Tuesday :: Nov 15, 2005

WMDgate: Fixing Intelligence Around Policy - Introduction


by eriposte

Since I have my doubts about whether there will be a comprehensive Phase II SSCI investigation, I'm beginning a series today focused on building a case for intelligence manipulation, fixing and misrepresentation largely using published Congressional reports like the Phase I Senate (SSCI) Report. (NOTE: Even without the use of Congressional reports the case against the Bush White House is massive - see here and here for example - but I want to extend that to include observations in "bipartisan" Congressional reports like the SSCI report). Think of this as a Preface to a Phase II SSCI report.

This will be an occasional series of posts, in between my continuing analysis of the Niger forgeries topic.

I'm essentially going to look for episodes that fall into one or more of the following categories:

  • CATEGORY A: Claiming to have not read intel reports or papers, contrary to the evidence
  • CATEGORY B: Trying to add uncorroborated junk or debunked fake claims to intel or speeches
  • CATEGORY C: Hiding information on fraudulent or untrustworthy sources
  • CATEGORY D: Withholding or classifying potentially self-incriminatory documents
  • CATEGORY E: Misrepresenting classified intel in unclassified papers
  • CATEGORY F: Eliminating caveats or critical information from classified intel in unclassified reports
  • CATEGORY G: Excluding top subject matter experts from intel evaluation or discovery
  • CATEGORY H: Excluding top subject matter experts from meetings relating to generation of IC white papers or reports
  • CATEGORY I: Putting pressure on analysts to try to change their conclusions
  • CATEGORY J: Misleading the SSCI or other committees about what was known about the credibility of intel
  • CATEGORY K: Outright lying on claims relating to Saddam Hussein or Iraq prior to the Iraq invasion
  • CATEGORY L: Misrepresenting intel or making deliberately misleading or deceptive statements about intel in public claims or speeches
  • CATEGORY M: Other

P.S. This is a challenging effort from a time commitment perspective - so my series will not be comprehensive. I am also unable to commit to posting on this at any particular regularity because of time constraints. But I wanted to do this to keep the focus on how intelligence was manipulated, fixed or politicized in the run up to the war.

There are also four other pertinent posts which I'd like to mention:

Finally, let me add that a summarized version of my fairly comprehensive body of research and reporting on the Niger forgeries and the uranium from Africa allegation may be found here.

eriposte :: 7:14 AM :: Comments (12) :: TrackBack (0) :: Digg It!