War is Just a Racket

[abnonymous]

In an April interview with Tom Brokaw, the following exchange took place:

Q: That human intelligence that we had on the ground, did you hear back from
him, I presume?
THE PRESIDENT: We did.
Q: And did he -- 
THE PRESIDENT: He felt like we got Saddam.
Q: He did?
THE PRESIDENT: He felt like that, yes. And we're trying, of course, to
verify. And before there's any declaration, of course, there will be a lot
of evidence.
(snip)
Q: I don't want you to give up sources and methods, but the guy who called
in the first time -- still with us?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, he is. He is with us. Thank God. A brave soul.

(full interview:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2003/0425brokaw.htm)

In fact, according to the Pentagon shortly after the attack in question (and
according to the NYT story to which this thread is devoted), that
"intelligence asset" was lost in the strike.

Like Rottin' Ronnie Reagan, Dubya won't let a "stupid thing" like facts
(i.e. the truth) get in the way of a good story.

YOPJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "R. Fiero" <rfiero at pophost.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 13, 2004 10:38 PM
Subject: Re: War is Just a Racket


>
> --Counterpunch--
> Trained in Saigon, outfitted with captured enemy equipment,
> then given a "one-way ticket to Cambodia," they were sent to
> locate enemy sanctuaries. When they radioed back their position
> and that of the sanctuary, the CIA would bomb them along with the target.
> ==========
> --NY Times--
> One possibility, a senior intelligence official and a senior
> military officer said, is that Mr. Hussein was above ground in
> one of the houses that were not destroyed in the raid.
> In the raid, the Air Force primarily used deep-penetrating
> munitions because of their ability to destroy an underground
> bunker. The person who was the primary source of the
> information about the bunker was killed in the raid, according
> to intelligence officials, but had described it using an Arabic
> word, manzul, that could have been translated either as place
> of refuge or as bunker.
>