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CDA
Central Disinformation
Agency
Mid-East
Realities - MER - www.MiddleEast.Org - 9 July 2004:
Now we find out, when it's far too late, that the American
Vice-President made no less than 10 personal visits to the CIA before
the Iraq invasion. No one in Washington can remember anything
like this. The CIA with all of its billions of dollars,
'professional' analysts, techno gagetry, and worldwide spies and
agents, turned into such a bumbling disinformation agency that even the
President and the Secretary of State now claim they were mislead and
that explains why they 'mistakenly' lied so blatantly to the American
people, the American Congress, and then in that historic day before the
world at the U.N. Security Council.
This is in actuality a scandal far far larger than anything that
happened and became public in any recent American Presidency going back
to Nixon and Watergate and before in fact. Indeed Nixon's White House
lawyer of Watergate fame, John Dean, has been saying so in public of
late.
But few in official Washington are really listening with the intent of
acting, and the Republican dominated Congress is working overtime to
block as much of the most damning information as it possibily can until
after the November election. Then, if brought back to power Bush
II will move relentless to cover-up and create even more police-state
and secrecy legislation and regulations. Then, if there is regime
change in the U.S., one can bet that much of the most incriminating
actual evident, the crucial paper trails, are already being hidden and
in the days right after the election will be taken, shredded, and
'disappeared' in one way or another. The top ranging neocons at
the Pentagon and the White House, and the Vice-President and his top
aides, have the most to fear and no doubt are working overtime to
protect their asses.
Of course the corporate American media can't really be counted on to
get to the bottom of all this. They were very much apart of it
all as it happened...from Judith Miller's grossly bogus reporting in
the New York Times to the
mediocre 'polite' discussions on the evening news programs, especially
the Lehrer News Report on PBS, all of which seem purposefully designed
never get to the heart of the matter. Plus of course their is the
careful and systematic methods continually used to always keep the
public from knowing the depth and importance of the crucial
Israeli-connnection to all that has happened.
This headline on today's AP story for instance "Iraq Intelligence Was
Careless" is the most bland there could be for something of this
political and historical importance. And the story
conveniently glosses over so much that could have been said, and so
many far harsher inside critics who could have been quoted.
And the Washington Post today
features once again non other than the outgoing, resigned, and many
think disgraced, CIA Director explaining and defending the CIA even as
the Republican-controlled Congress can't contain itself any
longer. On the front page the small caption is "Tenet Gets Warm
Send-off"...then the muted short story is in on page 7.
Ironically, on this same day that George Tenet's "defiant departure" is
being reported and the Senate Intelligence Report is being further
leaked, another massive CIA/Pentagon "intelligence error" is coming to
be known. Seems now that there are 4 times more "insurgents" fighting
agains the U.S. in Iraq than previously reported, and seems that all
the hype for so long now about "foreign fighters" and "al-Qaida" taking
over was much more crap and disinformation coming from official
Washington for obviously self-serving reasons.
Oh yes, the 20% of the Senate report that is going to be 'held back' and super
secret classified for decades to come. That's of course where
much of the most damning and revealing information the Congress has
finally managed to come up with so late in the day is really
buried. And there's so much more...
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Report: Iraq Intelligence Was
Careless
By KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER
WASHINGTON (AP - 9 July) - A highly critical Senate
Intelligence
Committee report concludes U.S. intelligence analysts remained
objective, but got careless, as they estimated the threat Iraq
posed prior to the U.S.-led invasion, officials familiar with the
report say.
After a yearlong review, the committee on Friday was releasing
more than 100 conclusions on the quality and quantity of the
intelligence community's Iraq assessments, including estimates on
the former government's purported mobile weapons labs, chemical and
biological weapons, nuclear program and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Republicans and Democrats alike on the Senate committee have
said their report was a hard-hitting review of the intelligence
agencies' performance that would not paint a flattering picture of
the CIA.
One U.S. official familiar with
the report said it does not
charge the agency with losing objectivity but accuses its analysts
of not being rigorous or careful in their intelligence assessments.
The report comes as President Bush
is deciding when to nominate
a permanent replacement for CIA Director George Tenet, whose
resignation becomes official Sunday. Tenet's deputy, John
McLaughlin, will then take over.
While it was initially expected
that Bush would keep McLaughlin
in place through the November election, senior administration
officials have indicated Bush wants to find a permanent replacement
sooner. Bush said this week he has made no decision.
The Senate report is among a
litany of investigations under way
into the intelligence community's recent performance. Bush named
two commissions to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks and U.S. intelligence capabilities regarding weapons of
mass destruction.
