Senators Call For New Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
Senators Call For New Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
The New York Times reported in 2004 that a classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq laid out three possible scenarios for the future of that country. The most favorable outcome warned of continuing instability while the worst case scenario predicted a civil war. At the time, Bush casually dismissed the dire predictions, claiming the CIA was “just guessing as to what the conditions might be like.â€
Despite the fact that the intelligence community’s predictions have been largely vindicated by the events in Iraq over the past two years, the Bush administration has been wary of returning to the CIA to ask for another NIE. Last Friday, Harper’s Ken Silverstein reported why there’s been a delay:
[S]ome senior figures at the CIA, along with a number of Iraq analysts, have been pushing to produce a new NIE. They’ve been stonewalled, however, by John Negroponte, the administration’s Director of National Intelligence, who knows that any honest take on the situation would produce an NIE even more pessimistic than the 2004 version. That could create problems on the Hill and, if it is leaked as the last one was, with the public as well.
Today, a group of Senators led by Harry Reid called for the development of a new NIE:
Virtually every prediction made by Administration officials about Iraq has turned out to be wrong, and it is time to get some straight answers and sound analysis. This Administration can start by having intelligence community professionals update the National Intelligence Assessment on Iraq, something that has not been done since 2004. Congress is entitled to this information, and Director Negroponte should do the right thing and see that this NIE is provided in a professional and timely manner.
Click HERE to see a copy of the letter sent to Negroponte.
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So who is left to do the “intelligence” after the neo-cons ran off anyone with intelligence?
July 26th, 2006 at 2:50 pmNo need for this > just pull the troops out of Iraq, or every last Senator must resign so they can be replaced by decent intelligent people!
July 26th, 2006 at 2:52 pmThey may be weary, or at least we are all weary of them, but I think you mean wary?
July 26th, 2006 at 2:54 pmOh goody! Let’s go find more homeless, mentally ill “informants” to substantiate our criminal activity.
July 26th, 2006 at 2:54 pmThanks Albert — slight typo. I’ve corrected it.
July 26th, 2006 at 2:55 pmDon’t you know? Ignorance is bliss.
July 26th, 2006 at 2:59 pmwhere’s george tenet when you need an incompetent lying bastard? I think I saw tenet’s medal of freedom on e-bay
July 26th, 2006 at 3:02 pm“Negroponte should do the right thing and see that this NIE is provided in a professional and timely manner.”
July 26th, 2006 at 3:09 pmlet’s just take a look at that statement. Negroponte, Bush lacky, is asked to “do the right thing”. I suspect his view of doing the right thing would be to blow up the Democrat’s side of the Congressional offices.
…”see that this NIE is provided in a professional and timely manner.” I expect the “professional” they would provide would be an exotic dancer, … or maybe someone who used to run horse shows. They fired or drove out all the professional intelligence officers and replaced them with bloodthirsty neo-con frat boys with business connections. Timely? Well, lets see…. we’re supposed to be in a war, and nothing has surfaced in two, almost three years now…. there’s some timely intel for ya!
Unfortunately, Harry, you’re wasting your breath. Congress has been successfully ignored for his entire presidency, and there’s no change in sight.
I guess some Senators don’t mind having ther mail, bank statements & e-mail tapped & read now do they?
How else do you think the NSA is going to respond? Duh!
July 26th, 2006 at 3:09 pmSo its safe to say that at this point this administration has no intelligence.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:13 pmNow, we can’t have any more information leaked to the public! Why, we might have have more informed electorate and that would lead to a…a…a…democracy (horrors!). Jefferson, Franklin, etc must be spinning like a top in their graves.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:15 pmHow about holding back the war funding until
July 26th, 2006 at 3:15 pmNegroponte produces the report?
Oh, that’s right, he’s spending 3 or more hours
a day at the Spa getting his toenails done.
