Dispute Prompts Scrutiny of Bush's Daily Reading

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — The highly classified digest that provides President Bush with his daily intelligence updates is being scrutinized within the government and Congress after criticism that the information Mr. Bush has been given on Iraq and other matters has not reflected a broad range of views, senior administration and Congressional officials say.

Both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Senate Intelligence Committee, which voted on Thursday night to expand its inquiry on Iraq intelligence, have signaled their intent to examine the shaping and presentation of the daily briefing, the officials said Friday.

The inquiries were prompted in part by questions about whether prewar White House statements regarding Iraq and its illicit weapons were based on the best available intelligence on that subject, the officials said.

As much as any information the president receives from top aides, the daily briefing informs his view of the world, ranging across issues of terrorism, arms control, military events and more.

But under Mr. Bush, the number of intelligence agencies receiving the data was reduced, prompting complaints from senior officials in those agencies

http://nytimes.com/2004/02/14/politics/14INTE.html?hp

This article looks like the beginning of shifting blame for bush failures to the CIA or other intel agencies *officially*.

[flowomo]

1. What's the name of that report....

Misleader's Digest?

[cosmicdot]

2. I think you're right that this is part of shifting the blame

I wouldn't be surprised if Democrats covered for him ...

there's hardly anything policy-wise that this White House has sought "a broad range of views", e.g., Cheney's Energy Task Force

[markses]

3. A desperate gambit

This is the first move in Bush attempting to portray himself as grievously decived by the CIA, or some other force (perhaps rising to the level of the VP, depending on the polls). It is a desperate gambit because Bush can only avoid responsibility for the Iraq debacle by portraying himself as out of the loop and as, basically, a weak leader. The only plus here is preserving his "honesty" and "integrity" against the obvious collapse and utter falsity of the Iraq invasion/occupation.

The crucial polling will determine whether his "honesty" and "integrity" polls better against his "tuned-in-ness" with respect to the other forces in the Federal government. If "honesty" prevails in the polls, Bush will be a "Poor-Deceived-Bush." If "leadership" prevails, the whole story will have to be reconceptualized. They are assuming "honesty" as the winner now, for good reason (they appear to be straight liars at this point, and the blood keeps spilling daily). Contrary to popular belief at DU, the American people have a specific and, I think, rather low threshold of obvious bullshit that they are willing to put up with - especially when their sons and cousins are getting their asses blown off. I think we're just past the threshold now..........

[ex_jew]

4. Wasn't this week subpoenas were to be issued for PDBs or

notes taken about them ? What ever happened with that, or will we just decide that whatever they said, it could never be enough to put little George on the right track. Do these things have pictures ?

[efhmc]

5. He can read? What a revelation.

[Poiuyt]

7. They put it in comic book form

[Nevernose]

15. That's insulting to comic-books

Which have, in recent years, become a form of literature all their own. I sincerely doubt Bush's ability to read or comprehend something as moralistic or emotionally complex as "Uncanny X-Men Annual #14" or "She-Hulk: The Graphic Novel."

Unless maybe Saddam is drawn as Archie, and Osama looks like Jughead...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

6. It actually looks to me like the blame is being shifted to Junior...

...because of the following line:

"But under Mr. Bush, the number of intelligence agencies receiving the data was reduced, prompting complaints from senior officials in those agencies"

[SoCalDem]

8. Isn't this pathetic??

The very fact that the guy with his fingers on the nuke button, has to be "checked on" to see that he's getting balanced information:wtf:.. is totally nuts..

One would think that by the time a person rises to the position of PRESIDENT of the most powerful nation on earth, he would have the BRAINS to figure that one out on his OWN...:grr:

He's an empty-headed idiot, and has probably been reading only the very best that CATO,Heritage,PatRobertson,JerryFalwell,WashingtonTimes,Fox etc can provide him..

This is dangerous...big time.. It was taken with a little titter and a guffaw that the WhiteHouse only has FoxNews on.. (got rid of that liberal(ha) CNN that Clinton favored.. but the joketime is OVER..

He's playing politics instead of taking care of the nation.

I have never minded when presidents of the other party became president, because I had always thought that once they became president, they were then EVERYONE'S president, and even if I disagreed with them, they at least were looking out for everyone..But NO MORE.. He is president of the Republicans, and everyone else can just ESAD as far as he's concerned..

bastard!!

[underpants]

13. I would gues that he gets an Executive brief of the more narrow report

SO in effect he gets a summary of a summary of less information than Presidents received before. And from what I have read it is very likely that he doesn't even read it but often has someone read it to him.

That alone is frightening but add in that he was getting seperate briefs from the OSP outside of this framework makes it even scarier.

[GoBlue]

9. It is a leaders obligation

to insist on a broad range of views. But it requires critical thinking skills and intelligence to know that.

In a nutshell

Bush is Incompetent and Dangerous

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. The daily briefing informs his view of the world?

Maybe Bu$h needs to get out more often? He is so isolated from reality and then fed only information that he wants to hear, that he has no clue what the rest of humanity is really all about. Just more proof that Bu$h is the worst pResident in US history.

[FlaGranny]

11. Bushy* don't want no

balanced info. It might make him think. He don't wanna think.

[UpInArms]

12. the facts show that

* doesn't want information

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/49/news-corn.php

A few weeks ago, George W. Bush noted during an interview that while he glances at newspaper headlines, he “rarely” reads the actual articles because “A lot of times there’s opinions mixed in with news.” So where does he get his info? Bush said he prefers to be briefed by White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. “The best way to get the news,” he explained, “is from objective sources. And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what’s happening in the world.” Lately Bush also has been warning the American public not to pay attention to other sources, such as journalists who report that all is not going well in the land of occupation. “We’re making good progress in Iraq,” Bush said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell when you listen to the filter.” The filter is Bushspeak for the media.

[leQ]

14. the very fact that he considers card & condi objective

speaks volumes.

[Jacobin]

16. "The Question remains: Why aren't our President Learning?"

To borrow a dyslexic oxymoron from the dauphin.

[JoFerret]

17. But as he pays no attention....

Chris Matthews seems to be after this one too.

[ScrewyRabbit]

18. Don't believe the hype

Read Suskind's book on Paul O'Neil. In the earliest days of the administration Bush said "make this happen" re: an invasion of Iraq. No amount of correct intel would've changed his decision to go to war, since he was only searching for a rationale.

The business in that article is part of a coverup.

[loudsue]

19. All he wants to do is campaign and take vacation...

He SURE doesn't want to be bothered with trying to run a country. It's just soooo middle-class to have to "work" at a job. And we all know he's way too good for that.

:puke:


:kick::kick::kick::kick:

[yellowcanine]

20. Bush might try reading something other than a digest

Most of our previous presidents read several newspapers - including "opposition" newspapers. Cripes, LBJ used to have three tvs going at once so he could catch all three network news reports. Kennedy was a voracious reader also. Clinton and Carter too. Even Nixon and Poppy Bush were as well. Reagan - not as much but more than uncurious George.

Uncurious George - why the heck did he want to be president in the first place if he doesn't care about what is going on in the world?