Senate intelligence failure

WAshington Times | 10 JUL 04 | Editoral Staff

[dts32041]

Senate intelligence failure -

Yesterday, through the release of its long-awaited report, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence unanimously blamed the CIA for errant assertions and mistaken assumptions about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. Much of that scathing criticism is well-deserved. However, the blame must be shared by the members of the committee, who failed badly in their constitutional duty of oversight.

There was "a global intelligence failure" at the CIA, said Committee Chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican. Many of the declarations of the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate have collapsed, and no surprise, since the estimate rested on a faulty foundation of mistakes and uncertainties. Those misjudgments and wrong assumptions were layered on one another, and made worse by the failure of human intelligence collection efforts. The assumption that Iraq had a growing WMD program was never adequately challenged — the entire structure of assumptions and uncertainties was neither shaken nor stirred before the war. Senators found "no evidence" that pressure was put on members of the intelligence community to mischaracterize Iraq's WMD programs (although at yesterday's press conference, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, vice chairman of the committee and who signed the finding, argued about what the definition of "pressure" is).

But the senators who criticized the intelligence community for its failures played a major part in the subsequent tragedy. Committee members — including Sen. John Edwards — were charged with the duty of oversight and received the necessary powers to do so. They had access to the classified materials; they had the authority to question CIA executives and analysts; they had the means to explore and probe. So where were the senators while the failures were building? It's likely they were looking the other way.

House members had access to materials about Iraq's WMD programs — in 19 neatly organized binders. Yet few representatives reviewed them, according to Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times. In a dispatch last July, Mr. Dinan wrote for this newspaper that "Fewer than a dozen House members have taken the time to review more than 10,000 pages of intelligence documents backing up administration claims about Iraq, which were made available more than a month ago." Presumably, senators had access to some — if not all — of that material.

Unintentional as it may be, the committee's exhaustive report speaks eloquently to the failures of those who produced it. Had the senators and their staff who dedicated so many resources to examining the failures of intelligence after the war pursued proof of Iraq's WMD in the same painstaking manner during the buildup to the war, the debate may have been more useful.

The Senate's pointed report demonstrates both the failure of the intelligence gatherers and the failure of their congressional overseers.

[Milligan]

Intelligence failure does not happen over night or within 3 years. It takes several years of neglect. The President and the Senate are responsible for taking care of the intelligence community. 911 commission said the CIA didn't have enough manpower or arabic linguist to take care of business. You reap what you sow.

[lainde]

BTTT

[marty60]

Aparently you are unaware of the campaign by the evil dums since the 1970's to destroy the CIA. But as with any good commie/fascist/socialist political group, they know you have to destroy by stealth. They have for over 20 years been infiltrating the CIA with people that hate this country as much as they do.

Think of the enormity of the power the CIA has. They give a President intelligence, they make it sound as bad as possible, the President is left with nothing else to do but act. Especially after a direct attack on the United States. that kind of power is dangerous in the wrong hands. I believe the Cia has been infiltrated by politic hacks. Look at Plame and her stupid husband Wilson. is this the best the CIA will do, send their spouses out to get info.

[Milligan]

Totally agree. Can't blame Bush which these commie/facist/socialist are trying to do. Teddy looks kind of foolish to say the whole war in Iraq was fabricated in Texas.