W Induced CIA to Cook Intelligence Books

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

from www.democrats.com


After Inducing CIA to Cook Intelligence Books, Bush Now Hangs the Same Agents Out to Dry

Months ago, ex-CIA agents warned that Bush was pushing the CIA to cook the intelligence on Iraq and to clear phony documents as "real." Now the administration is hanging the CIA out to dry: "The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency reviewed and cleared references to Iraq's attempt to buy uranium for nuclear weapons included in the January State of the Union speech, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said today, reports Reuters. Rice, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. 'The CIA cleared the speech in its entirety,' Rice said in the briefing. 'The president did not knowingly say something we thought to be false. It is just outrageous to suggest that.'" Bet there are some CIA agents feeling pretty damned burnt long about now

[Rick Myers]

1. If you recall, Will Pitt's interview with the former CIA analyst

contained statements that Condi and The Dickster were VISITING the CIA to sit in on analysis meetings, and that it was a very unique situation for policymakers to sit in on analysis meetings!

[9215]

2. here is more on that

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2002-10-24-oped-bamford_x.htm
A call to maintain CIA independence.
Maintain CIA's independence
By James Bamford for USA TODAY
As the White House searches for every possible excuse to go to war with Iraq, pressure has been building on the intelligence agencies to deliberately slant estimates to fit a political agenda. In this case, the agencies are being pressed to find a casus belli for war, whether or not one exists.

[Bandit]

3. They even felt that because the intelligence agencies weren't cooperating

they had to form their own intelligence agency with Rummy, Wolfowitz and Pearle being the intelligence people. Why again did they find the need to do that, should be a question on everyone's mind.

[NYC]

4. Note this sentence from Tenet:

"Officials who were reviewing the draft remarks on uranium raised several concerns about the fragmentary nature of the intelligence with National Security Council colleagues," Tenet said. "Some of the language was changed. From what we know now, agency officials in the end concurred that the text in the speech was factually correct that the British government report said that Iraq sought uranium from Africa."