Admitting failure in Iraq and Afghanistan is anathema to Official Washington, especially to the still-influential neocons whose status depends on maintaining the illusion of “victory” or at least limited success, even at the cost of more blood and treasure. But…
Tag: George W. Bush
Netanyahu’s Pyrrhic Victory
Exclusive: In a whirlwind trip to Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behaved less like a visiting head of state and more like a pro-consul arriving in a conquered land to lecture its titular leader on the limits of his…
Mitch Daniels, Architect of US Debt Crisis
Exclusive: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is the new Republican darling of the Washington establishment, which hails him as a “fiscal conservative” who would be “serious” about addressing the nation’s staggering debt problem. But his many admirers forget to mention what…
Bush Urged to Counsel with “Wise Women” on Iraq
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: Recommendation: Try a Circle of “Wise Women” By way of re-introduction, we begin with a brief reminder of the analyses we provided you before the attack on Iraq.…
Advice for Bush’s State of the Union
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: Your State-of-the-Union Address We write this, our fifth such memorandum to you since our critique of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s UN speech last February, out of concern that…
Iraq Intel: Forgery, Hyperbole, Half-Truth
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: Forgery, Hyperbole, Half-Truth: A Problem We last wrote you immediately after Secretary of State Powell’s UN speech on February 5, in an attempt to convey our concerns that…
Cooking Intelligence for War in Iraq
MEMORANDUM FOR: Confused Americans FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: Cooking Intelligence for War Two members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) appeared on German TV’s equivalent of “60 Minutes” on March 6 to discuss the use/abuse…
Powell’s UN Speech and the Case for War
MEMORANDUM FOR: The President FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity SUBJECT: Today’s Speech By Secretary Powell At The UN Secretary Powell’s presentation at the UN today requires context. We give him an “A” for assembling and listing the charges…