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Exclusive: Downing Street reporter dissects pre-war Iraq intelligence

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Roland99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 01:31 PM
Original message
Exclusive: Downing Street reporter dissects pre-war Iraq intelligence
Details 'chill factor' imposed around Iraq intelligence; Putting Downing Street docs in perspective
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Downing_Street_reporter_dissects_Iraq_intelligence_in_leadup_0824.html

LONDON -- "The Commission found no evidence of political pressure to influence the Intelligence Community's pre-war assessment of Iraq's weapons programs."

That is only one of a number of strange conclusions by those charged with investigating the way flaky intelligence was used to justify the 2003 Iraq War.

The most vociferous advocates of an attack on Iraq were Dick Cheney, the vice-president, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld deputy Paul Wolfowitz. They needed Congressional support and set about obtaining it in an aggressive fashion, insisting that not only did Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction threaten America and its allies but that the dictator was closely linked to al-Qa'eda.

This was a bit of a problem for the CIA, and in particular CIA director George Tenet. The CIA's 2001 annual assessment of 'worldwide threats' had played down any immediate threat from Iraq while the Agency had repeatedly dismissed the ludicrous idea that Saddam was in league with Osama bin Laden, a claim that was also strenuously denied in private by British intelligence officials.
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blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 01:33 PM
Response to Original message
1. DSM should be linked to every story on Cindy Sheehan.
The Downing Street Memo changes everything about Iraq. Time to make sure the media finally allows that point of Cindy's to be heard.
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rodeodance Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. good to see Micheal Smith is still going with this story.
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Roland99 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Conyers isn't letting go either (his update from last week)
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rodeodance Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 01:42 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. kick
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evermind Donating Member (833 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 07:24 PM
Response to Original message
5. Amazing! Thanks for posting this... I wonder if
this was meant to be a Sunday Times article, but got spiked?

Michael Smith giving an exclusive to Raw Story ought to be a story in itself!
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Tin Man Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 07:44 PM
Response to Original message
6. Geo. Tenet receives the Presidential Medal of Quid Pro Quo
Edited on Wed Aug-24-05 07:45 PM by Tin Man
...for "fixing the intelligence" in order to justify war


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Al-CIAda Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-24-05 08:19 PM
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7. .
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