Exposing Incompetent Incumbents (WMD Intelligence/Bolton/Carl Ford)

[housewolf]

This is a good article about the bad WMD intelligence, who was responsible for it and who got it right - it involves John Bolton and Carl Ford who testified re: Bolton's nomination on Thursday. Unfortunately I had to snip many good parts so go read the whole article.


Exposing Incompetent Incumbents
Ray McGovern
April 13, 2005

Many have asked how it could be that a comparatively small group of intelligence analysts in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) was able to get it right on several key Iraq-related issues, while larger agencies like CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency—with, literally, a cast of thousands—got it so wrong. The answer is simple: INR had the guts to be the skunk at the picnic. That’s how. State Department analysts showed backbone in resisting White House pressure, as well as in-house prodding from the likes of Under Secretary of State John Bolton, to cook intelligence to the White House recipe. INR stood firm, while former CIA director George Tenet, his deputy John McLaughlin and other malleable intelligence community managers caved in to administration pressure.

<snip>


For 10 years, it had been de rigueur for the head of INR, the CIA director and FBI directors, and the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to present together the annual worldwide threat assessment briefing to the Senate intelligence committee. But in February 2004, INR experienced the supreme penalty for having been right—ostracism. Sen. Roberts did not invite the INR director to participate in the threat assessment. Roberts apparently wanted to preclude the possibility that some over-curious senator might ask why INR was able to get it mostly right on Iraq when everyone else was almost all wrong.

<snip>

What’s Broken?

At director of national intelligence nominee John Negroponte’s confirmation hearing yesterday, Sen. Pat Roberts, chair of the Senate intelligence committee repeated the mantra, “We have a broken system.” But a “system” can be no better than its people. It is, rather, the professionalism and integrity of many of the system’s leaders that is broken.

<snip>

Many of us former intelligence professionals are astonished that, of the hundreds of analysts who knew in 2002 and early 2003 that Iraq posed no threat to the United States and were aware of Dick Cheney’s frequent visits to CIA Headquarters to argue otherwise, no one had the courage to blow the whistle on such pressure tactics and warn about the coming war.

<snip>


Silence is Betrayal

This is by no means a water-over-the-dam issue. If plans go forward for an attack on Iran, it may become necessary for those intelligence professionals with the requisite courage — if any are left — to mount their own pre-emptive strike against the kind of corrupted intelligence that greased the skids for war on Iraq.

<snip>

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/exposing_incompetent_incumbents.php?dateid=20050414

[Trajan]

1. KICK this one ....

It is a great editorial ... Unfortunately, TomPaine isnt as well read as the majors .... perhaps Walter Pincus or Dana Priest will pick it up ....

[housewolf]

2. Yes, it's a very revealing piece

It tells some of the missing backstory of the latest (and severely deficient) intelligence report - explaining Bolton's role, as well as Carl Ford's.