Gee, whatta surprise
In February 2002, the Defense Intelligence Agency questioned the reliability of a captured top al Qaeda operative whose allegations became the basis of Bush administration claims that terrorists had been trained in the use of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq, according to declassified material released by Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.).
Referring to the first interrogation report on al Qaeda senior military trainer Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, the DIA took note that the Libyan terrorist could not name any Iraqis involved, any chemical or biological material used or where the training occurred. As a result, “it is more likely this individual is intentionally misleading the debriefers,” a DIA report concluded.
…Just imagine,” Levin said, “the public impact of that DIA conclusion if it had been disclosed at the time. It surely could have made a difference in the congressional vote authorizing the war.”</i>
I guess to some the idea that Iraq wasn’t a threat might come as a surprise, but not to anyone I know. You’d think Congress would have access to better intel than we did, but who knows. The White House only released the unredacted versions of its material to eight members of Congress, and edited versions for the rest.
