Who wrote the "U.S. Government Assessment" released today?

[morningfog]

This is a strange document to be released. It has no heading of a department or an agency. It doesn't say who it was written to, or for. It doesn't have an author or authors. It is unsigned. There is nothing official to it.

It is a "summary of U.S. Intelligence Community's analysis of what took place." Was it written by them or second-hand by another?

It is wholly unsourced and based on either secret intelligence that can't be revealed or on what is already on the public airwaves.

Here it is: http://www.scribd.com/doc/164267580/U-S-Government-Assessment-of-the-Syrian-Government%E2%80%99s-Use-of-Chemical-Weapons

[leveymg]

1. It was released through the State Department, but its most significant sourcing is Israeli

intelligence intercepts acquired by IDF Unit 8200, Israel's NSA. After Iraq, if that isn't reason to take a closer look, and open up these materials to independent evaluation, I don't know what is. See, http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023566461

[Tx4obama]

2. A link below that seems to load faster

Here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/30/government-assessment-syrian-government-s-use-chemical-weapons-august-21

[morningfog]

9. So it was released by the WH press secretary.

Who wrote it?

[Tx4obama]

10. It was also released by the State Department. I don't have a clue who wrote it. n/t

[Pretzel_Warrior]

24. Not good enough. We need names, ranks, dossiers! We are investigatin' here!

[morningfog]

30. Hell, a department or agency officially claiming it

would suffice. Who authored it? This matters to those who think independently.

[joshcryer]

3. Reads like a bunch of intelligence interns sat down and wrote up some BS.

"high confidence" "we assess" "intelligence sources"

Release the actual evidence. A recording will not prove shit about the source.

[leveymg]

12. It tells us less than zero that wasn't available open-sourced already. Considerably less.

This can't be the Obama Administration's best effort - one hopes.

[joshcryer]

17. I hope Obama reads his own government's assessment.

And, no, not the intercepts, not the evidence he might be presented directly, read what they're peddling to the American people.

Because that's really their position, they only have confidence, no proof. Confidence this, confidence that. That's fucking speculation. It's as bad as going to war based on my own speculation on this subject. It's nonsense.

Intelligence wonks sitting around a table having a discussion about this sort of thing, it's just insane. And I can see the President taking their talks more seriously and believing that "confidence" means more than what they're telling him to his face.

Basically if you're in a room with people telling you something dire but prefacing it with likelihoods and possibilities you're going to inclined to listen and take their word for it. They were right about Bin Laden (whatever the CT people think, I think Bin Laden was found and executed). That sort of thing probably is even more persuasive to Obama. Except in Bin Laden's case it wasn't a matter of "high confidence." They had a currier who gave Bin Laden away!

[pinboy3niner]

21. Exactly, Josh!

It's merely a characterization, without a shred of evidence in it. For a declassified "intel" document, its release was anticlimactic. A previous administration supplied Colin Powell with tons more evidence--even if it was bogus. This "assessment" offers nothing to support it.

I remember when JFK showed us evidence of the missiles in Cuba. He made his case on the facts and the evidence. That's what's missing here.

[joshcryer]

22. I think they think they can get away with it.

Because they think that they've managed to make the "intelligence gathering community" all powerful seeming thanks to the NSA leaks / disclosures. It's not even signed off on by the intelligence community. Who is "we"? It's used an awful lot, at the dang bare minimum they could put some names to it. No one wants to touch this report with a ten foot pole!

[leveymg]

23. "What I did during my Summer vacation - got the United States into a Mideast War."

The most unbelievable thing about this is how little they seemed to have learned from the Iraq War deception, and how little evidence it takes to go to war.

[Autumn]

4. "The United States Government assesses with high confidence"

In other words, Trust us, this is all you are getting. This is bullshit.

[jsr]

5. Typical neocon warmongering garbage

[Wilms]

6. Contractors n/t

[woo me with science]

7. Stop being so abusive to Obama. nt

[jsr]

11. +1984. The abused are the abusers.

[tarheelsunc]

8. It looks like something I could type in Word in 10 minutes.

This is pretty embarrassing for what is supposedly the most powerful nation in the world. Looks amateurish, and provides no hard evidence. I was hoping if we're going to have another war, they'd at least TRY to properly justify it.

[PoliticAverse]

13. Rule #1 of 'plausible deniability' - don't sign anything. n/t

[woo me with science]

16. [phone]

[quinnox]

14. "We know best and don't dare question us, America. USA USA USA Fuck yea!"

[David__77]

15. It's garbage.

They are preying on the gullible and those predisposed to such a swindle.

[jtuck004]

18. Mickey Spillane n/t

[truedelphi]

19. If the names of the interns that wrote this haven't been classified by now,

They soon will be.

Remember how some stunning intelligence assessment that Bush was using to refute Joe Wilson with ended up having come from someone's college term paper?

This is on a par with that.

[woo me with science]

25. Oh my gosh, I remember that!

Yup. Nobody wants to attach their name to this garbage.

[Democracyinkind]

27. Have you ever seen "In the loop" by any chance?

That movie hilariously takes up that story...

[truedelphi]

32. I see the film gets played on the Sundance channel sometimes.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to check it out.

[90-percent]

20. Appearances

It almost appears like the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Surveillance-Complex is bullying our President into doing this?

I sure as hell didn't vote for this fiasco! What on earth could this man be thinking?

-90% Jimmy

[eridani]

26. Why anyone would believe anything the US government puts out about war is beyond me n/t

[madrchsod]

28. really?

it`s pretty clear there will be no names in the release. if they did the sources could dry up dry up or be dead.

[Jesus Malverde]

29. Normally a report would have the name of the department and analysts that compiled it.

Or if generated by a committee or research group, their name.

The way this document is written, who would congress call for clarification of any key points since the document itself is anonymous.

No one here is calling for the revelation of sources and methods.

The silliest reference is to reports from social media.

[morningfog]

31. Yet, Kerry cited exactly that in his speech. "Thousands of sources."