Expert pressured to distort evidence on WMD

[Reeder]

A top State Department expert on chemical and biological weapons told Congressional committees in closed-door hearings last week that he had been pressed to tailor his analysis on Iraq and other matters to conform with the Bush administration’s views, several Congressional officials said today.
The officials described what they said was a dramatic moment at a House Intelligence Committee hearing last week when the weapons expert came forward to tell Congress he had felt such pressure.

By speaking out, they said, the senior intelligence expert, identified by several officials as Christian Westermann, became the first member of the intelligence community on active service to make this sort of admission to members of Congress.

AFTER THE WAR: INTELLIGENCE; Expert Said to Tell Legislators He Was Pressed...

…It’s the NYTimes…you may have to register, but it’s free.

Now perhaps the floodgates will open and we will see just exactly how the Bush warmongers played with the intel to make it fit their scheme.

[zigaretten]

From the same source…

Mr. Westermann told lawmakers last week that while he felt pressure, he never actually changed the wording of any of his intelligence reports.

Move along…

[Reeder]

That’s not the point. The fact is they tried. Perhaps others weren’t so strong. Perhaps others did cave in. The fact is there were no WMD at all. No clear and present danger. You think maybe Bush and his warmongers just invented the intel?

That’s called lying.

But the Bush admin would never do that…would they?

[december]

*Originally posted by Reeder *
**That’s not the point. The fact is they tried. **

Who tried? The article doesn’t say.

[zigaretten]

Or, perhaps he simply felt a little pressue at work, just like thousands of other people every day, and dealt with it, just like thousands of other people every day.

By the way, you did notice that this pressure concerned Cuba and not Iraq, right?

[Read_Neck]

Two people actually identified by name and the rest anonymous sources. Oh Please,and the NYT to boot.

[Reeder]

*Originally posted by zigaretten *
**snip…

By the way, you did notice that this pressure concerned Cuba and not Iraq, right? **

You did notice who said that didn’t you?

The administration.

[PatriotX]

*Originally posted by zigaretten *

By the way, you did notice that this pressure concerned Cuba and not Iraq, right?

Actually, it says both. :smack:

A top State Department expert on chemical and biological weapons told Congressional committees in closed-door hearings last week that he had been pressed to tailor his analysis on Iraq and other matters to conform with the Bush administration’s views, several Congressional officials said today.

In a second hearing last week with the Senate Intelligence Committee, he made it clear that he had felt pressure from John Bolton, the under secretary of state for arms control and international security, that originally dated to a clash the two had over Mr. Bolton’s public assertions last year that Cuba had a biological weapons program. Mr. Westermann argued those assertions were not supported by sufficient intelligence.

The news story was about the Iraq stuff and th eCuba stuff was provided as background for Mr. Westermann’s history with Mr. Bolton.
I read this story this morning and decided [lukewarm]“eh.”[/lukewarm]

[ChaosGod]

HAH!

See Reeder,… you can’t actually PROVE anything can you?

WHO in his right mind would believe the utterly ABSURD idea that politicans would in ANY way, spin intelligence reports to push their agenda.
Extraodinary claims need extaordinary evidence.
So a few guys say “we felt pressured”. BIG DEAL!

Until you give me a video tape recording of GWB speaking to the camera saying “I CONFESS WE USED INTELLIGENCE DATA IN A MALICIOUSLY DECEIVING WAY TO FURTHER MY GOAL OF WORLD DOMINATION”, you might as well shut up and enjoy FOX NEWS

[Reeder]

*Originally posted by ChaosGod *
**HAH!

See Reeder,… you can’t actually PROVE anything can you?

snip…

**

Wait a minute here…you are expecting me to prove Bush is a warmonger?

Sorry…that’s not what I post to do. I post news articles showing the abuse of power by this administration so that you, the American voter, can make an informed decision in the election of 2004.

But then you bootlicking types have already decided. No amount of evidence can persuade you. So please do me a favor. Don’t read any more of my posts. Don’t respond if you do happen to read. Which of course you will.

[PatriotX]

CG,
Is it my sarcasm meter or my Irony meter that’s malfunctioning?

[Reeder]

Damn…I’ve been whooshed.

[John_Mace]

Reeder wrote:
But then you bootlicking types have already decided. No amount of evidence can persuade you. So please do me a favor. Don’t read any more of my posts. Don’t respond if you do happen to read. Which of course you will.

Good idea. Only people who agree with Reeder should post to his threads in the future. Now, that’s what I call a Great Debate.

[Reeder]

And I typed all that. With one finger even.

[Fang]

So here is what you have. The Times claims that according to an anonymous source, one intelligence analyst claimed he felt pressure to tailor reports, but apparently whatever pressure he felt wasn’t actually strong enough to make him change his reports, and he wasn’t punished for not doing so.

There are plenty of things I don’t like about the war and the way the Administration handled it (particualrly with regard to intelligence in fact), but don’t open the floodgates too far just yet.

[Airman_Doors_USAF]

:rolleyes:

You can’t have run out of stuff to whine about already, have you, Reeder?

This is far and away the weakest OP you’ve yet written.

By the way, when you quote something, try to quote the relevant parts as well instead of just parsing it in the hopes that nobody will really read it.

[Reeder]

I post the link so everyone will read it wingnut.

[elucidator]

For that matter, Airman, your distaste for Reeder is a matter of record here, and one you need not trouble yourself to assert. He has made no claims beyond those stated, which I take to mean nothing more than that: another testimony to the effect that the administration has, on more than one occassion, made efforts to solicit the cooperation of intelligence professionals towards predetermined ends. He doesn’t even claim it is news, which, of course, it isn’t.

As would any man who’s loyalty was honestly given, and then abused, you have every right to be angry. But not at Reeder, at least, not in this instance. Reeder may well be exaggerating in his prosecutorial zeal, but, to best evidence to date, he is exaggerating the truth. And that is, I submit, a crucial difference.

[Reeder]

Come on elucidator give wingnut a break… He loves to hate me. I reckon it makes his life complete.

But I don’t feel I exaggerate. I just post what I find.

[zigaretten]

Intelligently posted by Simon X
Actually, it says both.

I don’t read it that way. The statement:

Administration officials said his most specific complaints concerned issues related to intelligence on Cuba, and he has not yet provided similar specific complaints about the handling of intelligence on Iraq.

…….suggests to me that hasn’t voiced any specific complaints regarding Iraq. Reuters seems to agree:

“Christian Westermann, a State Department intelligence analyst, was the only one who spoke up and said he had felt pressure, but three government sources familiar with the hearings said he did not specify his work on Iraq and it appeared that other issues were the source of his complaint.”

“The congressional intelligence panels have not received any formal complaints from analysts saying they were forced to change views to strengthen the argument for going to war.”

I think we’ll just have to wait and see on this one.