(2008-08-07) Suskind Way Of World

Ron Suskind has a new Way Of The World book out on the George W Bush administration's way of Dealing With Terrorism.

It includes claims that that the former Prime Minister sent a top British spy to the Middle East in 2003 - three months before the invasion - to dig up enough intelligence to avoid war but that President Bush and Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, dismissed any claims or possible evidence that would stop military action... The White House ordered the CIA to forge a backdated, handwritten letter purportedly from the head of Iraqi Intelligence to Saddam. The letter, which came to light nine months after the invasion, was meant to demonstrate a link between the Baathist regime and AlQaeda... Of the forgery allegation, Mr George Tenet said: "There was no such order from the White House to me or, to the best of my knowledge, was anyone from the CIA ever involved in any such effort." Of Mr Habbush, Mr Tenet said that the claims in the book were a complete fabrication.

The author has two high-level CIA operatives on the record concerning George Tenet's relay of instructions from the White House and on their own participation in the deception. That's better than adequate sourcing in anybody's book.