Sunday, May 20, 2007

Bush ignored 2003 warnings:
Iraq invasion destined to create terrorism, not defeat it

Just as Bush ignored dire, specific and repeated warnings of the impending 9/11 attack (after receiving the warnings, he went on vacation - for a month), Bush also ignored National Intelligence Council warnings in January 2003 that predicted a "U.S. occupation of Iraq could lead to internal violence and provide a boost to Islamic extremists and terrorists in the region." The reports even mention the use of "guerrilla warfare" against US troops.
Washington Post:
The two assessments, titled "Principal Challenges in Post-Saddam Iraq" and "Regional Consequences of Regime Change in Iraq," were produced by the National Intelligence Council and will be a major part of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's long-awaited Phase II report on prewar intelligence assessments about Iraq. The assessments were delivered to the White House and to congressional intelligence committees before the war started.

The report warns that there was a significant chance that domestic groups would fight each other and that ex-regime military elements could merge with terrorist groups to battle any new government.


The second NIC assessment discussed "political Islam being boosted and the war being exploited by terrorists and extremists elsewhere in the region," one former senior analyst said. It also suggested that fear of U.S. military dominance and occupation of a Middle East country -- one sacred to Islam -- would attract foreign Islamic fighters to the area.
How much more accurate a warning did Bush need to know that attacking Iraq was a mistake and not in the best interest of America? This is a clear case of dereliction of duty and ignoring information that warned against taking a harmful and costly step that has made America less safe and destabilized a nation.

Did that deter Bush hellbent on his arrogant unilateral plan? Noooo!
Bad President! No banana.




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