UPDATED BELOW IN COMMENTS:

See here.

The title tells the story as the Pentagon IG released their report today on pre-war intelligence from the CIA which was re-looked at by the Pentagon intel guys and gals.

“A Pentagon investigation into the handling of prewar intelligence has criticized civilian Pentagon officials for conducting their own intelligence analysis to find links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, but said the officials did not violate any laws or mislead Congress, according to Congressional officials who have read the report.

The long-awaited report by the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Thomas F. Gimble, was sent to Congress on Thursday. It is the first major review to rebuke senior officials working for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for the way intelligence was used before the invasion of Iraq early in 2003.

Working under Douglas J. Feith, who at the time was under secretary of defense for policy, the group “developed, produced and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and Al Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community, to senior decision-makers,” the report concluded. Excerpts were quoted by Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who has long been critical of Mr. Feith and other Pentagon officials.

The report, and the dueling over its conclusions, shows that bitter divisions over the handling of prewar intelligence remain even after many of the substantive questions have been laid to rest and the principal actors have left the government.”

Of course as normal with the uninformed and ignorant, this fuels the “Bush/Cheney lied” fire, but that’s not what the IG report states. Anyone who has been in the IC during a time of conflict knows that there is always this pee contest between the CIA and the Pentagon and a lot of general distrust at first analysis and therefore attempts will be made to clarify the data.

Note the report cites no illegal activity or even the hint of insincerity, yet partisan hack Carl Levin who couldn’t even wait for the full report and thus is an ass will no doubt peer over his glasses in disgust and try to form more hearings. Let him. The fact is that nothing was wrong about trying to get it right.

Capt Ed:

“It’s difficult to understand the objection of the IG. If the activity broke no laws and violated no policies, what is inappropriate about having competing sets of analysts looking at intelligence to get alternative viewpoints? One of the criticisms made by Bush administration critics is that the White House relied on stovepiped intel analysis for the WMD question — which came from the official CIA analysts and directed by George Tenet.”

That’s because for all the accusations made of twisted prewar intelligence the fact is that we have seen nothing a sincere effort on administration officials to make sure the information was right.

In fact in all these reports on prewar intelligence no one has shown a concerted effort by anyone in the Administration of trying to “cook up” anything. Instead we see careful and cautious planning and vetting of intelligence to find the truth of the situation in prewar Iraq.

Again, Levin was on the bandwagon (in fact leading the charge) before the war:

“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.” – Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.

I have spoken with people who were personally involved in briefing Senator Levin and there was nothing known that he didn’t know at the time. He only changed his tune after a certain plan was unveiled which has more to do with Levin’s agenda than anything else.
He is a disingenuous liar and a disgrace to the Nation.

UPDATE: As I expected the MSM is in some cases spinning the story and other downright lying about it. Such as the Associated Depressed:

Report says Pentagon manipulated intel. Bullshit. AP’s Robert Burns wrote this crap. Yesterday’s his headline was more to the truth, “Pentagon Says Pre-War Intel Not Illegal“. Compare also to this Google Cache from 30 minutes ago “Pre-war intelligence was legit”. Seems Burn’s editors rewrote his headline to more match their BDS.

Additionally, more on Carl (four eyes) Levin:

On 6 October 1998, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, addressed that committee at a hearing on the subject of worldwide threats facing the U.S. His comments on Iraq included mention of a letter to President Clinton which he and other senators were circulating:

As the Chairman has indicated, the situation in Iraq also poses a threat to international peace and security. Once again, Saddam Hussein has halted cooperation with the United Nations Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Without intrusive inspections, we will not be able to ensure that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs are destroyed in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions. Without those inspections, the Iraqi people will continue to suffer as a result of international economic sanctions.

And that is why, along with Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Hutchison, I am circulating among our Senate colleagues a letter to President Clinton, urging him, in consultation with Congress, consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take effective actions, including if appropriate, the use of air strikes, to respond to the Iraqi threat.”

Also it appears the “acting inspector general”, Thomas F. Gimble, may have a little conflict of interest.

“The Pentagon last had a permanent inspector general in September 2005, when Joseph E. Schmitz left to become general counsel for the parent company of security firm Blackwater USA. Since then, the office of 1,250 military and civilian officers and employees has been led by acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble.

Gimble withstood heavy criticism last year when it came to light that his office had no personnel on the ground in Iraq, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent there. Since then, a handful of auditors and inspectors have been rotating into Iraq from an office in Qatar. Gimble has also been faulted for not delving into the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program.

Laufman, an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia who last year successfully prosecuted a man for conspiring to assassinate Bush, has said the inspector general’s office should have a regular presence in Iraq. He told senators in July that the Pentagon’s inspector general has the jurisdiction to investigate the NSA program and that “it is unclear why the DOD IG did not exercise its jurisdiction at the outset.”

Some of Laufman’s other statements to senators, however, ran afoul of the Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat, Carl M. Levin (Mich.), who is likely to become chairman when the new Congress convenes in January. In particular, Levin was displeased that Laufman said he would consult the defense secretary before issuing reports on certain national security matters.

Laufman said his answer was based on his reading of the law, but Gimble wrote in a letter to Levin that such consultations “would be a significant change to current practice.” Gimble also contradicted Laufman’s statement that the two men had not talked about the issue.”

Could it be that Gimbel is Levin’s butt monkey and is just serving up koolaid to get in good with the new boss to jockey for the appointment over Laufman?

Worth looking more into. Updates to come.

UPDATE II: Must read РAndy McCarthy at NRO.  Here is what might be the motivation for Gimble:

“As for ‚Äúso what‚Äù:¬† The¬†IG‚Äôs report concludes that a Pentagon unit which scrubbed existing intelligence about Iraq‚Äôs terror ties under¬†the leadership of Doug Feith, then-Undersecretary for Policy, did not mislead Congress.¬† It further finds that neither Feith nor any other Defense officials engaged in wrong-doing.¬† Nevertheless, acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble huffs and puffs and contends that Feith‚Äôs unit still behaved ‚Äúinappropriately.‚Äù

Why?¬† Because¬†it dared to question that which we now know for a¬†fact was wrong:¬† the Intelligence Community‚Äôs assessments about Iraq, and, in particular, the conventional wisdom that secular Saddam and his Baathists would never collude with Islamic fundamentalists.”

Now if you wanted to impress the “no-connection” crowd like Levin, Rockefeller and others how better to do than with the assessment that Gimble delivered.