NationStates Jolt Archive


Key intelligence piece flawed, admits Powell

Smeagol-Gollum
03-04-2004, 07:11
Key intelligence piece flawed, admits Powell

April 3, 2004 - 1:52PM

US Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged today that the "most dramatic" part of his presentation to the United Nations making the case for war on Iraq was based on flawed intelligence.

Powell also said he hoped a commission investigating the US intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) would reveal how the CIA ended up depending on unreliable sources for key evidence he used to argue for war.

The acknowledgment about alleged mobile chemical arms laboratories could further hurt the credibility of the Bush administration, also under fire in an election year for failing to stop the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

The United States justified its first pre-emptive war by accusing Iraq of amassing illegal arms and invaded last year without explicit UN approval and over the objections of many allies.

In February, 2003, Powell made a major presentation of the US case against Iraq at a special session of the UN Security Council, where he said the United States had several sources showing mobile chemical weapons laboratories.

But today, the top American diplomat said the evidence on the trailers has been shown to be shaky.

"Now it appears not to be the case that it was that solid. But at the time I was preparing that presentation it was presented to me as solid," Powell told reporters on a flight home from a trip to Europe.

While doubts about the US sources of evidence for the laboratories have been raised for over a year, Powell's remarks were the most straightforward acknowledgment from the Bush administration that the information was probably wrong.

"That was the most dramatic of them [pieces of evidence] and I made sure it was multi-sourced," he said. "Now if the sources fell apart, then we need to find out how we've gotten ourselves in that position."

"I hope [the commission] will look into these matters to see whether or not the intelligence agency had a basis for the confidence that they placed in the intelligence at that time," he said.

The failure to unearth banned weapons a year after the invasion has fuelled criticism of the Bush administration for misleading the country into a war that caused hundreds of US deaths and sparked a deadly insurgency against the American occupation.

Despite being one of the administration's most respected officials, Powell's credibility has suffered because many critics saw him as the mouthpiece for the intelligence community over Iraq.

Powell sought today to distance himself from the evidence he used in his UN presentation.

"I'm not the intelligence community," he said.

Reuters

SOURCE : http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/03/1080941713892.html

COMMENT

Its almost Ho-hum, another day, another crack in the wall of lies.

Dreadful how the truth has developed means of ecsaping from its "lawful confinement" as an "illegal combatant".

I await the invevitable accusations of anti-American bias, and the personal attacks which my posts appear to provoke.
Tuesday Heights
03-04-2004, 07:16
We already knew the intelligence was flawed; that's why 9/11 happened!

http://www.skytowerpoet.net/pics/100_15.gif

The Deadlines of Tuesday Heights (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=skytowerpoet) :roll:
Smeagol-Gollum
03-04-2004, 07:24
We already knew the intelligence was flawed; that's why 9/11 happened!

http://www.skytowerpoet.net/pics/100_15.gif

The Deadlines of Tuesday Heights (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=skytowerpoet) :roll:

Oh dear, hear we go again.

There is quite simply no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq.

9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, unquestionably a connection. No problems with that at all.

But Iraq and 9/11 were and are unconnected.

Except, of course, you probably have more Al Qaeda active in Iraq, and have almost certainly provided a rallying point for the Muslim extremists.

The argument used for Iraq was never 9/11, even the Shrub wasn't game to attempt that.

The oft-repeated theme was WMDs. They didn't exist then, they don't exist now.

The US Administration either knew the real facts, and lied; or they didn't know the real picture, and are therefore incompotent bunglers. Pick whichever interpretation suits you the best.
Smeagol-Gollum
03-04-2004, 08:36
Kaaaaa- bump!!
Smeagol-Gollum
03-04-2004, 08:37
Kaaaaa- bump!!
03-04-2004, 23:15
I think Impeaching Bush over lies like this is far more relevant then when republicans tried to outlaw sex between consencual adults during the Clinton impeachment farce
03-04-2004, 23:15
I think Impeaching Bush over lies like this is far more relevant then when republicans tried to outlaw sex between consencual adults during the Clinton impeachment farce
Smeagol-Gollum
03-04-2004, 23:32
I think Impeaching Bush over lies like this is far more relevant then when republicans tried to outlaw sex between consencual adults during the Clinton impeachment farce

Unless of course, you really are somehow convinced that a blowjob is a far greater threat to society than is an war.
03-04-2004, 23:36
I think Impeaching Bush over lies like this is far more relevant then when republicans tried to outlaw sex between consencual adults during the Clinton impeachment farce

Unless of course, you really are somehow convinced that a blowjob is a far greater threat to society than is an war.

can anyone ever understand what goes on in the minds of sexually ashamed republicans?
03-04-2004, 23:51
We already knew the intelligence was flawed; that's why 9/11 happened!

http://www.skytowerpoet.net/pics/100_15.gif

The Deadlines of Tuesday Heights (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=skytowerpoet) :roll:

Uhh actually if i remember correctly 9/11 happened because of years of american interference in the middle-east and because America trained a bunch of terrorists to hijack planes, gave them $1billion dollars then completely disrespected their religion.........then again maybe im wrong....but well the facts are there