This one's for Dave. Dave and Spot and some of Spot's commenters have gone around and around about whether or not the Bush administration lied the US into war in Iraq. Dave says no, no; the Bushies were just innocent bystanders in the terribly-flawed intelligence that persuaded us to strike Iraq. Spot heard the rebroadcast of a speech on MPR's Midday today that addresses that issue directly. Here's MPR's description of the speech:
Melvin Goodman, who spent 24 years at the CIA, says the agency has lost its way. In a recent speech at the University of St. Thomas, Goodman argued that intelligence analysts should be telling "truth to power," but instead he said the CIA has become politicized.
After the speech, Goodman is asked why the U.S. thinks it can be so meddlesome in the affairs of other nations, including in their elections. His response was one of Howard Zinn's favorite themes: the myth of American exceptionalism.
I don't know what kind of bandwidth you've got there in George Bush's refurbished Iraq, Dave, but Spot encourages you—and the rest of you too, boys and girls—to spend an hour and give Melvin Goodman a listen. Spot promises that it will be worth you while.
Update: This post is back up. The MPR link was incorrect and it has now been fixed.
Tags: CIA, politicized intelligence, Iraq war
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