Hey, have you heard this?
Intelligence provided by former undersecretary of defense Douglas J. Feith to buttress the White House case for invading Iraq included “reporting of dubious quality or reliability” that supported the political views of senior administration officials rather than the conclusions of the intelligence community, according to a report by the Pentagon’s inspector general.
That’s right, folks: The administration twisted intelligence in order to buttress its case for invading Iraq. All those that are surprised by this are welcome to the new clothes and fresh water that I have placed in front of the cave they’ve been living in for the past four years.
The good news?
In a telephone interview yesterday, Feith emphasized the inspector general’s conclusion that his actions, described in the report as “inappropriate,” were not unlawful.
I’m sure that this distinction — less like an assault, more like burping at a dinner party! — will comfort the families of all those that have died in the war.
It would seem like this locks up Tommy Franks’s claim that Feith is “the f***ing stupidest guy on the face of the earth.” But what about all the people who listened to him?
UPDATE: Mocking aside, this report isn’t “old news,” it’s an extremely important continuing story, though I find some black humor in the frustratingly obvious nature of the DoD’s results.