by Doug Giebel
OpEdNews.com
Introduction
The following Summary Report is issued in compliance with rules establishing the Presidential Commission to Investigate Intelligence Failures on the presence of the absence of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq: as mandated by President of the United States George W. Bush.
(Note: The Full Report may be available at some future date on NTK limited basis. Pursuant to policy, Committee Members [redacted], [redacted] and [redacted] will submit individual dissenting opinions regarding some or all of the conclusions drawn by the majority.)
Stating the Problem
Prior to taking the nation into an [redacted] "war" against Iraq, President George W. Bush, members of the Bush/Cheney Administration and Congress expressed confidence that Saddam Hussein and Iraq were in possession of substantial numbers and amounts of what are commonly known as WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). After the war's mission had been accomplished and upon further examination, it became the opinion of Inspector David Kay and others that these WMD did not exist in Iraq during the lead-up to the "war," and/or do not presently exist in Iraq, and/or if such weapons in fact do exist, their existence has yet to be discovered.
The Presidential Image is the National Image
The frequency with which President Bush and others claimed in accordance
with absolute certainty the existence of WMD has subsequently caused
untold embarrassment for those who relied on "intelligence."
This Commission was established to investigate the facts and determine who
might have been responsible for possibly misleading The President of the
United States and others.
--Finding #1: Our democratic republic can not function effectively absent truthfulness from its leaders.
(Unanimous with exceptions.)
The Intelligence Community
Since the establishment of modern intelligence gathering apparati, conflicts, lapses and [redacted] have been known to occur, even among the most seasoned of professionals. Regarding this nation's intelligence, "everything changed after 9/11."
And it is in the interest of intelligence that our Findings are submitted.
--Finding # 2: The current problems were set in motion by the [redacted] Administration but exacerbated to excess through policies and actions from the Clinton Administration and liberals bent on weakening the effectiveness of the nation's intelligence and its gathering services. (Unanimous. Exceptions noted and [redacted].)
--Finding #3: "It turns out we were all wrong," said
Inspector David Kay. Each person selected by this Commission to testify
privately
and under oath has stated they and their colleagues were simply "all
wrong." In an astonishing show of unity, all who gave testimony
agreed that prior to the invasion of Iraq, every person with intelligence
capacities believed, as President
Bush had stated, that WMD in amounts sufficient to kill thousands and
millions existed in Iraq. Many were with
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld in knowing nearly exactly where the weapons
had been hidden. All were strenuously confounded,
therefore, when no WMD were used against our troops, when no WMD were
found--period. The Commission with
exceptions [redacted] agrees.
--Finding #4: Contrary to statements made by Sen. Joseph Biden (D.
Del.), this Commission found no reason to believe
any members of the Bush/Cheney Administration deliberately or otherwise
misinterpreted or misused the data
supplied to them prior to or during the unfolding "war" in Iraq.
(Unanimous. Exceptions [redacted] noted in the Full
Report.)
--Finding #5: The evidence presented by Secretary of State Colin Powell to the assembled United Nations, first praised by the media and later tepidly questioned by that same media as being inaccurate and misleading, were, the Commission finds, uttered in good faith and were for the most part merely "opinions," not statements of fact; opinions to which each of us has a constitutional right. Furthermore, based on extensive deliberation and review, this Commission finds:
--Finding #6: Being "wrong," like [redacted] happens. It is not a criminal offense to be "wrong." (Unanimous with [redacted] [redacted].)
--Finding #7: "Intelligence" in its various definitions is [redacted], variable, capricious and subject to human interpretation.
(Unanimous.)
--Finding #8: The intelligence given to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Powell and others who subscribed to the unwavering belief in the existence of WMD was almost entirely false through no fault of anyone, and especially not those upon whom the administration and the nation relied. This was, in the end, the People's Intelligence, and as such it was [redacted].
(Unanimous [redacted].)
--Finding #9: Despite appearances to the contrary, the existence or non-existence of WMD was not a reason for the Bush/Cheney Administration's decision to take the nation into an [redacted] "war" in Iraq.
Saddam Hussein was a bad person.
(Unanimous.)
--Finding #10: Therefore: it is the final determination of this Commission that no individual or group of individuals can be blamed for statements made by the Bush/Cheney Administration. Exception: actions taken by the previous Clinton Administration to the contrary. Be it resolved: There is NO evidence of a "cover-up." There is NO evidence anyone who supported an [redacted] war in Iraq ever underestimated or "misled" the American people regarding the use of its intelligence.
[Redacted.]
Conclusion
With submission of this Summary Report, the work of our Commission is complete. The membership wishes to thank Prime Minister Tony Blair for his untiring efforts as Commission Chair, prior to his untimely resignation for personal reasons. To Congressman Zell Miller, the Democrat chosen by President Bush to lead our investigatory team: a job well done. Finally, to those untiring intelligence "hands" behind the scenes, a special round of "Kudos!" for stepping forward at great personal risk to tell the truth and clear the air.
The Committee Members affix their signatures as follows:
[Redacted.]
**
Doug Giebel is a writer who lives in Big Sandy, Montana. He can be reached
at dougcatz@ttc-cmc.net
