An Estimate of Intelligence

[Tony&Cheri]

The combined U.S. Intelligence agencies have, at the administration's request put together an analysis of the success of our action in Iraq with regards the war on terror. There has never before been such a complete picture of all intelligence combined on a single issue. What did this "National Intelligence Estimate" Report say? It said the war has done nothing to stop or hinder terrorists. In fact the Government's own report says the war in Iraq has helped to increase terrorism worldwide and has significantly increased the risk of terrorist acts against America. We are less safe than before, the report says, because of the war in Iraq.

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/wo...rtner=homepage

Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092301130.html

And for those who don't "trust" the Times or the Post:

AP Wire Service:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...,4469494.story

Reuters News Service:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...-TERRORISM.xml

We went to war in Iraq because Saddam had WMDs. That turned out not to be true. We continued fighting in Iraq because we were stopping the terrorsts there and making the world safer. That, according to our own Intelligence experts (the ones the President calls the "Professionals") is also not true.

Who thinks the Administration's policies in Iraq (after all the lives, money and time) are a failure?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Anybody?

- Tony

[roni]

Surely this cannot be a surprise to most thoughtful, well-informed people.

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by roni

Surely this cannot be a surprise to most thoughtful, well-informed people.

I'm in Shock and Awe !!!!!

[Jacko]

We seem content to spend our money and our brave soldiers lives in all the wrong places to achieve success in the important battle against Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. When will we wake up as a nation to see this?

[roni]

Originally Posted by MikeW

I'm in Shock and Awe !!!!!

Good one

[Connie]

Originally Posted by roni

Surely this cannot be a surprise to most thoughtful, well-informed people.

[PlayadelSoul]

An unthinking, misinfomed Iraqi woman


Some of her ill informed countrymen


Some of their kids (future non thinkers)
And, an example of how well informed and thoughtful, we should all be

[roni]

PdS,

Your post is not at all related to the issue of whether there are more jihadists who wish to kill US citizens as a result of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Our intelligence services apparently believe that there are more jihadists who wish to kill US citizens as a direct result of the US actions in Iraq.

Don't blame you for going off-topic, though. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

[Jacko]

PDS,

The reconstruction of Iraq is necessary for one reason that should be clear and by all accounts has been handled abysmally by the Administration as they put political cronies in place to handle it instead of professionals.

The movement toward anything close to what we would recognize as democracy is extraordinarily bleak. There are currently an ever increasing quantity of soldiers in Iraq and the facts indicate that the violence grows more each day.

What you wish and hope to be true is noble, if not always realistic given our performance since the war began and given our ill-conceived entry into the war. It is just not happening the way we would all wish it to be despite your overly-optimistic vignettes.

If you could read the news with any sense of open-mindedness or objectivity, you would see that even the administration itself does not have your optimism.

I truly wish that the reality of the situation over there was better.....there simply is not any good evidence to hang an optimist's hat on.

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by roni

PdS,

Your post is not at all related to the issue of whether there are more jihadists who wish to kill US citizens as a result of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Our intelligence services apparently believe that there are more jihadists who wish to kill US citizens as a direct result of the US actions in Iraq.

Don't blame you for going off-topic, though. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

My point, and it is within the topic, is that we probably have a lot more friends in Iraq than we did before the war. Of course, you will not see any leaked intelligence reports in the NYT, regarding that.

Funny how the intelligence was so bad about WMDs, but is gospel, now. Talk about your selective use of intelligence.

[roni]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

My point, and it is within the topic, is that we probably have a lot more friends in Iraq than we did before the war. Of course, you will not see any leaked intelligence reports in the NYT, regarding that.

Funny how the intelligence was so bad about WMDs, but is gospel, now. Talk about your selective use of intelligence.

Intelligence was not uniformly bad about WMD's - the Dept of Energy and the State Dept intelligence units were much closer to the truth than the more politicized and brow-beaten CIA- in fact Cheney spent considerable effort trying to get a couple of analysts at State fired, if memory serves me right.