A joint congressional inquiry
already delved into the Sept. 11
attacks, finding numerous mistakes that prevented authorities from
stopping al-Qaida. The House Intelligence Committee is also looking
into the Iraq weapons estimates, among still other independent
reviews.
The Senate report is the first
part of a two-phase review, which
at times polarized the usually bipartisan Intelligence Committee.
Democrats wanted to see the investigation handled in a broad,
single phase that would include other issues such as whether senior
Bush administration officials misrepresented the analysis provided
by the nation's intelligence apparatus as they made the case for
war.
Democratic aides say senators will
make arguments about the
issue of intelligence exaggeration in ``alternative views'' that
will be attached to the report. They hope the information will make
clear that continued investigation is a necessity.
Among other partisan
disagreements, the Republican-led committee
will conclude that analysts were not pressured to change or tailor
their views to support arguments for the invasion of Iraq,
congressional and other officials said.
But several Democratic lawmakers
were to write in their
alternative views that some intelligence analysts told the
committee they felt a need to emphasize some pieces of evidence at
the expense of others, a form of pressure, according to a
Democratic congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Tenet, who was among hundreds of
individuals interviewed by the
committee, has publicly asserted that his analysts painted an
objective assessment. ``No one told us what to say or how to say
it,'' he said in a speech in February at Georgetown University.
In a farewell address to CIA
workers Thursday at the agency's
northern Virginia headquarters, Tenet defended the CIA's
performance, saying the American people will weigh its record and -
aware of the difficulties and limitations - will recognize and
honor the service of its personnel.
``My only wish is that those whose
job it is to help us do
better show the same balance and care. In recognizing how far we
have come. In recognizing how bold we have been. In recognizing
what the full balance sheet says,'' he said, according to a
transcript released on the CIA's Web site.
``This much is clear right now:
Your work is far too important
for distractions,'' Tenet added.
The committee's report had been
expected to be released last
year, but was delayed for months over disputes including internal
committee debates about the review's scope and the CIA's initial
proposal to classify roughly 40 percent of the report, citing
national security. After negotiations, just under 20 percent will
be held back from the public.
AP Diplomatic Writer Barry Schweid contributed to this report.
In Valedictory,
Tenet Defends CIA
From Past, Present Critics
By Walter Pincus
and Dana Milbank
Washington
Post - July 9, 2004; Page A07 - A day before the
release of a searing congressional report about
intelligence failures in Iraq, departing Director George J. Tenet told
CIA employees not to be distracted by the criticism.
In a
rousing valedictory yesterday before cheering colleagues and friends at
CIA headquarters, Tenet defended the embattled organization he has run
for seven years. He is at the center of a fierce debate over prewar
allegations about Saddam Hussein's forbidden weapons.
"The
American people know about your honesty and integrity, of your
commitment to truth," Tenet said. Predicting that the public will
"recognize and honor" the CIA's overall record, Tenet added, "My only
wish is that those whose job it is to help us do better show the same
balance and care: in recognizing how far we have come; in recognizing
how bold we have been; in recognizing what the full balance sheet says."
This
morning, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is to release an
extensive report about the intelligence failures preceding the war in
Iraq and, according to officials who have seen the report, will portray
prewar assertions about Iraq's weapons as almost entirely false. By all
accounts, the report will harshly criticize the CIA and its prewar
statements -- now largely discredited -- about Iraq's biological,
chemical and nuclear weapons programs.
Tenet said last
month that he is resigning for personal reasons, but the timing is
broadly seen as related to the intelligence debacle in Iraq and the
campaign season debate about whether the Bush administration
exaggerated the case that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
By
agreement between Republicans and Democrats, today's committee report
will not deal with the highly charged subject of whether President
Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top officials distorted the
intelligence while building the case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
This will allow Bush to distance himself from the specious
intelligence. Democrats, with the election less than four months away,
are determined not to let him off the hook.
Yesterday, Sen.
Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) released an unclassified version of a statement
Tenet made in March at a committee hearing in which he dismissed an
allegation that Cheney has promoted tying Iraq to al Qaeda.
Asked
about the allegation that Sept.11, 2001, hijack leader Mohamed Atta met
in Prague with an Iraqi intelligence officer, Tenet said that "we are
increasingly skeptical" and that there is no "credible information"
that such a meeting occurred. Cheney originally said the meeting was
"pretty well confirmed"; as recently as last month, he said "we just
don't know" if the meeting occurred.
A spokesman said Cheney's public statements "have reflected
the evolving judgment of the intelligence community."
