intel

If our conclusion in the previous post seems extreme, here's something from the Guardian:

"A senior US intelligence official is about to publish a bitter condemnation of America's counter-terrorism policy, arguing that the west is losing the war against al-Qaida and that an "avaricious, premeditated, unprovoked" war in Iraq has played into Osama bin Laden's hands."

The full story is here:
Guardian Unlimited Special reports Bush told he is playing into Bin Laden's hands

Out now is another book, A Pretext for War by James Bamford, a defense analyst, who zeros in on privatization at the Pentagon. He exposes the private contractor army we've been hearing about in Iraq and in connection with the prison scandal, but he adds something else we may have forgotten or not understood clearly: that these contractors were very influential in the Pentagon and circles of power before the war---in fact he says they were instrumental in getting the war started.

We're used to lobbyists writing environmental laws. Now they're writing the orders for soldiers to die, and for us to pay, for wars that will employ and profit them.

Political note: Though several recent polls show the presidential race as essentially tied, and some give a bump to Bush during the Reagan funeral week, the new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Kerry opening up an eight point lead in a two person race. This is sooner than even the Kerry people expected. His good month is supposed to be July, when he gets media for announcing a vp, and is essentially introduced to the mass public by the convention. A ten point lead a month from now would be a reasonable expectation.

Part of the reason for the Bush drop in the ABC/Post poll is that his last bastion is weakening---coincidentally, it's his ratings on conducting the war on terror. He's been losing on domestic issues, then on Iraq, but was holding strong in leadership against terror. The public may actually be beginning to see through the rhetoric and smirky piety to the nightmarish reality.