Our unique intelligence agencies

Why are you so surprised that an American president is using intelligence as propoganda? That is exactly what Clinton did when the CIA lied about the number of Bosnian and Kosovo deaths. The Clinton-Blair lies about Kosovo, for example 100,000 dead Albanians, are just as evil and deceptive as Bush's lies about WMDs. Actually, Clinton's lies were worse because he slandered an entire ethnic group, us Serbs, while Bush really only slandered the Baathists.

I am so sorry I ever contributed to this forum, it may somehow have indicated this man has he has a vision of world events which is balanced.

This man has no coherent message. He in fact has nothing to say but a string of excuses and appologies to excuse every "mistake" any US organisation has ever made, and clearly confesses his own lack of historical knowledge. That fact he was ever a diplomatic official for the US explains why they are so poorly informed and advised.

Strange how only the US can tell the "bad" Muslims from the "good" Muslims.

B92 sack him before even less people bother to look you up.

Our unique intelligence agencies?
Not only in the US but worldwide term "military intelligence" is an oxymoron.
There is no such thing.

I want to add a few comments about the NIE report:
- I have have never seen Bush humble, apologizing or in retreat, so I am not astonished that even in these circumstances attack is the only answer he knows.
- it is my guess that Bush knew how devastating the report would be, but that his only concern was to get the invasion of Iran done. He seems to believe that ignoring is the best way to limit the harm.
- Your column does not discuss what the US should do different in the view of the NIE report. Yet you subly try to undermine the report as a kind of revenge and as unbalanced (without specifying how). All together you are just behaving as Bush would like you to do.
- With Libya and North Korea the international community has achieved big successes by using an approach that uses more carrots than sticks. I am convinced that a similar policy would work with Iran as well. I find it just criminal that even exporting an ordinary home pc to Iran is a crime because the US forbids exporting its technology to Iran.

Mr Montgomery, I am looking forward to reading the ten truths about Croatia, please include WW2, Jasenovac, role of the Vatican, in WW2 and the break up of Yugoslavia. You are an educated man, I am sure you will be able to find the truth. Thankyou

Mr. Montgomery,

Sorry to say, but you write like we readers lived on another planet than on the one where the USA wages its own jihad against those who harm or may harm the national interests of the USA and its closest allies.

You conclude by saying:

"I guarantee that one day after it was shown on national television, the practice [use of torture] would come to a screeching halt. Because we would be horrified and ashamed. As we should be."

You must be kidding?

Have you ever considered doing a body count along the track that US military with all its accompanying services have left behind?

You are plain lucky that the world media in general eats from your hand. Otherwise you would read news articles that picture your intelligence services as Gestapo, describe your people as Nazis and illustrate your state policy as a clumsy attempt to maintain foggy myths of nation's righteous past and future as shephards of world's peace.

Mr. Montgomery,

Unfortunately for the both of us, I don’t think the NIE is going to affect Bush’s foreign policy much. I may be harshly critical of you at times, but the foreign policy decisions by the Bush administration can only be referred to as evil. Bush and his cronies are out to shake the very foundation of international law and order. They thrive on instability that leads to war and bloodshed, they all profit from the military industrial complex and the oil barons.

Iran is the one country in the world most capable of bringing stability to Iraq. They live a very different life than we do in the West, but its no Taliban style repression, they have a form of democracy and the people there actually do have a positive opinion of us. We must not lose that. If we do the same thing to Iran that we did to Iraq, it will be simply impossible for us to bring any peace to Iraq ever. Iran knows if it joins the nuclear club, then they are part of an elite group, like Pakistan, that can not be attacked or bombed like non-nuclear states can. That is the reason the Pakistani government was not treated like the Taliban government was. Using threats of violence against Iran would only make them desire a nuclear device even more. The only solution is for the United States to step up, abolish our own nuclear arsenal and ask the Iranian people for their help and their honest opinions on stabilizing the Shia areas of Iraq. Give the Kurds their own state, and if Turkey engages in violence, give em the Kosovo treatment. Send Blue Helmets to Palestine and keep the Israeli’s out, even if force is necessary to keep EITHER side from violence.

As far as the tapes being destroyed, I feel that is criminal. I do not believe showing it to the public at this time is such a good idea, but the people making the decisions on torture, like our congress men and women should absolutely be required to view it, and if in favor of it, experience it first hand. I read the entire set of the Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn and he claimed the most horrible tortures he endured were sleep deprivation and stress positions, and Stalin had some very unusual and disturbing ways of torturing people. So I do not believe any of the things our government are doing are very pleasant. We absolutely must retain a copy of these terrible crimes that we have done so that we do not make the same mistake again.

The basic rule of thumb about interrogation should be if it would cause great instability to the world if it were viewed publically, then it’s probably torture.

Dear Mr Montgomery,

You said, "The United States once again looks like an unreliable partner."

I'm sorry Sir, but the US doesn't "look like an unreliable partner," the Bush Administration is an unreliable partner who is prepared to selfishly undo decades of international agreements in order to get its own way.

Moreover, you suggest the Bush Administration should have done far more to 'alter' the NIE report to its liking and prepare the ground for its publication. Isn't that precisely how Iraq ended up being invaded and occupied on the premise of a lie?

Willie Garvin

Bush already knew for NIE reports. He asked for this type of report. It was the way the US administration can save face considering that attacking Iran was bluff. The main problem is that for any type of military engagement against Iran will be “out of question”, as already stated by tsar Putin.
The US problem is that Russia is not any more communist country but very successful capitalist driven country, and that tsar Putin is much better chess player than Bush.

