Former U.S. State Dept Official: Bush Lied

[reichstag911]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/truth/interviews/thielmann.html


In this interview, Greg Thielmann, a former director of the Strategic, Proliferation and Military Affairs Office at the State Department's Intelligence Bureau, accuses the White House of "systematic, across-the-board exaggeration" of intelligence as it made its case that Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to the U.S.

Thielmann, who left his job in September 2002, also contends that much of the intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was entirely politicized.

"Senior officials made statements which I can only describe as dishonest," he says. "They were distorting some of the information that we provided to make it seem more alarmist and more dangerous."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

[It's Snake Pliskin]

Re: Former U.S. State Dept Official: Bush Lied.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/truth/interviews/thielmann.html


In this interview, Greg Thielmann, a former director of the Strategic, Proliferation and Military Affairs Office at the State Department's Intelligence Bureau, accuses the White House of "systematic, across-the-board exaggeration" of intelligence as it made its case that Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to the U.S.

Thielmann, who left his job in September 2002, also contends that much of the intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was entirely politicized.

"Senior officials made statements which I can only describe as dishonest," he says. "They were distorting some of the information that we provided to make it seem more alarmist and more dangerous."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Reichstag,

May I ask what is your agenda is with this anti American content. I agree it is good reading , but how does it help? I think with what we face in the future we need to stay balanced in our views and maybe, some anti terror articles would be fair. Does everyone support terrorists?

 

[RichKid]

Re: Former U.S. State Dept Official: Bush Lied.

Reichstag,

May I ask what is your agenda is with this anti American content. I agree it is good reading , but how does it help? I think with what we face in the future we need to stay balanced in our views and maybe, some anti terror articles would be fair. Does everyone support terrorists?

Hi Tina,
I'm not sure what Reichstag's reply will be but my view is that it helps to get to the truth of a matter and the US adiministration is not quite there on that front. With US policy affecting most things these days (especially the global economy) it is good to examine their rhetoric. This is especially so when the US boasts of its democractic credentials but is often controlled by the commercial objectives of unelected corporates (eg The Energy Lobby creating US foregin policy documents).

I also feel that being opposed to American foreign policy doesn't equate to being opposed to every US citizen, many Americans are dismayed by their governments stance on many international issues, not least of all Iraq. In that sense I doubt it could be said that being critical of foregin policy in itself is anti-American in the wider sense.

Also, being critical of the US doesn't mean anyone is, by default, pro-terrorism. Bush tried to use that tactic by saying you are either with us or against us (ie support Bush's policy or he will brand you a terrorist supporter). This may have had the desired effect on a pliable and media-manipulated American public but most Australians are now able to differentiate between the two positions, I trust, but I can see how it is easy for some to confuse the issues. As respected writers such as Arundhati Roy have argued there are many peace activists out there who support neither Bush nor terrorism nor violence- to brand them as being pro-terrorism is quite insincere imo.

 

[tech/a]

Re: Former U.S. State Dept Official: Bush Lied.

I agree with Tina.

Thought this is a stock forum.
There are other forums which are more appropriate for this type of discussion.
If I want to investigate these things----there I will go.