The Irrelevance of Intelligence Again, and Collective Illusions

Everyone did not think that Iraq had WMD.

Millions of people around te world did not think so. But they were called a focus group by Bush, the Idiot Emperor.

Once Upon a Time...: The Irrelevance of Intelligence Again, and Collective Illusions:

"I continue to see many references on political blogs to the 'importance of getting the intelligence right.' At the moment, such comments obviously come up most often in discussions about 'what to do about Iran.' It's no surprise that this perspective shows up on conservative and rightwing blogs -- but I continue to be astounded that so many liberal and progressive bloggers still fall for this line.

People don't seem to grasp the necessary meaning of this approach. If you contend that it is crucial for the intelligence to be correct and given how the argument is almost always presented, you are assuming that major policy decisions are made on the basis of that intelligence, at least to a significant degree. This is buying into Bush's defense entirely: 'But everyone thought Iraq had WMD and was a serious and growing threat!' Never mind the lie about 'everyone' having thought this, which everyone most certainly did not. The crucial point is that Bush is saying that he only launched the war on Iraq because of what the intelligence indicated. And even liberals still repeat this propaganda."