War on Iraq still not Justified; False Intelligence to Blame

The Senate Intelligence report which consists of over 400 pages of investigation, has concluded that the Intelligence Services overstated the threat of weapons in Iraq. The report also states that they found no evidence that the Bush administration attempted to pressure or coerce analysts into supporting war in Iraq.

U.S. Intelligence Slanted Reports on Iraqi Weapons
"Before the war, the U.S. intelligence community told the president, as well as the Congress and the public, that Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and if left unchecked, probably would have a nuclear weapon this decade," Roberts said during the press conference. "Well, today we know these assessments were wrong."

The report says U.S. intelligence analysts remained objective, but got careless, which may have led them to overestimate the threat Iraq posed to the United States, officials said. It will also say U.S. officials relied too much on intelligence information from Iraqi dissidents and exiles who may have had their own agenda and didn't penetrate Saddam Hussein's inner circle effectively enough

"The committee did not find any evidence that administration officials attempted to coerce, influence or pressure analysts to change their judgments related to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities," it said.

It specifically cleared Vice President Dick Cheney, a leading advocate of the war, of charges that he tried to bend the evidence to fit his agenda.

"The committee found no evidence that the vice president's visits to the Central Intelligence Agency were attempts to pressure analysts, were perceived as intended to pressure analysts by those who participated in the briefings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, or did pressure analysts to change their assessments," the report said.

Finally official word that the Bush Administration and this country was duped into entering Iraq. However I still cannot understand how this same committee who came to that conclusion can also still say that the Bush administration did not pressure for corrobating evidence to justify their actions into Iraq.

Related News Links:
Senate Report Focuses on Iraq Intel Failures
Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Senate Intelligence Committee Blasts CIA on Iraq


[edit on 7-9-2004 by worldwatcher]

I just heard there is a second part of this report which is not scheduled to be released until "after" elections....how convenient.

I wonder what could be in Part 2? hmmmmm

what are you saying???? that the government lied to us??? noooo...that would never happen. our great bringer of democracy and freedom would never bend the facts just to get his war. or wait.....would he ????
hmmm...buh bye george !! see ya in november !!!

remember this in november: BUSH LIED, SOLDIERS DIED...end of story..

tell 'em, Sublime....

LOTS of soldiers died....and lots more are being burned/maimed every day....

but hey....

the American public doesn't care much about that, do they?

ah, compassion