I am less concerned about friends than I am about the larger numbers of people who want to kill us and who are willing to die in order to do so. Only takes one enemy with a gun to take me out - no matter how many friends I have.

[PlayadelSoul]

Originally Posted by roni

Intelligence was not uniformly bad about WMD's - the Dept of Energy and the State Dept intelligence units were much closer to the truth than the more politicized and brow-beaten CIA- in fact Cheney spent considerable effort trying to get a couple of analysts at State fired, if memory serves me right.

I am less concerned about friends than I am about the larger numbers of people who want to kill us and who are willing to die in order to do so. Only takes one enemy with a gun to take me out - no matter how many friends I have.

The words of a pontiff, support for Israel, a cartoon of Mohammed, the liberation of Iraq, etc., etc., etc. The list of how we are making more enemies, just goes on and on. In fact, I bet we could go into isolation mode, and jihaadists wannabes would find a reason to join the war. I, for one, am not changing a lick to appease them.

[roni]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

I, for one, am not changing a lick to appease them.

I suspect they are not monitoring either one of us .

[Lil G]

Originally Posted by Tony&Cheri

The combined U.S. Intelligence agencies have, at the administration's request put together an analysis of the success of our action in Iraq with regards the war on terror. There has never before been such a complete picture of all intelligence combined on a single issue. What did this "National Intelligence Estimate" Report say? It said the war has done nothing to stop or hinder terrorists. In fact the Government's own report says the war in Iraq has helped to increase terrorism worldwide and has significantly increased the risk of terrorist acts against America. We are less safe than before, the report says, because of the war in Iraq.

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/wo...rtner=homepage

Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092301130.html

And for those who don't "trust" the Times or the Post:

AP Wire Service:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...,4469494.story

Reuters News Service:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...-TERRORISM.xml

We went to war in Iraq because Saddam had WMDs. That turned out not to be true. We continued fighting in Iraq because we were stopping the terrorsts there and making the world safer. That, according to our own Intelligence experts (the ones the President calls the "Professionals") is also not true.

Who thinks the Administration's policies in Iraq (after all the lives, money and time) are a failure?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Anybody?

- Tony

I know it is Mexico and every thing. WMD were found and the rest are probably in Syria. Tony, hate to burst the bubble. but they were there...talk to some soldiers..they can tell you about running water......now...

[Tony&Cheri]

Originally Posted by Lil G

I know it is Mexico and every thing. WMD were found and the rest are probably in Syria. Tony, hate to burst the bubble. but they were there...talk to some soldiers..they can tell you about running water......now...

Lil G, you forget my age. Any bubbles I had got burst a long time ago. Hopefully I enjoyed the experience, but I'm too old to remember now.

As far as WMDs are concerned, I've got to say that the former Secretary of State under President Bush, the current Secretary of State under President Bush, the joint Chiefs of Staff and the President himself now acknowledge that there were no WMDs in Iraq. Perhaps the soldiers you refer to should talk to those people and let them know what's going on.

My position remains the same. We went to war first because the President said they had WMDs. The President now admits that's not true (faulty intelligence, he says...although Cheri just chimed in that he's the one whose intelligence is faulty ). Then he said we went to war in Iraq to bring democracy to those people starved for freedom. It now appears those freedom starved people are engaging in a civil war and slaughtering each other by the hundreds. Finally, the President has said we are fighting in Iraq so we're not ducking sniper fire in a Safeway market someplace in New Jersey. Stop the terrorists in Iraq. It appears that the "professionals" he says he relies upon have told him that's not happening, either, and that in fact we're causing more terrorism than we're stopping. In my opinion, the fact that every reason given by the President for being in Iraq has turned out to be wrong constitutes a policy failure.

And as far as this being Mexico, here at the Luna Blue we have wireless internet. I can read every major newspaper in the world, watch the White House briefing on live feed, and see every major news organization's nightly newscast: NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN. Unfortunately I can't get FOX, because before we left the States, Cheri had this stupid BS blocker installed.

-Tony