dealings with incomplete intelligence information in the 1970's.

The philosophy of the Team B group its incarnation as the current B (as in second rate, not B as in Bush)-team is radically conservative. If a threat can be fantasized it must be taken seriously, if there is ANY doubt in data, the absolute worst case implication of it should be adopted.

This is why Rumsfeld had to create an independent intelligence group in the Defense Dept. that had an "appropriate philosophy." A philosophy that leaned forward, pushing interpretations to extremes in order to insure worst cases were protected against.

This drove the current B-team's personal knowledge of Saddam's past (such as Rumsfeld's dealing chemical weapons to Saddam) into the 2002 fantasies that took us to war.

And to finally get around to making my point here...Cheney personally believed the intelligence analysts were downplaying risks whose uncertainties he continues to believe must be considered in light of their absolute worst case implications (we must assume because proof might come as mushroom clouds!). I believe, Cheney was going to the CIA not so much to push analysts but pick their brains for the doubts that he would spin into worst cases.

Cheney, and Rumsfeld, and their Neocon staff really do share (and in some cases are the same people who gave birth to) the perverted, fearful, world view of those who were referred to as the "wackos in the basement" by previous Republican administrations.

This is no mystery at all to Defense, State and Intelligence professionals in Washington DC. But the implications that the guys who pull W's strings are wackos is so scary that no one is willing to talk about it in public.

[Roland99]

11. Thanks for scaring me even more!

[Al-CIAda]

17. flowchart-

[Roland99]

18. Never heard of Luti before...hmmm

[Wizard777]

19. The UN had boots on the ground. Why did we not assist them?

Why would Bush run them out of the country. Bomb it and then do our own inspections. Why would Bush Not "debate" Saddam? Was he afraid that Saddam would extend the invitation to have an American Weapons Inspection Team come to Iraq and assist the UN Team?

Don't forget what Bush was really fighting against at that time. TheOil World Order of the United Nations. The world Body that America and our Allies established after winning WWII. The Body by which America would spread Democracy to the world as provided for in our Constitution. By placing this hufe vurden on America alone. Bush has taken America one step back to put the New World Order (an adversarial organizarion other than The Constitutional USA) two steps ahead. Now Bush is trying to waste our resources in Iraq so that we couldn't fight anyone anywhere. That is Treason!