American Aristocracy at it’s best.
just heard something from randi -
congress goes on a 5 week vacation starting friday (this?)…
lots to do!
gee, imagine how much will happen while they are gone…
July 26th, 2006 at 3:16 pmshudder…
All well and good that the Senators have requested an updated NIE, but from what I’ve read all intelligence reports have to go through the office of the VP. Anything coming out of there should be considered highly suspect.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:22 pmPerhaps what they meant was: new intelligence. Period.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:25 pmhey, harry and the others. YOU confirmed this war-mongering animal 98-2. live with your ridiculous decisions.
he is a mass-murderer, and YOU confirmed him. now you write him some cheesy letter begging him to investigate iraq.
he is also the filthy animal that ran PROJECT PHOENIX. he is also, in my opinion, utilizing the same techniques of promoting sectarian violence and the killing of civilians in iraq.
you, senator reid, could have prevented this–your leadership is pathetic and your letter is a joke.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:26 pmIdiots ask the master of Death Squads for an estimate. This is just plain stupid. Send the 100 idiots to Iraq on a convoy around Iraq for two months. Those that survive can make their own estimate.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:27 pm“the Bush administration has been wary of returning to the CIA to ask for another NIE…”
July 26th, 2006 at 3:27 pmBecause the truth can set you free!
The Truth! The Truth! You can’t handle the TRUTH
Intelligence is useless unless the president does something with it. The problem, of course, is that they’ve been asking the CIA to gather intelligence in support of their policies, instead of making policy on the basis of intelligence.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:28 pmHow about holding back the war funding until
Negroponte produces the report?
Oh, that’s right, he’s spending 3 or more hours
a day at the Spa getting his toenails done.
American Aristocracy at it’s best.
Comment by Zimzone — July 26, 2006 @ 3:15 pm
Or perhaps he can recycle the one he did when he was in HOnduras supporting Contras.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:31 pmto spare anyone the chore of reading the reid letter, allow me to paraphrase:
“oh, please, mr negroponte, tell us the truth about iraq…please please…we trust you. we love you.
any resemblance between your past career achievements, and the mess in iraq is a mere coincidence”
oh, and if we are doing anything wrong, if you need more money, please ask…”
kisses,
senator harry reid
July 26th, 2006 at 3:34 pmThis administration is afraid to see another NIE. I mean they would have to read it and do the opposite again and be wrong again. Who wants to be wrong twice. This way there is no mark for them to be judged by. It’s good to be the king.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:38 pmThis is from Chomsky:
One might also have thought that a dilemma would have arisen when John Negroponte was appointed to the position of head of counter-terrorism. As Ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s, he was running the world’s largest CIA station, not because of the grand role of Honduras in world affairs, but because Honduras was the primary US base for the international terrorist war for which Washington was condemned by the ICJ and Security Council (absent the veto). Known in Honduras as “the Proconsul,†Negroponte had the task of ensuring that the international terrorist operations, which reached remarkable levels of savagery, would proceed efficiently. His responsibilities in managing the war on the scene took a new turn after official funding was barred in 1983, and he had to implement White House orders to bribe and pressure senior Honduran Generals to step up their support for the terrorist war using funds from other sources, later funds illegally transferred from US arms sales to Iran. The most vicious of the Honduran killers and torturers was General Alvarez MartÃnez, the chief of the Honduran armed forces at the time, who had informed the US that “he intended to use the Argentine method of eliminating suspected subversives.†Negroponte regularly denied gruesome state crimes in Honduras to ensure that military aid would continue to flow for international terrorism. Knowing all about Alvarez, the Reagan administration awarded him the Legion of Merit medal for “encouraging the success of democratic processes in Honduras.†The elite unit responsible for the worst crimes in Honduras was Battalion 3-16, organized and trained by Washington and its Argentine neo-Nazi associates. Honduran military officers in charge of the Battalion were on the CIA payroll. When the government of Honduras finally tried to deal with these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Reagan-Bush administration refused to allow Negroponte to testify, as the courts requested.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:39 pmWhy does reading the original post surprise me at all? One doesn’t need a PhD and be a “Russian” expert, have an MBA from Harvard, be an expert quail hunter, or a 2-time Secretary of Defense to know that things are much, much worse in Iraq than what most of us have sensed.
