Paramount Theatre
Intelligence?
RECEIVED Mon., April 12, 2004
Dear Editor,
It's incredible, really, if you think about it.
On one hand the Bush White House had dozens of briefings handed to them by the best intelligence services in the U.S. stating, "Bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington," and, "Bin Laden implied in U.S. television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef," and, "The group apparently maintains a support structure [in the U.S.] that could aid attacks," and conclude there was no actionable intelligence.
And on the other hand the Bush administration pays hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to [Iraqi opposition leader] Ahmed Chalabi – for information the White House's own sources believed to be unverifiable, and in some cases false – and still deems that information so actionable that Bush postpones the hunt for bin Laden to invade and occupy Iraq.
It's incredible, really, if you think about it.
On one hand the Bush White House had dozens of briefings handed to them by the best intelligence services in the U.S. stating, "Bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington," and, "Bin Laden implied in U.S. television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef," and, "The group apparently maintains a support structure [in the U.S.] that could aid attacks," and conclude there was no actionable intelligence.
And on the other hand the Bush administration pays hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to [Iraqi opposition leader] Ahmed Chalabi – for information the White House's own sources believed to be unverifiable, and in some cases false – and still deems that information so actionable that Bush postpones the hunt for bin Laden to invade and occupy Iraq.
Richard Harvey