Oh, nk_lion, the guy is evil. When the CIA wasn't giving them the info they wanted to provoke the war they had a new department set up in, I believe, the Defense Department. They reread the Cia stuff, and reinterpeted it as useful. For example, the info about the bomb material reported in the Valarie Phane case was dismissed by the original reporting Cia operative as false. He thought it was a crock. The new department, run by Channey, - without any new evidence - DECLARED it was valid. And the list goes on. They knew they were cooking the books. Like the inferences that Hussain was connected to Bin Laden - they were right - Bin Laden had operatives there - WITH THE KURDS IN THE NORTH - his enemies! They implied Bin Ladin's operatives were involved with Hussain when in fact they were with the people Hussain would least likely talk to! If that's not deliberately misleading people, I don't know what is.
The Iraqi man they used for the source of most of their intel was refered to them by, I believe, the Germans. When the Germans gave us this man, they reported to us that they believed he was a.....lair, and they had dismissed him as useless. And Channey and crew rehabed him.
But you're right he isn't smart enough to run the country. In my book, the guy deliberately distorted the truth to provoke the war for .....God only knows what reasons.
Chance the Neocons were re-fighting the last war. My money goes to him wanting revenge for the attempted assissination of this father by Hussain. Some people believe they wanted to get control of the new oil reserves - the geology report on that were availbe, I believe, since the 1970's. Who knows.
nk_lion, I think I owe you an apology. You made a simple comment, and I took it as an opportunity to blow my cork on my favorite "Must Hate" list.
Sorry. I just hate the guy so much.
TG