What is that old saying? If you don’t have anything to hide you shouldn’t be worried. Isn’t that what that Bushistas told us about their “illegal” spying program — that if you weren’t in touch with tarrists we could trust them (Bushistas) to do the “right” thing.
HA — this just blows that lie right out of the water.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:57 pmThe Bush government seems to be loaded with criminals, butchers, and ne’er do wells.
The droppings don’t fall far from the pig.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:01 pmOK here it is: NIE for Iraq- Iraqi civil war, dead Iraqis in the thousands, dead Americans in the hundreds, increased terrorist activity thru-out the Middle East and the Americas and Europe. Ta-Da!
July 26th, 2006 at 4:02 pmThank you Bones. Now we can move on.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:04 pmYOU should be in Congress. You know more than they do.
It’s like asking for the latest financial report from Enron.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:06 pmDixie, darlin, most cruel, stupid butchers are born of woman and raised by women, as are most saints and saviors! I have never been impressed with the motherly qualities of Barbara, and I stand by my comment #27. She dropped the little turd. Now he’s making excrement of the US government.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:11 pmPick on the majority party if you don’t like what they’re doing….
Comment by kindness — July 26, 2006 @ 4:09 pm
I think james is very passionate about it…but correct. Do you feel your party is representing you? Thats the whole question, cause this is not about parties, this is about the project you want for the US in the future. You want things as they are or would you like them changed? What if Dems suppported killing civilians (as some tacitly do)? Wouldnt you be mad at them? Remember, parties are representation of people (or thats what greeks intended), but you, the people, is responsible for their governments in a democracy. So dont take sides so firmly, you have to watch your government for doing stuff you dont want it to do…whatever party is in charge.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:40 pmThat’s true Juan, but in November we have one chance to get the GOP out of control of this runaway train, that’s by voting Democratic. After November, there will not BE much of a GOP left. THEN another party will have a chance. Now is not the time to pull the plug on the Dems.
July 26th, 2006 at 4:44 pm“smothered by fear…..convulsed by rage” so describes the sentiment of the citizens of Tyre, Lebanon by a BBC reporter after Israel bombed the city today. As the convuslions of rage spread across the ME against the US and Israel who the f**k needs anymore intelligence!!
July 26th, 2006 at 5:11 pmMr. Bush & Herr Olmert they hate us…..morons.
I estimate that the Intelligence Estimate will be completely irrelevant by the time it’s published.
July 26th, 2006 at 6:08 pmNow, if this estimate isn’t bought, sold and bartered I’m george bush. What a sham.
July 26th, 2006 at 7:08 pmdiet; you really should NOT use the words ‘this administration’ and ‘intelligence’ in the same breath.
July 26th, 2006 at 7:36 pmAn NIE would have to acknowledge the civil war conditions in Iraq. Can’t have that.
July 26th, 2006 at 7:38 pmThe Corporate Wars (so Far) as Predicted, To Bankrupt America…Wolfies War !!!
http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics%20and%20History/iraq_%20afghanistan.htm
July 26th, 2006 at 8:31 pm#32 a little rough on James Risser eh? I, for one, agree with a lot of what he says, and think he is a fine contributer to this little communtiy of thought.
July 26th, 2006 at 9:36 pmJay Randal
#2 “No need for this > just pull the troops out of Iraq, or every last Senator must resign so they can be replaced by decent intelligent people!”
… like Howard Dean!!!
Listen, here is a democracy class for you, kinda like 101 of democracy:
Just because you did or did not vote for people in Congress / Senate, The White House and you did not appoint The Supreme Court
that alone does not make people in Congress / Senate, The White House and The Supreme Court indecent or unintelligent. These people simply have a job and serve their term. Would you, please, have some decency not to insult them? They all have families.
