August 6 2001 PDB ("Bin Laden determined to strike US" memo) question

I've been wondering this after hearing Ron Suskind giving an interview about The One Percent Doctrine. How often do intelligence reports overstate threats? What I mean is, did * receive information about Bin Laden's intention to attack the US along with, say, similar information about Qadaffi, Saddam, Castro, bears, etc.? Or did CIA really really emphasize and push this as opposed to other threats?

I suppose I should buy Suskind's book, I just am wondering if anybody knows how often people in high places got (pre-9/11) warnings about all these different groups and people that want to attack the US.

According to Suskind, after * heard the Bin Laden briefing, he said, "All right, you've covered your ass". Is there something to that? Was CIA deliberately (but truthfully, it turned out) overstating its case? And if so, had it been doing that for a lot of other threats, or just that?

on the threat OBL posed. None of the 'Grown-ups' of the incoming junta wanted to hear them on the subject.

They have a long standing history of not paying attention to the risks of certain forces. There was that Katrina thing too... it was in all the papers and on every channel, but somehow, bushco just didn't see THAT one either.

we'd never attack the US.

But to answer your question, I don't know.

But we do know Richard Clarke and others were practically begging the administration to pay attention to the threat, but they were basically ignored.