CIA Reports that things will get much worse In Iraq + hasty Bremer visit to Washington = America Is Fucked
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/me...cia/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) November 12, 2003 -- A recent CIA assessment of Iraq warns the security situation will worsen across the country, not just in Baghdad but in the north and south as well, a senior administration source told CNN Tuesday.
The report is a much more dire and ominous assessment of the situation than has previously been forwarded through official channels, this source said. It was sent to Washington Monday by the CIA station chief in Iraq.
It was not immediately clear if the assessment was what prompted the hastily arranged trip to Washington by Iraq civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer, who met Tuesday at the White House with President Bush and senior national security officials.
The report was discussed during the high-level meetings, sources said.
The senior administration source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bremer agreed with the CIA assessment and added his personal comments to the station chief's memo.
In his Veterans Day speech Tuesday, Bush referred to "recent reporting" of cooperation between Saddam loyalists and terrorist elements from outside Iraq.
"Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists may have different long-term goals, but they share a near-term strategy: to terrorize Iraqis and to intimidate America and our allies," Bush told the conservative Heritage Foundation.
"In the last few months, the adversary has changed its composition and method, and our coalition is adapting accordingly."
Another senior administration official said those points in the speech were based on a U.S. intelligence report about the security situation. ...