More civilian casualties they think, now there's a shocker. And where would we be without those brilliant minds in the CIA to ferret out the startling intelligence that the new Iraqui government is having a spot of bother trying to govern the country. Western civilisation is saved.
Just think how bad things would be without the CIA though. Doesn't bear thinking about, we wouldn't know whether we were Arthur or Martha. Give them a bigger budget I say, just think how much better they could clue us in if they could replace the old B&W tele with a new-fangled colour set.
One more thing. Why oh why haven't the poor bastards been issued with names, after all these years? How much can a few name-tags cost for God sake? No wonder they're "glum". It must be very confusing, with thousands of nameless people running around that big building looking for the remote.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas
At 8:35 AM -0500 12/11/03, Doug Henwood wrote:
>Newspaper: CIA Report Offers Bleak View of Iraq
>
>PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A new CIA (news - web sites) report on Iraq
>(news - web sites) warns of growing popular support for insurgents
>combating U.S. occupation forces and says efforts to rebuild the
>country could collapse without immediate corrective action, the
>Philadelphia Inquirer said on Wednesday.
>
>The newspaper, quoting unnamed administration officials, also said
>in an article that the classified document's bleak view of the
>situation in Iraq has been privately endorsed by Iraq's U.S.
>governor, Paul Bremer.
>
>The CIA analysis, which was issued to senior U.S. officials on
>Monday, suggests that the escalation of the U.S. military campaign
>against guerrillas could cause new civilian casualties and drive
>more Iraqis to the side of the insurgents, the newspaper said.
>
>Meanwhile, the inability of U.S. forces to crush the insurgents is
>convincing growing numbers of Iraqis that the occupation can be
>defeated, the newspaper said.
>
>The report warns that none of the postwar Iraqi political
>institutions and leaders have shown an ability to govern the country
>or even preside over drafting a constitution or holding an election,
>the Inquirer said.
>
>It also raises concerns that majority Shi'ite Muslims could join
>Sunnis in an insurgency against the U.S. occupation, citing
>intensifying U.S.-Shi'ite friction fueled by this week's U.S.
>killing of the mayor of the Shi'ite enclave of Sadr City, according
>to the newspaper.
>
>The Inquirer said administration officials did not detail any
>recommendations contained in the report.
>
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