| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| US Administration goes on Fall Offensive |
| 2006-10-13 |
| Recent U.S. intelligence analyses of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs were flawed and the lack of clarity on the issue hampered U.S. diplomatic efforts to avert the underground blast detected Sunday, according to Bush administration officials. with barely restrained glee. Some recent secret reports stated that Pyongyang did not have nuclear arms and until recently was bluffing about plans for a test, according to officials who have read the classified assessments. The analyses in question included a National Intelligence Estimate a consensus report of all U.S. spy agencies produced several months ago and at least two other classified reports on North Korea produced by senior officials within the office of the Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte. The all seeing, all knowing NIE was wrong? Whodda guessed? We all know it to be fully authoritative for Iraq when it calls for immediate withdrawal according to Pelosi. The officials said there were as many as 10 failures related to intelligence reporting on North Korean missile tests and the suspected nuclear test that harmed administration efforts to deal with the issue. Details at the link. Intelligence officials are hoping President Bush will make a comment supporting U.S. intelligence agencies' performance on North Korea, something he has not done to date. In other news, people in Hell were asking for ice water. "It was an intelligence failure," said one administration official close to the issue. May I repeat myself? Additionally, the weak assessments undermined the recent visit to China by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who did not have good enough intelligence to persuade Mr. Hu that a test was imminent and that he should use his government's influence on North Korea to stop it. Aides to Mr. Abe are said by U.S. officials to be upset that they could not help Mr. Abe better understand the nuclear test plans before the meetings. Ooh screwing up relations with Japan. That's starting to get serious. Carl Kropf, a spokesman for Mr. Negroponte, dismissed as false claims by officials who say U.S. intelligence analysis on North Korea was flawed. "That is absolutely wrong, that we were not tracking this issue for some period of time," he said.] "We were tracking it. The Norks just didn't cooperate with the way we were spinning it. Our folks will coordinate better in the future." "I think the community is a little bit gun shy," Mr. Hoekstra said. "They're being held to a strict standard and as a result are going to caveat everything in the aftermath of Iraq." And we never publicize their successes. According to officials familiar with the reports, the weak analysis on North Korea is being blamed on Thomas Fingar, the most senior U.S. intelligence analyst within the office of the Director of National Intelligence. We've got a suspect. The Fickle Fingar of Fate. Mr. Fingar, now deputy Director of National Intelligence for analysis, was the lone dissenter in a 2002 national intelligence assessment that stated Iraq had large stockpiles of chemical weapons and carried over the skeptical viewpoint to North Korea's arms programs. That's why they call him The Stopped Clock. He was a Doubting Dove on Iraq and was right. Now he's a Doubting Dove on Korea and he's wrong. Wonder how he's calling Iran. Being a Doubting Dove on that one could get him renamed the Fickle Fingar of Infamy. Also wonder who he voted for in 2004. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #9 Moonbat says 9/11 planned by CIA and Bush...film at eleven. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-10-13 22:03 |
| #8 "I suspect 9/11 was planned by CIA and Bush." Hint: you remember who headed up Bush's Florida "Recount Committee", don't you? James Baker, that's who. What does that tell you? Think about it... "Further I suspect they will orchestrate another by 11/6." They don't need to. Not anymore. It no longer matters. Think about it... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-10-13 21:36 |
| #7 HP5008, in our area the Price Chopper and the Safeways both have specials going on heavy-duty tin foil. Might be a good time for you to stock up -- those mind control rays are doing a number on you. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-10-13 21:10 |
| #6 WMD? Weapons of Mass Deception? Yeah, Bush admin and CIA have lots of it. Bush best pay attention we know what the CIA does to Presidents (Kennedy) who stop playing nice. I suspect 9/11 was planned by CIA and Bush. Further I suspect they will orchestrate another by 11/6. |
| Posted by: Hupolurong Speater5008 2006-10-13 21:08 |
| #5 Too many "officials" in that story. Quote from a Illustre Inconnu: If, for instance, journalists have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with a stranger at a bar, they can conscientiously describe him as a source that has hitherto proved unimpeachable. It is only when the journalist is reporting a whim of his own, and one to which he attaches some importance, that he defines it as the opinion of well-informed circles. |
| Posted by: SwissTex 2006-10-13 18:19 |
| #4 Procopius, touche and thanks. It also ignores the WMD in Syria. But the public perception is that there were not enough WMD to justify pre-emptive invasion, as though that was the only reason we invaded. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-10-13 17:14 |
| #3 You start missing calls when you spend all your time leaking to WaPo instead of minding your panel... |
| Posted by: Chinter Flarong 2006-10-13 12:47 |
| #2 Take the 500 or so mustard gas and sarin shells and display them (w/o decontaminating them) in the House and Senate chambers. Then have a vote on whether they exist or not. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-10-13 12:05 |
| #1 He was a Doubting Dove on Iraq and was right So, NS, I take it you're willing to store the chemical rounds in your house, neighborhood, town? No? Let's compromise, store them on the grounds of the CIA Headquarters. Certainly, the Donks and their CIA employees won't object to something that doesn't exist. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2006-10-13 11:37 |