Newsweek: Internal Pentagon memo reveals Cheney ally pushed for softer IG Iraq intel report

[sabra]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17154137/site/newsweek/

Shooting The Messenger

How a Cheney ally helped soften the Pentagon’s report on pre-war intel.

Web Exclusive
By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek


Feb. 14, 2007 - A Pentagon office headed by a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected the findings of a new report that sharply criticized the handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.

In a blistering internal memo obtained by Newsweek, Eric Edelman, under secretary of defense for policy, characterized portions of the inspector general's report as “egregious.” Edelman-the Pentagon’s number three official-also staunchly defended the actions of his predecessor, Douglas Feith, who has been criticized for his pre-war efforts to promote the idea that Saddam Hussein's regime had a relationship with Al Qaeda.

...

In the original draft of his report, Gimble recommended that the Defense Department policy office establish new internal controls to make sure that officials there do not conduct “intelligence activities.” He also recommended that any alternative judgments be clearly labeled as such-and that policy officials spell out precisely how they diverged from those of the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
Story continues below ↓ advertisement

But after reviewing a copy of Gimble’s draft, Edelman wrote a 52-page response, dated January 16, 2007, that rejected virtually everything the inspector general had to say (except Gimble's conclusions that Feith’s activities were not illegal). Edelman described the report as having “numerous factual inaccuracies, omissions and mischaracterizations.”

At the same time, Edelman challenged the competency of Gimble even to weigh in on the “appropriateness” of Feith’s work, saying that the inspector general’s “opinion” on this issue “is not entitled to any particular deference” because he “does not have special expertise” on an issue that is “fraught with policy and political dimensions.”

[sabra]

1. will Cheney be able to suppress everything?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17154137/site/newsweek/page/4/

<snip>

The Gimble report is hardly the end of the battles over Iraq intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee is wrapping up “Phase II” of its own investigation to pre-Iraq war intel issues. And Gimble has another study underway as well. Its subject: examining the U.S. government’s relationship with the Iraqi National Congress-the exile group that was the source for some of the most questionable intelligence about Saddam’s regime, and which found its most willing allies in the offices of Feith and Cheney.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. edelman is another dumb bastard who ought to be in jail.

Instead he's on the loose acting as if he owned the world.

[sabra]

3. edelman = "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"

[sabra]

4. self kick, cause I think this is important

:kick:

[bananarepublican]

14. K&R! This issue should be flogged to death in order to bring all the lying scum to justice. n/t

[H2O Man]

5. They are too invested

in this lie to give it up. There is too much -- for them -- riding on promoting the lie. And there is far too much for the rest of the world to allow the lie to continue.

[sabra]

7. any predictions of how they will react when Rockefeller presents

phase II?

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Because they can't fathom a world where they're on top and in charge,

I think they would rather use what power they have to dig in and follow a scorched earth plan. At this point, I don't think that doing what's right for the country is even a remote thought.

Wasn't it O'Dell who told Gore not to pursue a recount for the good of the country? Carville who told Kerry? Goldwater who told Nixon? Who's going to tell Bush it's time to think of the country's best interest and step down?

[Nickster]

6. “does not have special expertise” Listen here you PNAC bastard, an auditor doesn't need to have

special expertise to give valid opinions about your operations. The auditor gathers information about the organization from within the organization. It also doesn't take a DoD specialist to identify lies.

Did the auditors that figured out the ENRON mess have special expertise in energy production and sales? NO, they didn't. Auditors can't be expected to have special expertise in every facet of every type of work that they audit.

[Octafish]

8. What really bothers me is the did "nothing illegal" part.

Maybe what's really wrong is that it's not treason if one is on the side of treason.

Thanks for bringing us this very important article, sabra.

[bananarepublican]

15. Don't forget that this seems to have merely been an opinion. But your concern is valid. n/t

[Tin Man]

10. Edelman bio:

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1143

[bleever]

11. The Big Lie

doesn't have a Plan B.

K&R.

[bleever]

12. What were once roadblocks are now speed bumps.

While the reply was unusually feisty for a bureaucratic memo, Gimble’s response may have been just as unusual. While sticking by his factual findings and conclusions about the inappropriate actions of Feith’s analysts, the inspector-general chose to delete his recommended policy changes from the final report. Asked for comment, a spokesman in the inspector-general’s office shared with NEWSWEEK a memo Gimble wrote back to Edelman in which he concluded that the “circumstances prevalent in 2002” (when the alleged inappropriate behavior occurred) “are no longer present today.” Gimble wrote that the establishment of a new intelligence office in the Pentagon answerable to an under secretary and the “aggressive efforts” of the director of national intelligence—a position created by Congress in 2004—“have all contributed to a more favorable operational environment.”

Yes, they still have administrative power over agencies, and influence over careers of the people who do this work; yes, for the millionth time, "9/11" changed everything; and yet the questions will keep coming, and the Constitution will continue to erode their power.

If I were these kinds of opportunists, I'd be squirreling away all the powers and rights and rulings that I could before I have to surrender these controls to the suckers who follow. They're re-writing the rules and ground-rules as fast as they can, so that even when they lose, they'll still be in charge.

Or does the 2006 election make that too obvious a conclusion?

[lala_rawraw]

13. damn, he beat me to it!!!

but good scoop. sorry, i just get crazed when i have been covering something for a while and suddenly someone gets ahead of me on the story. but good scoop!