Now, the important part:
Every single election is yet again a victory for democracy. Every election is a continuation of the revolution this country started long time ago. We did not make this revolution, we have inherited it. We also have inherited the benefits of the American revolution. Please, be respectful to people of the past who did make the American revolution to happen and succeed.
And the last thing:
Do vote, but respect the choice your compatriots make.
July 27th, 2006 at 9:00 amjames riser
“tonight is slow…i welcome you to expand on your attack of what you believe are my epistemological roots…â€
That’s yours right?
So, how can I help You, Sir?
July 27th, 2006 at 9:03 am#35 dixie blood
“The election system is fixed … etcâ€
Get over it, will you? We (US citizens) have Condy for the next 8 years and then Jeff for another 8 years.
Your choices are:
- stay where you are and you’ll spend another 16 years of your life in intellectual disarray and misery
- get over it.
Pls, make your pick.
July 27th, 2006 at 9:09 amTuh-tuh for now.
July 27th, 2006 at 9:14 amWhen the government of Honduras finally tried to deal with these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Reagan-Bush administration refused to allow Negroponte to testify, as the courts requested.
Comment by Juan C — July 26, 2006 @ 3:39 pm
And this makes it completely clear why the Bush administration changed the whole process of releasing prior presidential papers, certainly including those of the Reagan-Bush administration.
July 27th, 2006 at 10:42 am#49 impeachcheneythenbush
“And this makes it completely clear why … ”
No, it does not. Could you elaborate please?
July 27th, 2006 at 11:54 am[...] Considering that virtually every prediction made by the Administration about Iraq has turned out to be wrong, and the worst case scenario of the last National Intelligence Estimate of Iraq has been right, it’s no surprise that Senators are calling for a new NIE and John Negroponte, the administration’s Director of National Intelligence, is blocking it. [...]
July 28th, 2006 at 10:55 amI’ve been trying to get something up on this blog for a while now about this new movie that is premiering today in NYC, Tampa, Austin, Chicago, and Kansas City. It’s by Aaron Russo, “AMERICA: Freedom to Fascismâ€, and it rocks. If you think this country is screwed up, watch the film. I saw it and I felt physically ill afterwards.
http://www.freedomtofascism.com
July 28th, 2006 at 1:53 pmLindsey
“I saw it and I felt physically ill afterwards.”
You must take care of yourself: do not watch rubbish of that kind.
July 28th, 2006 at 9:33 pmJudd
Sir, I understand you are in charge of this outlet.
Seeing the style of this site management, I do not expect you do respond in any way
(well, maybe forbidding my blog name from the use; which would be quite consistent with the concept of freedom-of-speech you claim to support)
But,
I would greatly appreciate if you could spare a few moments of your most precious time to read this.
Below analysis is in no way includes, reflects or relates to blog posts that is a separate concern. It is solely based on your selection of news pieces presented and the comments made by your staff members that is a group of accredited professionals. The problem is what for and how the professional qualities of your staff are being used.
ThinkProgress News/Blogs web site currently is a perfect example of one out of many biased extreme-left ideological outlets. These kinds of media reflect features that are very characteristical of the purpose they serve and have been most common across the media in a past and nowadays.
The biased extreme-left ideological purpose they serve is a BRAINWASH of the worst kind, reminiscent of the worst examples of media abuse:
- Soviet Union’s total government-controlled brainwash machine
- propaganda machine by Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Specifically, there was no time when the Soviet’s propaganda had been worse then the body you, Judd, are in charge of. Even in the worst times Soviet propaganda did present facts, news and opinions from “the other sideâ€, “the ideological enemyâ€.
You do not do that.
These claims are also supported by the following almost military style methods this site employs (in short – like Lenin said – “anything goes†kind of methods)
- the selection of negligent value news that further are being blown out of proportion with the goal to deceit and diverge the attention of your audience
- the elaborate selection of events presented within an article to serve the above goal
- the content of comments to the news made by your staff members serve the purpose of creating one-sided view; thus attempting to convince (brainwash) the reader as oppose to provide the reader with information, so the reader could build ones opinion on ones own
All the three items above are the 101 of propaganda brainwash.
