Great! First They Shut Down the CIA; Now the Senate

Everyone alive and still breathing on this planet knows that the Democrats, via the Church Committee, castrated the CIA and got rid of most of their human intelligence assets (humint). We know also, from the 9/11 Commission hearings, that the Clinton Administration, through the person of Jamie Gorelick, erected the wall between the CIA, the FBI and the military so that they could not share intelligence about prospective terrorist acts. No American is responsible for 9/11; the Islamic terrorists are the only ones responsible, but these failures of intelligence (especially the Able Danger warnings and the missing WMD’s) fall right in the laps of Democrat politicians and administrations.

It took enormous chutzpa yesterday, therefore, for Minority Leader Reid to shut down the Senate in another lame attempt to brand these intelligence failures as lies by President Bush. I would think, by now, that people would ignore such nonsense and such posturing for possible political advantage, but I know better. I know that every such attempt to distort the facts and rewrite history has to be met with a calm recitation of the truth. I therefore reproduce below the National Intelligence Estimate given by the CIA to the Bush Administration. No amount of spin and leaks by unknown CIA holdovers and by Joseph Wilson can change it.

“Within days, the CIA had declassified significant portions of the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. That document reflected the consensus view of the 15 intelligence agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community.

We judge that Iraq has continued its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in defiance of UN resolutions and restrictions. Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of UN restrictions; if left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade. (See INR alternative view at the end of these Key Judgments.)

We judge that we are seeing only a portion of Iraq's WMD efforts, owing to Baghdad's vigorous denial and deception efforts. Revelations after the Gulf war starkly demonstrate the extensive efforts undertaken by Iraq to deny information.

We lack specific information on many key aspects of Iraq's WMD programs. Since inspections ended in 1998, Iraq has maintained its chemical weapons effort, energized its missile program, and invested more heavily in biological weapons; in the view of most agencies, Baghdad is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program.

Iraq's growing ability to sell oil illicitly increases Baghdad's capabilities to finance WMD programs; annual earnings in cash and goods have more than quadrupled, from $580 million in 1998 to about $3 billion this year. Iraq has largely rebuilt missile and biological weapons facilities damaged during Operation Desert Fox and has expanded its chemical and biological infrastructure under the cover of civilian production.

And later, a discussion of Iraq's nuclear capabilities:

Although we assess that Saddam does not yet have nuclear weapons or sufficient material to make any, he remains intent on acquiring them. Most agencies assess that Baghdad started reconstituting its nuclear program about the time that UNSCOM inspectors departed--December 1998.

The NIE specifically addressed claims of Iraq seeking uranium from Africa:
A foreign government service reported that as of early 2001, Niger planned to send several tons of "pure uranium" (probably yellowcake) to Iraq. As of early 2001, Niger and Iraq reportedly were still working out arrangements for this deal, which could be for up to 500 tons of yellowcake. We do not know the status of this arrangement.

Reports indicate Iraq also has sought uranium ore from Somalia and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We cannot confirm whether Iraq succeeded in acquiring uranium ore and/or yellowcake from these sources.

And finally, the NIE offered these conclusions with "high confidence":

Iraq is continuing, and in some areas expanding its chemical, biological, nuclear and missile programs contrary to UN resolutions.

We are not detecting portions of these weapons programs.

Iraq possesses proscribed chemical and biological weapons and missiles.
Iraq could make a nuclear weapon in months to a year once it acquires sufficient weapons grade fissile material.”