Faulty intelligence? No. Faulty political influence.

[Adam]

The new Pentagon papers

A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war.

I saw a narrow and deeply flawed policy favored by some executive appointees in the Pentagon used to manipulate and pressurize the traditional relationship between policymakers in the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies.

I witnessed neoconservative agenda bearers within OSP usurp measured and carefully considered assessments, and through suppression and distortion of intelligence analysis promulgate what were in fact falsehoods to both Congress and the executive office of the president.

While this commandeering of a narrow segment of both intelligence production and American foreign policy matched closely with the well-published desires of the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party, many of us in the Pentagon, conservatives and liberals alike, felt that this agenda, whatever its flaws or merits, had never been openly presented to the American people. Instead, the public story line was a fear-peddling and confusing set of messages, designed to take Congress and the country into a war of executive choice, a war based on false pretenses, and a war one year later Americans do not really understand. That is why I have gone public with my account.

Please read the entire article here: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/03/10/osp_moveon/

 

[Adam]

Still Smoke And Mirrors

Ray McGovern chaired National Intelligence Estimates during his 27-year career and had high respect for the expertise and dedication of INR analysts. Ray is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, which includes alumni from CIA, INR, and other intelligence agencies. He is now co-director of the Servant Leadership School, an inner-city outreach ministry in Washington, DC.
*snip*
In other words, the purpose of the estimate was not to inform an (already reached) decision on whether war was necessary. Rather, it was to enlist intelligence in the campaign to deceive Congress into thinking that Iraq posed such a threat that the legislative branch’s prerogative must be surrendered to the president, and—not incidentally—to make so persuasive a case to the nation that those who dared vote against the president would be highly vulnerable in the mid-term election of 2002. That worked, too.

Thanks to inspector David Kay’s refreshing honesty, we now know that Cheney’s charges, and the cognate conclusions of the estimate, were bogus.

http://tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9917

 

[R0man]

It is clear from this article that faulty intelligence was not the sole reason for the United States' decision to go to war in Iraq. Rather, it was a result of political influence and manipulation within the Pentagon. The author, a high-ranking military officer, witnessed firsthand how a small group of individuals with a specific agenda were able to suppress and distort intelligence in order to push for a war that was not openly presented to the American people.

This revelation is similar to what happened during the Vietnam War when the Pentagon Papers were released. These papers revealed how the government had misled the public and manipulated intelligence to justify the war. It is concerning to see history repeating itself and to know that political influence can still have such a powerful impact on important decisions such as going to war.

It is important for the American people to be aware of the influence of political agendas on decision-making within our government. The fact that the author felt the need to go public with this information shows the importance of transparency and accountability in our leaders. It is our responsibility as citizens to demand honesty and integrity from our government officials and to hold them accountable for their actions.

In conclusion, it is not enough to simply blame faulty intelligence for the decision to go to war in Iraq. We must acknowledge the role of political influence and manipulation and learn from this experience to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. The release of the new Pentagon Papers serves as a reminder to always question the motives behind decisions made by our government and to demand transparency and honesty in the process.