Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Why the NIE report debate will carry on (and on and on)

From an email posted at NRO's The Corner:

Ms. Lopez,
I am the former CIA analyst whose email was posted by Mario Loyola yesterday on the Corner. I'm not surprised by your reaction (and the reaction of your readers) to the NIE. The CIA long ago stopped trying to provide top-notch analysis to policymakers. Instead, the focus is on not being wrong. As a result, the analysis that comes out of Langley tends to be nothing but mush that can be interpreted to mean almost anything to anybody, or, if you prefer, means absolutely nothing. That is why I am no longer at the CIA.

That former analyst is correct. That's one thing that struck me when I read the NIE. It is highly open to interpretation, and it is easily excerpted so that anyone can make it mean whatever they want if they don't mind cherry picking.

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