Today's
committee report will fault Tenet and the CIA for relying too heavily
on circumstantial, outdated intelligence and for the weakness of its
human contacts in Iraq. The nearly 500-page document will also say
there is no evidence to support the claim that CIA analysts colored
their judgment because of perceived or actual political pressure from
White House officials.
Tenet yesterday did not address
the specifics of the Iraq intelligence. Instead, he spoke about how CIA
analysts work "on complex subjects, against short deadlines, with bits
and pieces of information." Near the end of a two-hour ceremony during
which his tenure was hailed by senior colleagues for raising the agency
from the doldrums when he took over in 1997, Tenet said: "We have
rebuilt every aspect of our business."
"If people or
leaders want to take you back in a different direction," Tenet told
agency officials, "then it is your voices that must be heard to say --
we know better and we're not going to put up with it."
"History,"
Tenet said, "may bring additional perspective, additional clarity, to
the current debate on intelligence. But this much is clear right now:
Your work is far too important for distractions."
The agency released a transcript of the remarks at the
farewell ceremony.
Although
a Tenet successor is not expected to be named today, the White House
continues to indicate it may propose a replacement in the next few
days, which would give the Senate less than two weeks to act before
Congress goes into recess.
Among those said to be under
consideration is Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, who, as
a friend of Tenet's, attended yesterday's ceremony. Armitage, according
to two senior Democrats on the intelligence panel, is probably the only
Bush appointee who could win bipartisan support at this late date.
According
to a senior Bush official, others being considered are deputy national
security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, former senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.),
Reps. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). Rep.
Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.), a former CIA case officer and chairman of the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, was an early
favorite, but Democrats objected to him. Another candidate mentioned in
media accounts, former Navy secretary John F. Lehman, is not among
those being actively considered, an official said.
At the
sendoff, several top agency and administration officials praised Tenet
for his work, including his efforts to restore morale at the CIA after
the Iran-contra congressional investigations and the Aldrich H. Ames
espionage scandal.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
made a surprise appearance, telling the audience he wanted to pay his
respects to Tenet's "skill, seriousness of purpose" and the job he had
done in linking the Defense Department to the intelligence community.
Rumsfeld, 72, said if he returns in 25 years to be defense secretary
again, as he had done this time, he hopes Tenet "would come back to the
CIA."
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July 2004
Target IRAN (July 31, 2004)
But regardless of outcome, just as soon as the U.S. election contest is decided, if not before, this huge historic issue looms large for the world. And it may well explain why the Israelis are moving toward a 'National Unity Government' again, something they traditionally do in times of war. Indeed, as these articles suggest, much is already happening to push public opinion, and no doubt behind-the-scenes where the political and military planners really operate there is much planning and anxiety underway.
Bush on Drugs for depression and paranoia? (July 30, 2004)
"President George W. Bush is taking powerful
anti-depressant drugs to control his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia."
Israel expands West Bank settlements and grab still more land (July 29, 2004)
Months after Ariel Sharon announced his dramatic plan to pull Jewish settlers out of Gaza, portraying it as a sacrifice for peace, the government is grabbing more land for West Bank settlements.
The last 10 exclusive MER articles and FlashBacks. (July 28, 2004)
These are the last 10 exclusive MER articles and FlashBacks as of 28 July 2004
Arafat's Pickle + Barak's Choking (July 28, 2004)
Professor Edward Said: "It really doesn't matter whether he declares a Palestinian state or not, because he'll have a state without real borders -- they're controlled by the Israelis -- no real
sovereignty, no real country -- it will be cut up into cantons and he won't have east Jerusalem. He won't be able to get rid of the settlers and won't have control over the water, air or sea. Aside from all that, he'll have a state of sorts... [It's] a sign of both exasperation and weakness.''
July 2000
Saudi Money and Influence in Washington (July 27, 2004)
In the 1980s and 1990s the Saudi Royals and their associated business cronies and oil companies were extra busy throwing around, and in most cases grossly overpaying or wasting, their money in the United States, especially in Washington. The main goal of course was to purchase both influence and protection. The secondary goal was to purchase good 'public relations' by having a cabal of those on the take they could count on for everything from some pro-Saudi spin, to a good Op Ed, to some behind-the-scenes fixes.
Please support MER now (July 23, 2004)
Roots of Israeli Apartheid (July 23, 2004)
The roots of what has become Israeli Apartheid and now the widely-condemned nearly 500 kilometer long "Wall" are in this approach to the Palestinians long known as "Revisionism Zionism" and long the underlying philosophy of those who today rule Israel and attempt to speak for American Jewry.
