Published on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 by the New York Times 

Who's Unpatriotic Now? 
by Paul Krugman 

Some nonrevisionist history: On Oct. 8, 2002, Knight Ridder newspapers 
reported on intelligence officials who "charge that the administration 
squelches dissenting views, and that intelligence analysts are under 
intense pressure to produce reports supporting the White House's argument 
that Saddam poses such an immediate threat to the United States that 
pre-emptive military action is necessary." One official accused the 
administration of pressuring analysts to "cook the intelligence books"; 
none of the dozen other officials the reporters spoke to disagreed.  

The skepticism of these officials has been vindicated. So have the 
concerns expressed before the war by military professionals like Gen. 
Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff, about the resources required 
for postwar occupation. But as the bad news comes in, those who 
promoted this war have responded with a concerted effort to smear 
the messengers.  

Issues of principle aside, the invasion of a country that hadn't 
attacked us and didn't pose an imminent threat has seriously weakened 
our military position. Of the Army's 33 combat brigades, 16 are in Iraq; 
this leaves us ill prepared to cope with genuine threats. Moreover, 
military experts say that with almost two-thirds of its brigades 
deployed overseas, mainly in Iraq, the Army's readiness is eroding: 
normal doctrine calls for only one brigade in three to be deployed 
abroad, while the other two retrain and refit. 

[snip / snip]

Full article at Common Dreams ... 
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0722-01.htm

Cheers, Steve..

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