At the request of Sen. Carl Levin, the Department of Defense has declassified most of its February 2007 Inspector General report (large pdf) on the pre-Iraq war activities of the DoD Office of Special Plans, led by Douglas Feith.
“It is important for the public to see why the Pentagon’s Inspector General concluded that Secretary Feith’s office ‘developed, produced and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship,’ which included ‘conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community,’ and why the Inspector General concluded that these actions were ‘inappropriate’,” Sen. Levin said.
“Until today, those details were classified and outside the public’s view.”
See this news release from Sen. Levin, with a link to the newly declassified report.
Mr. Feith’s Office issued a January 2007 rebuttal (pdf) to a draft version of the IG report.
“Doug Feith Found INNOCENT-Pentagon Inspector General”
Doug Feith and his office could have gone to the White House on Monday, Sept 16th, told the President that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were snuggle bunnies in the same swingers club, and it wouldn’t have mattered. It wouldn’t have mattered what Feith and his office said since 48hrs later on Wednesday Sept 18, 2002, a real intelligence agency-the CIA-made everything clear to the White House in their report “Iraqi Support for Terrorism 2002.”
The authoritarianism among those in this administration and their methods have in my opinion set this country back over fifteen years in our image and credibility in the world. The Republicans should be proud again to stand up and defend this behavior after six years of failure. The Hubris that flows from this party and lack of shame and accountability sends a signal to our young and upcoming leaders and workers to continue to distrust government and to question the facts. The continual defense of this behavior and lack of leadership illustrates to me the inner core of the conservative party today and I frankly cannot listen to any more lies and deceit. We have all been betrayed.