Paul Wolfowitz: A Man of Murky Intelligence

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is a rabid right winger. On Sunday he told anyone who would listen that the America must go on the offensive to prevent terror, even when the intelligence is “murky”.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, defending the Bush administration's justification of the Iraq war, said today that intelligence on terrorism is by its nature "murky," and that the United States may have little choice in the future but to "act on the basis of murky intelligence" if terror attacks are to be prevented. (New York Times)

Once again, this seems like a very bad plan. We’re supposed to trust the Bush White House – or any White House – to differentiate between credible but murky intelligence and murky intelligence that is just too murky to be believed? How easy would it be to believe what murky intelligence sounds and good discount what doesn’t fit in the plan?

A little too easy for comfort. What we’d have is a White House able to act without proof. And that, Bush or no Bush, is a very scary White House indeed.