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While many Americans listen submissively to George Bush's statements regarding plans for war against Iraq, he is having a rather difficult time with his own government workers, particularly his intelligence analysts.
The Central Intelligence Agency is responsible for collecting and analyzing evidence relating to Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and his relationship to al-Qaeda. But CIA analysts apparently are not doing their job to the satisfaction of the president. Indeed, as Bush keeps coming up with new claims about Iraq's weapons and its plans for terrorist attacks, one thing is certain: The information is not coming from the CIA. Here is a president who no longer trusts his own intelligence service.
The Media Prepare for War on American TV
Every day the media warn about Saddam Hussein's chemical and biological weapons. American audiences also hear again and again: Saddam and bin Laden work together. The only hope -- war!
The continual propaganda is effective. Virtually everyone feels threatened by Saddam, even as they go about their daily lives. Indeed, the majority of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was personally behind the attacks of September 11, 2001.
We asked Americans the question: Did Saddam Hussein play a role in the 9/11 attacks?
Man: "Saddam Hussein and all the rest of those terrorists played a role in a lot of things. People forget in this country what happened in New York. Let's not forget that."
Woman: "I hope that Saddam Hussein wasn't the one behind the 9/11 attacks, but I believe he was though."
Woman: "I think he probably had a lot to do with it. I don't know that he was actually the spearhead for it, but I think he supported it."
This complete nonsense is the result of a successful disinformation campaign.
Ray McGovern, veteran of a 27-year CIA career, for several years provided daily briefings to the president's most senior advisers, including George Bush senior.
McGovern: "The day after 9/11 Dick Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld were saying, 'Now let's go get Iraq.' And so the push was on to find evidence that Iraq had some sort of connection with 9/11. And I am very sad to say that our president himself has in a subliminal way always made that connection. And that is why most Americans -- pity them -- tend to believe that Iraq did have something to do with 9/11, while the intelligence community is convinced it did not."
President Bush is still leaning on the CIA to provide the kind of evidence that will support his plans for war against Iraq. The evidence is still lacking, but this has not slowed the president down.
Saddam and the Terrorists
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