Sen Reid & Others Demand New Intell Estimate On Iraq

[kpete]

Senators Call For New Intelligence Estimate on Iraq

Some 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.http://harpers.org/sb-sources-negroponte-nei-cia-1153433546.html


Today, a group of Senators led by Harry Reid called for the development of a new NIE:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

Senator Edward Kennedy

Senator Joseph Biden

Senator John D. Rockefeller

Senator Carl Levin

Senator Jack Reed


"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," said Senator Reid. "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."

"President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, and Secretary Rice deny that Iraq is in a civil war. But the growing sectarian violence, the ruthless death squads, the increasingly powerful role of the privately armed militias, and the Administrations decision to send thousands more U.S. Troops to Baghdad, tell a very different story," Senator Kennedy said. "We cannot ignore this major danger. President Bush needs to weight these facts more realistically and prepare a strategy to protect our troops who are at risk of getting caught in the middle of a sectarian civil war. Ignoring the wisdom of the intelligence community got us into trouble before in Iraq, and we cannot ignore it again. Clearly, those who forget the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them."

Letter and more at:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69809

[babylonsister]

1. Good luck with that...

Wasn't it about this time last year Reid 'demanded'intel that got us into this mess? Never got that either, did he. Sigh.

[driver8]

2. The Whitehouse will respond, "Fuck you. We will keep on doing what we

want."

Congress will reply, "Oh, ok...sorry to have bothered you."