And We are Surprised, Why?

So, no WMD in Iraq and no Al Queda connection to Iraq. I am shocked! It appears that we now know that there was, “Indeed,” an alternate intelligence outfit putting out “Intelligence” and that the facts were fixed around the policy. Calling everyone who actually was paying attention prior to “Shock and Awe,” or who read the Downing Street Memo thereafter!

Well, news is news, I guess, so here is a bit of the official version as reported in the WAPO:

Intelligence provided by former undersecretary of defense Douglas J. Feith to buttress the White House case for invading Iraq included "reporting of dubious quality or reliability" that supported the political views of senior administration officials rather than the conclusions of the intelligence community, according to a report by the Pentagon's inspector general.

Feith's office "was predisposed to finding a significant relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda," according to portions of the report, released yesterday by Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.). The inspector general described Feith's activities as "an alternative intelligence assessment process."

An unclassified summary of the full document is scheduled for release today in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which Levin chairs. In that summary, a copy of which was obtained from another source by The Washington Post, the inspector general concluded that Feith's assessment in 2002 that Iraq and al-Qaeda had a "mature symbiotic relationship" was not fully supported by available intelligence but was nonetheless used by policymakers.

Do you think this might have had anything to do with the attacks on the CIA by the Administration and their outing of a CIA NOC to discredit Ambassador Wilson’s critique of the use of phony evidence in the lead up to the War on Iraq? Just a thought!

So, where was the Main Stream Media during the run up to this Mess-O-Potamia when this information was readily available to the rest of us? Why were the admonitions of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity ignored? Why were the reports by the Weapons Inspectors ignored? Why was the Atomic Energy Commission ignored on the aluminum tubes? Why were the only voices being promoted by the MSM those of the lunatics in the Whitehouse and the Department of Defense who were using previously discredited “Intelligence?” There is nothing that has transpired since the March 2003 preemptive war that wasn’t predicted in 2002. So, why is this news almost 5 years later?

Well, as the Libby trial unfolds it becomes clear that the MSM was busy trying to protect its access to the Powers that be. How admirable! If they kept their mouths shut about what they knew about the Plame leak what else did they keep their mouths shut about? Just because Feith, Perle, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Rove, Rice, Cheney and Bush say it doesn’t make it so. I guess that pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes would limit access to that “Anonymous Administration Official.” What a shame as they were all so busy feeding the MSM so much “really reliable” information. So, now that the curtain has been pulled back, will those reporting on the “Wizards of Washington” finally get it? I have my doubts!

You know this reminds me of a conversation I had with a Professor during the 80’s (who was shocked by some comments made at the time by the experts in the NYT’s) when I suggested that it was time to redefine the “Best and the Brightest.” I do not have a clearance to read classified information. I am not privy to secret information. And yet in 2002 I knew that there were no WMD and that there was no connection to Al Queda. I also knew what a disaster invading Iraq would be. So, perhaps if others, including this Administration, had read the Seven Pillars of Wisdom at the age of 13 they too would have understood what would transpire in this our Mess-O-Potamia.

Like I said, I am no Foreign Policy geek, but I do like to seek out information and I have some common sense.

It is time, once again, to rethink who are the “Best and the Brightest.” Because, folks, they are trying the same old tricks to get this country into the War on Iran. Just change the “q” to an “n” and you can see the same old movie!

Will the MSM fall for it again and lead the American Public down the same dangerous path of misinformation? Only time will tell and we don’t have a whole lot of time to spare.

It is time to put your “Bullshit Detector” to use.

UPDATE: Here is the link to Col. Pat Lang’s blog. Read the entry and please read the comments. This is one of the best blogs on our current Middle East Policy from folks who are in the know. I also am disclosing that the Colonel is one of my heroes. He is a member of the VIPS who made it clear before “Shock and Awe” what would transpire in our Mess-O-Potamia Adventure and they were right. If you want to keep up on the War Plans for Iran this is the blog to go to. It is very informative with thoughtful comments.