Rep. Jane Harman
Conclusion - Iraq WMD...
Wed Jan 21 16:21:04 2004
64.140.158.66

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/harman011604.html

Conclusion

The U.S. military is stretched dangerously thin, relationships with key allies seriously strained, and the costs of war and homeland security are contributing to a budget deficit which has broken all previous records. In these circumstances, the Intelligence Community's responsibilities are staggering. There is no margin of error and no room left for surprises in the coming year - and, if there's one thing we can count on, it's surprises.

The good news is the quality and courage of the professionals in the Intelligence Community who work so tirelessly to keep us safe and to protect our national interests. I've met and thanked hundreds of them all around the world. They put the country ahead of their own safety and comfort, and deserve our gratitude and our respect.

They clearly share our desire for the best intelligence possible. To get it, things must change, starting with the Intelligence Community's acknowledgement of deficiencies in the pre-war intelligence on Iraq.

Quite frankly, this willingness to learn lessons should start at the top. The President should lead the effort to improve his intelligence on weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. I urge him in his State of the Union address next Tuesday to acknowledge the problems and outline specific steps to fix them.

Chiseled on the main entrance to the CIA are the words "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Freedom depends on accurate, timely, and actionable intelligence. It is the point of the spear in the war on terrorism. We must do better.

Source: Office of Rep. Jane Harman
http://www.house.gov/harman/press/releases/2004/011604_WAC.html

-----------------------------------

Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html

_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691

• BUSH: SINKING SHIP! — Robert Dreyfuss, Wed Jan 21 17:59
• RE: IRAQ WMD "David Kelly" "JOSEPH WILSON" CIA LEAK — APFN, Wed Jan 21 17:29
• BUSH: Not quite fully on the money — Associated Press, Wed Jan 21 17:01
• Sean Hannity, the Hard-hearted Hypocrite — RESEARCHER, Wed Jan 21 17:14
• Top 10 most-cited researchers — APFN, Wed Jan 21 16:45