In conclusion it is worthwhile to mention to you, Judd, that democracy is our heritage. It is the responsibility of mine and your generations to pass this heritage over to the next generations of Americans, hopefully making it stronger.
You, Judd, and your staff members are being used for the opposite purpose: to make democracy weaker, hopefully to diminish the political and intellectual influence of democracy.
Thank you very much for your time. Very Truly,
July 29th, 2006 at 12:16 pmjames riser or PatrioticLiberalChristian or hister or katy or whatever blog name u use:
I have an outstanding debt to pay:
“tonight is slow…i welcome you to expand on your attack of what you believe are my epistemological roots…â€
C’mon, com out – this is your last chance to claim the price.
July 29th, 2006 at 12:17 pmThere have been a number of unsubstantiated, ridiculous and highly unethical accusations posted to my open letter to Judd that I feel necessary to address:
1. This letter is not an “attack†as some speculated, not “hate-filled†as others incriminated and not a proof of “Conspiracy Theory†as many panicked.
This letter is motivated by my respect to Judd, his professional qualities and trust in his judgment. Otherwise, I would not have wasted his time reading it (hopefully) and my time writing it.
This letter also serves as an example of unbiased search for truth and how to argue in a free-speech fashion in a democratic society that we (the people of USA) are. We all have a different intellectual background and different life experiences, so I have shared mine with Judd. It is up to him to recognize the value.
I do not have agenda. If you just be patient and exercise attention you might notice I am not very happy with extreme right politics either. In fact, one using enough attention while reading my comments, may have already noticed that, since this subject was touched in my discussions with fellow ThinkProgress members of audience.
I was irritated at times in my comments. But I never did ridicule anyone except in response to offense. Offense in discussions comes in variety of forms and shapes. If this subject (offense in discussions) found worthwhile – I will elaborate. One thing for sure – since I was on the site the level of explicit and offensive profanity on the site has decreased. Do I have anything to do with it? I think not. It is merely an observation.
2. The truly original and authentic message has been posted only at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/27/armitage-mideast/#comments
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/28/us-lebanon/#comments
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/26/new-nie/#comments
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/28/manage-calm/#comments
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/07/28/blair-advice/#comments
followed by my challenge to james riser (who admitted to the usage of other blog names) to continue the argument she/he put forward.
These 5 URLs are the only places on the Internet or any other media where authentic message was posted.
I know for many from the audience (for whatever reason) it would be hard to believe that one may actually be ethical enough not to use variety of names, not to place post on different web-sites and use one’s own thoughts and observations.
I am simply being ethical. That is one of my virtues and I intend to hold-on to it despite all the provocations. Believe me – I did have much harder challenges in my life. Being simply ethical is easy for me.
If it turns out my open letter to Judd makes its’ way to other web sites – I am not doing it; it is out of my control; it simply means someone liked them and found it worthwhile to distribute. For what I am being grateful not because of my deficient self-esteem but rather for my time spent did not go down in vain.
3. I also said that I am a professional software engineer (sorry, leftisnuts, but I am about to substantiate this).
My current project is to reverse-engineer and re-write Microsoft Windows transport communications core, so Windows clients can perform IP based communications in transport neutral fashion as UNIX and LINUX allow to.
Greatly appreciate everyone’s time spent on reading my posts. Thank you.
July 30th, 2006 at 9:47 am[...] Two weeks ago, Harper’s reported that National Intelligence Director John Negroponte was stonewalling the creation of a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq because he knew the findings would be even more pessimistic than the 2004 version. Today, the Senate today passed an amendment, proposed by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), that requires Negroponte to produce the new NIE. 3:27 pm | Comment (0) [...]
August 4th, 2006 at 3:28 pm