[I've been out of town.] On 25 Jul 2003, "Nick Arnett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
... -- intelligence to the president is supposed to be thoroughly checked, not just for accuracy, but also for "spin" and such. I can't say much about who the reviewing parties are, or how many people are involved .... But it clearly indicates that under this administration, the system failed to operate the way it nearly always has. Perhaps with the media abandoning objectivity and accuracy, most people simply don't realize that the U.S. intelligence system still strives for it, so they don't realize what a fundamental problem this reflects. Nick is right. This is very serious. Suppose the Bush Administration are good guys, as some believe: * then they cannot do a good job if they receive inaccurate information Suppose the Bush Administration are bad guys, as some believe, who however, are not Benedict Arnolds (he was a famous traitor to the US during its war for independence): * then they cannot do a patriotic job if they receive inaccurate information >From the point of view of US citizens, many would say that the best hope is that the President lied in his State of the Union message, not that he or the system was incompetent. -- Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.teak.cc [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l