CIA analysis holds bleak vision for Iraq's future

[G_j]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/191055_iraqintel16.html

Thursday, September 16, 2004

CIA analysis holds bleak vision for Iraq's future
Worst case is steps to civil war, say those who have seen report

By DOUGLAS JEHL
THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON -- A classified National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush in late July spells out a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq, government officials said yesterday.

The estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of 2005, and the worst case is developments that could lead to civil war, the officials said. The most favorable outcome is an Iraq whose political, economic and security stability would remain tenuous.

"There's a significant amount of pessimism," said one government official who has read the document, which runs about 50 pages. The officials declined to discuss the document's key judgments -- concise, carefully written statements of intelligence analysts' conclusions.

The intelligence estimate, the first on Iraq since October 2002, was prepared by the National Intelligence Council and was approved by the National Foreign Intelligence Board under John McLaughlin, the CIA's acting director. Such estimates can be requested by the White House or Congress, but government officials said this one was initiated by the intelligence council under George Tenet, who stepped down as CIA director July 9.

..more..

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. dupe

of http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x830143

(original NYT article)

[BootinUp]

2. Rove will shortly begin to attack the messenger

spin: How hard will it be to discredit a report from the CIA, the same organization that couldn't stop 9/11?

[Dhalgren]

3. So will the fascists attack the authenticity of the report?

What kind of type face was used? What's the font, Kenneth? Or will the intelligence establishment be just another "focus group" that Caligula doesn't listen to? Oh, how about this: "This is "old CIA". The report is very "2003", if you know what I mean. We are going to forge ahead with the "new CIA"; we like to call it, "The Intelligence of the Willing". I thing the "old CIA" should be investigated by congress for attacking the Leader during war time."

Just wait...

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=830143