Mr. Montgomery,

Sorry to say, but you write like we readers lived on another planet than on the one where the USA wages its own jihad against those who harm or may harm the national interests of the USA and its closest allies.

You conclude by saying:

"I guarantee that one day after it was shown on national television, the practice [use of torture] would come to a screeching halt. Because we would be horrified and ashamed. As we should be."

You must be kidding?

Have you ever considered doing a body count along the track that US military with all its accompanying services have left behind?

You are plain lucky that the world media in general eats from your hand. Otherwise you would read news articles that picture your intelligence services as Gestapo, describe your people as Nazis and illustrate your state policy as a clumsy attempt to maintain foggy myths of nation's righteous past and future as shephards of world's peace.

Why are you so surprised that an American president is using intelligence as propoganda? That is exactly what Clinton did when the CIA lied about the number of Bosnian and Kosovo deaths. The Clinton-Blair lies about Kosovo, for example 100,000 dead Albanians, are just as evil and deceptive as Bush's lies about WMDs. Actually, Clinton's lies were worse because he slandered an entire ethnic group, us Serbs, while Bush really only slandered the Baathists.

Mr. Montgomery,

Unfortunately for the both of us, I don’t think the NIE is going to affect Bush’s foreign policy much. I may be harshly critical of you at times, but the foreign policy decisions by the Bush administration can only be referred to as evil. Bush and his cronies are out to shake the very foundation of international law and order. They thrive on instability that leads to war and bloodshed, they all profit from the military industrial complex and the oil barons.

Iran is the one country in the world most capable of bringing stability to Iraq. They live a very different life than we do in the West, but its no Taliban style repression, they have a form of democracy and the people there actually do have a positive opinion of us. We must not lose that. If we do the same thing to Iran that we did to Iraq, it will be simply impossible for us to bring any peace to Iraq ever. Iran knows if it joins the nuclear club, then they are part of an elite group, like Pakistan, that can not be attacked or bombed like non-nuclear states can. That is the reason the Pakistani government was not treated like the Taliban government was. Using threats of violence against Iran would only make them desire a nuclear device even more. The only solution is for the United States to step up, abolish our own nuclear arsenal and ask the Iranian people for their help and their honest opinions on stabilizing the Shia areas of Iraq. Give the Kurds their own state, and if Turkey engages in violence, give em the Kosovo treatment. Send Blue Helmets to Palestine and keep the Israeli’s out, even if force is necessary to keep EITHER side from violence.

As far as the tapes being destroyed, I feel that is criminal. I do not believe showing it to the public at this time is such a good idea, but the people making the decisions on torture, like our congress men and women should absolutely be required to view it, and if in favor of it, experience it first hand. I read the entire set of the Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn and he claimed the most horrible tortures he endured were sleep deprivation and stress positions, and Stalin had some very unusual and disturbing ways of torturing people. So I do not believe any of the things our government are doing are very pleasant. We absolutely must retain a copy of these terrible crimes that we have done so that we do not make the same mistake again.

The basic rule of thumb about interrogation should be if it would cause great instability to the world if it were viewed publically, then it’s probably torture.

I am so sorry I ever contributed to this forum, it may somehow have indicated this man has he has a vision of world events which is balanced.

This man has no coherent message. He in fact has nothing to say but a string of excuses and appologies to excuse every "mistake" any US organisation has ever made, and clearly confesses his own lack of historical knowledge. That fact he was ever a diplomatic official for the US explains why they are so poorly informed and advised.

Strange how only the US can tell the "bad" Muslims from the "good" Muslims.

B92 sack him before even less people bother to look you up.

Dear Mr Montgomery,

You said, "The United States once again looks like an unreliable partner."

I'm sorry Sir, but the US doesn't "look like an unreliable partner," the Bush Administration is an unreliable partner who is prepared to selfishly undo decades of international agreements in order to get its own way.

Moreover, you suggest the Bush Administration should have done far more to 'alter' the NIE report to its liking and prepare the ground for its publication. Isn't that precisely how Iraq ended up being invaded and occupied on the premise of a lie?

Willie Garvin

Our unique intelligence agencies?
Not only in the US but worldwide term "military intelligence" is an oxymoron.
There is no such thing.

I want to add a few comments about the NIE report:
- I have have never seen Bush humble, apologizing or in retreat, so I am not astonished that even in these circumstances attack is the only answer he knows.
- it is my guess that Bush knew how devastating the report would be, but that his only concern was to get the invasion of Iran done. He seems to believe that ignoring is the best way to limit the harm.
- Your column does not discuss what the US should do different in the view of the NIE report. Yet you subly try to undermine the report as a kind of revenge and as unbalanced (without specifying how). All together you are just behaving as Bush would like you to do.
- With Libya and North Korea the international community has achieved big successes by using an approach that uses more carrots than sticks. I am convinced that a similar policy would work with Iran as well. I find it just criminal that even exporting an ordinary home pc to Iran is a crime because the US forbids exporting its technology to Iran.

Mr Montgomery, I am looking forward to reading the ten truths about Croatia, please include WW2, Jasenovac, role of the Vatican, in WW2 and the break up of Yugoslavia. You are an educated man, I am sure you will be able to find the truth. Thankyou

Bush already knew for NIE reports. He asked for this type of report. It was the way the US administration can save face considering that attacking Iran was bluff. The main problem is that for any type of military engagement against Iran will be “out of question”, as already stated by tsar Putin.
The US problem is that Russia is not any more communist country but very successful capitalist driven country, and that tsar Putin is much better chess player than Bush.