The Skeptical Spy (interview w/Ray McGovern in MoJo)

Ray McGovern
Interviewed By Michael W. Robbins
March 10, 2004

When David Kay, the CIA's former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, announced earlier this year that his team had found no stockpiled weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he touched off an explosion of blame, finger-pointing, denial, and hasty "clarifications" about the extent and accuracy of the intelligence that the Bush Administration used to buttress its decision to invade Iraq. Kay's startling conclusion, though, came as no surprise to many analysts in the U.S. intelligence community -- particularly the members of a self-described "movement" of some 35 retired and resigned high-level U.S. intelligence operatives.

snip

MJ.com: Why are you speaking out like this?

RM: Because there is no English word to describe our outrage. We've been watching this for a year now, and we've published eleven memos on what the Bush administration has done. We're just aghast at what we saw all during 2002.

We have never seen anything like this orchestrated campaign, as the Administration chose to play on America's real suffering and trauma to sell an illegal and unnecessary war.

MJ.com: In light of what's gone on recently, what is your group's feeling now about our intelligence capabilities and how intelligence is being used?

RM: The intelligence process is broken, really broken. This is, in terms of the immediate problem, the only thing that the President is right about -- it is a dangerous world out there. He's helped make it so, but it is very dangerous, and there is an intelligence process here that has been prostituted and battered around.

more at
http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2004/03/03_400.html

I post his essays every chance I get.

On edit:

One correction. Ray, like a lot of people is under the mistaken impression that David Kay is a scientist. He is not.

<snip>

Dr. Kay holds a BA degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's in International Affairs and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. He is the recipient of the IAEA's Distinguished Service Award and the U.S. Secretary of State's Commendation. Note, although it is not clear, both his Master's and Ph.D. are in International Affairs.

http://www.potomacinstitute.org/who/staff_kay.cfm

See also:

http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/4522/index.php