U.S. Presbyterian Church Acts To Divest from Israel (July 22, 2004)
Finally, one of the Christian denominations in the United States has acted in a principled and courageous way. Will this "most censorious decision ever embraced by any Christian denomination in the United States against Israel" just taken by the American Presbyterian Church now open the door for others to follow?
Israel's Weapons of Mass Destruction (July 20, 2004)
True to character in contemporary Washington, not one word about how it is Israel's possession of a vast arsenal of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, including submarines to deliver these weapons by missile throughout the greater Middle Eastern and south Asian regions, that has greatly fueled the race for such weapons in past decades.
Kerry Pledges More for CIA, Pentagon, Israel (July 19, 2004)
The Democratic Candidate for President and his top surrogates has not only called for more troops for Iraq Kerry has now called for doubling again the number of CIA agents and spies worldwide. And he's sent his Jewish brother Cam to Israel and American Jews pledging more support for Israel as well.
Allawi shot inmates in cold blood, say witnesses (July 17, 2004)
Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station, just days before Washington handed control of the country to his interim government, according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings.
Iraqi's Uniting in 'War of Liberation' Against American Occupiers (July 17, 2004)
...a combining of the Iraqi nationalist populations and religious groups in an escalating 'war of liberation' against the U.S. occupying forces of the Pentagon and CIA. This is now the greatest challenge not only to the American occupation but to the essentially puppet government installed with a fast secret hand-shake by Paul Bremer (who then ran even faster to the airport) and now run by disguised remote control by Ambassador Negroponte.
Senior Sunni Cleric Calls for Holy War Against U.S. Occupation Forces (July 16, 2004)
Of course they'll never say so in the open, but the Americans and the Israelis prefer an Iraqi civil war, or at least the further breakdown of the country into distinct Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni areas, rather than a combining of the nationalist Shiite and Sunni groups in an escalating war against the U.S. occupying forces of the Pentagon and CIA.
NewsFlash! US-chosen-protected 'Interim Iraqi PM' personally executed six (July 16, 2004)
The explosive claims in tomorrow's Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers allege that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi Prime Minister. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi Interior Minister was present as well as four American security men in civilian dress.
Hitler Name Resurfaces In Washington (July 16, 2004)
"In a way that occurred before but is rare in the United States...somebody came to power as a result of the illegitimate acts of a legitimate institution that had the right to put somebody in power. That is what the Supreme Court did in Bush versus Gore. It put somebody in power.... That is what happened when Hindenburg put Hitler in."
Judge of Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Iraq Teeters (July 15, 2004)
"The war was fought to weaken Iraq permanently, and
if possible to break it up into separate 'statelets', so as to prevent it ever again challenging Israel or US oil and strategic interests in the Gulf."
'What's his accomplishment? That he's no longer an abnoxious drunk?' -Reagan on Bush (July 14, 2004)
At an unprecedented early stage in the political campaign George Bush has in effect been forced to become his own attack dog. That's because his Vice-President and his Secretary of Defense are already damaged goods...
Emergency U.N. Session Maybe Friday (July 13, 2004)
The issue is whether the Arabs and those who truly care about justice and international law are finally going to have the guts -- which they have never had in the past in view of threats from the U.S. and Israel what would be done if they dared -- to confront the U.S. in the Security Council and then to demand the General Assembly take the one major action that is within its power, suspension of the G.A. membership of Israel.
Osama Strikes Again (July 12, 2004)
And now...the truly 'unthinkable' for Americans. From his hideing place whereever that may be Osama Bin Laden has U.S. officials, and now the American people, actually contemplating and chatting about 'postponing' The American election...if...
We're now on an 'unthinkable' roll; and much more 'unthinkable' can now be expected in the months and years ahead.
New Version MiddleEast.Org now available (July 11, 2004)
Covering Up The Truth - The "Intelligence", WMDs, and 9/11 Coverups All Proceed. (July 11, 2004)
COVERING UP the TRUTH -- The "Intelligence", WMDs, and 9/11 Coverups All Proceed.... "And fourth the U.S. government knew then, and knows now, of the unprecedented level of Israeli-Jewish lobby penetration of key government positions in a way that seriously skews perceived U.S. national interests and security concerns to align with those of Israel."
Israel - Sanctions Now (July 10, 2004)
But the General Assembly does have a kind of super moral power. It was exercised against South Africa in the days of apartheid. It now should be exercised against Israel. Until there is a real and sovereign Palestinian State, and until Israel's apartheid policies are ended once and for all, the U.N. General Assembly should now act to remove the credentials of the Israeli delegation and suspend Israel from the General Assembly.
