Views under the Palm | johnmpoole.com: "Dumbing Down" the "Intelligence"
Sources: Office of the DNI cut "al Qaeda" reference from Benghazi talking points, and CIA, FBI signed off - CBS News: ""The intelligence community assessed from the very beginning that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack," DNI spokesman Shawn Turner tells CBS News. That information was shared at a classified level -- which Rice, as a member of President Obama's cabinet, would have been privy to. An intelligence source says the talking points were passed from the CIA to the DNI, where the substantive edits were made, and then to FBI, which made more edits as part of "standard procedure.""
In other words, Rice knew, Obama knew, in fact everyone "inside the intelligence apparatus" knew that it was a terrorist attack--nonetheless, Rice went on multiple national television shows 5 days after the attack and maintained the "intelligence" indicated it was a spontaneous "protest" over some obscure YouTube video. This would be hilarious but for the tragic consequences of the attack.
Spin it however you want--this is pathetic. There is nothing honorable in the performance of Rice, Obama's posturing, or the DNI--which should be abolished. Part of the obvious problem here is we have too many "intelligence" agencies, each of whom wants to have their own input on the "end product" resulting in a very poor quality product. If Steve Jobs were running this show, DNI would have been abolished and the head of the CIA would report directly to the White House with the latest and best intelligence. We don't need a dozen bureaucracies to do one job in Washington! But you think anyone in Washington is going to streamline an inefficient and bloated government? That would save taxpayer funds and lessen the deficit!
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