Great Article Detailing the Bush Administration's Failures in Intelligence

In summary, the conversation discusses the article "The Stovepiping Scandal" from The New Yorker, which explores the tendency of the Bush Administration to receive and manipulate selected information, rather than going through proper channels. This lack of intellectual curiosity and desire to hear what they want to hear has led to misinformation and a disregard for ethical practices. The conversation also includes a debate about whether this behavior was intentional or a result of the administration's own lies to themselves.
  • #1
RageSk8
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031027fa_fact [Broken]

Read it, seriously.
 
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  • #2
I think this ties in directly to Bush's assertion that he doesn't follow the news, but rather allows his staff to tell him what he needs to hear. It is this utter lack of intellectual curiousity, often brought up pre-election, that has manifested itself in what the article refers to as 'stovepiping': channeling selected information directly to the top, without passing it through the customary filters. This tendency makes it very easy to manipulate knowledge, by controling the information flow. Maybe this was intentional, to allow 'plausible deniability'?
 
  • #3
Maybe this was intentional, to allow 'plausible deniability'?

I doubt the Bush Administration is so sinister. I always found, and debated against, the view that the Bush and Blaire administrations concocted lies to defend their stance on Iraq - I found it, and still find it, incomprehensible (and this article reaffirms my stance). They simply heard what they wanted to hear.
 
  • #4
Originally posted by RageSk8
I doubt the Bush Administration is so sinister. I always found, and debated against, the view that the Bush and Blaire administrations concocted lies to defend their stance on Iraq - I found it, and still find it, incomprehensible (and this article reaffirms my stance). They simply heard what they wanted to hear.
I dunno...but then again, it works just as well, based on what we know of these folks...the main lie was the one they told themselves?
 
  • #5
the main lie was the one they told themselves?

Yeah, pretty much. And all of this misinformation could have been weeded out had the administration followed BASIC protocol.
 
  • #6
Originally posted by RageSk8
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031027fa_fact [Broken]

Read it, seriously.
Thanks RageSk8,

That's serious. :/
It's shows a lot about ethics.
I hope a lot of people read this.
 
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1. What is the main focus of the article?

The main focus of the article is to highlight the failures of the Bush administration in regards to intelligence gathering and decision making.

2. What evidence does the article provide for these failures?

The article provides various examples and reports from government agencies and officials, as well as testimonies from experts and insiders, to support its claims of failures in intelligence.

3. How did these failures impact the country?

According to the article, these failures in intelligence had major consequences for the country, including the invasion of Iraq based on false information and the mishandling of the response to Hurricane Katrina.

4. Did the article offer any solutions or suggestions for improvement?

Yes, the article suggests that the failures in intelligence could have been avoided or minimized if the administration had listened to dissenting opinions and properly assessed the information being presented to them.

5. Is this article biased or objective?

While the article may have a particular viewpoint, it presents its arguments and evidence in a factual and objective manner, allowing readers to form their own opinions on the subject.

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