CDA - Central Disinformation Agency (July 9, 2004)
If there is regime change in the U.S., one can bet that much of the most incriminating actual evident, the crucial paper trails, are already being hidden and in the days right after the election will be taken, shredded, and 'disappeared' in one way or another. The top ranging neocons at the Pentagon and the White House, and the Vice-President and his top aides, have the most to fear and no doubt are working overtime to protect their asses.
Top US 'Peace Negotiator' Now Works Directly for Israelis (July 8, 2004)
Remember now, this is the very same 'Ambassador' Dennis Ross whom the 'even-handed' Americans insisted be the top 'peace process negotiator' for a decade or so between Israel and the Palestinians. Remember as well that the much flaunted and constantly lied about 'peace process' Ross directed erupted in recent years -- as MER had predicted all along by the way -- into the worst mayhem and bloodshed ever. It also has brought worse than apartheid conditions to the Palestinian people and a great escalation in hatred and what the Americans love to simply call 'terrorism' regardless of causes, distinctions, places, and realities.
Amb Dennis Ross, 'Peace Process Chief (July 8, 2004)
Remember now, this is the very same 'Ambassador' Dennis Ross whom the 'even-handed' Americans insisted be the top 'peace process negotiator' for a decade or so between Israel and the Palestinians. Remember as well that the much flaunted and constantly lied about 'peace process' Ross directed erupted in recent years -- as MER had predicted all along by the way -- into the worst mayhem and bloodshed ever. It also has brought worse than apartheid conditions to the Palestinian people and a great escalation in hatred and what the Americans love to simply call 'terrorism' regardless of causes, distinctions, places, and realities.
Top U.S. 'Peace Process Negotiator' Now Works for Israelis (July 7, 2004)
Remember now, this is the very same 'Ambassador' Dennis Ross whom the 'even-handed' Americans insisted be the top 'peace process' 'negotiator' for a decade or so between Israel and the Palestinians. Remember as well that the much flaunted and constantly lied about 'peace process' erupted in recent years (as MER had predicted all along by the way) into the worst mayhem and bloodshed ever as well as today's worse than apartheid conditions for the Palestinian people.
Pentagon Neocon Corruption and Israeli-Connections (July 7, 2004)
The American media, especially the Washington-based American media, isn't going to take on this one about the neocons and the Israeli-Jewish lobby. There will be no Washington Post exposee of this quite possibly worse than Watergate situation. The major foreign media with the resources and manpower now should.
Debacle Looms in both Afghanistan and Iraq (July 6, 2004)
Everywhere the Bush Administration is proclaiming success and courting disaster. Both the economic and political policies pursued by the U.S. in recent years are heavily mortagaging the future and will make American leadership and supremacy in world affairs far more difficult and costly in the not so distant future. The real price to be paid for all the excesses, all the lies, all the deceptions, all the unprecedented overpaying and overpromising, is not now...but some years ahead for the American Empire.
Saddam's Huge Statue - More Lies and Deceptions (July 5, 2004)
But now read how this made-for-TV drama was conceived, carried out, and orchestrated by U.S. Marines with, in all likelihood, the advance planning and assistance of the CIA which now has its largest operations station in the world not far from Firdos Square where the huge statue once stood.
"Independence Day" - In the US and Iraq (July 4, 2004)
It's Independence Day in the USA. But that's little consolidation to the Iraqis, to the Palestinians, or to the Chechnyans or Afghanis and so many other miserably oppressed peoples -- politically, economically, militarily, and culturally -- throughout today's troubled bleeding world.
Amira Hass Speech in Stockholm (July 3, 2004)
Amira Hass is an extraordinarily courageous Israeli journalist who has lived with and boldly reported about the Palestinian people and Israel's increasingly severe repression and dispossession of them. The above poem by Swedish poet Helga Henschen was chosen to highlight the award.
From Vietnam to Iraq and Abu Ghraib (July 2, 2004)
Few in Washington these days have time or interest or reason to connect these historical dots. Bbut they are in reality crucial to a full understanding of how things have gotten to where they are...and the direction things are still heading.
Bremer and his 'Israeli Flag' Gone from Iraq (July 1, 2004)
If these guys have been making policies and decisions about the future of Iraq and the Middle East in the same way they did about a new Iraqi flag....well then the chaos, incompetence, corruption, and miserable failures all need be underscored even more that we had previously realized. And that is saying a lot!
How Bremer Slinked Away on Monday (July 1, 2004)
But judge for yourself after a little more insight. For real journalism these days is often not what you find on the front-page... Read this inside the paper analysis story about what actually happened in Baghdad on Monday -- not about the tag lines and rhetorical hyperbole the Americans love to sucker the media with. And after doing so it's even harder than ever to imagine this is all going to have a happy ending.
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