Senator Levin Blasts Bush Administration on Pre-War Intelligence Manipulation

Today the Senate Intelligence Committee released its Iraq Intelligence Phase II Report. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) outlines the committees findings which reveal that nearly every justification the adminstration used to rally public support for the war in Iraq was either falsified or exaggerrated. From the purported links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, to the claim that lead 9/11 hijacker Mohammad Atta met with Iraqi Intelligence in Prague, to the links between Zarqawi and Saddam Hussein, the Committee concluded that all the claims were based on poor (and sometimes non-existant) sources.

Levin also makes the point that the WH has kept classified certain intelligence reports that in no way compromise sources. He rightfully suggests that they're being kept under wraps because their disclosure would be very embarrasing for the Bush administration.





PDF copies of the report can be found at the Committee's website here


For another strong indictment of pre-war intelligence manipulation, see Tyler Drumhellers story