David Sanger suggests the White House is in a pickle

How many ways do they have to wriggle out of the bad intelligence on WMD problem?

"They've made a pretty huge mess of it," said one senior Republican who has been talking to Mr. Bush's top advisers about what steps to take next. "They wove this giant story, based on intelligence assessments that in hindsight — and this is hindsight, remember — were wrong.

"It's exposed a huge problem in our intelligence gathering. But who wants to take that on in an election year? Or while you are fighting terrorists?"  NY Times article by David Sanger

Well, probably nobody. But, if it is an intelligence problem, it seems like it might be a good idea to take it on before you go trying to engage in another "operation", which they keep threatening. Frankly, I believe it is an intelligence problem. The intelligence of the man in the oval office.

The arrogance of the White House folks is stupendous. They just boldly drive on. They're STILL saying when telling us what's going on with other evil countries that our intelligence is good and credible. But that's what they said going into war in Iraq. So what, all of a sudden THAT intelligence wasn't so hot, but the intelligence we get now is A-one?

These folks really do live in a bubble. The question is, do the American people intend to stay in it with them? Cheney keeps repeating that we'll find those WMD. And Bubblehead keeps saying that we did the right thing, and he won't forget the lessons of 9/11.

I have to hand it to these people. Just put your head down and keep going.

Many Republicans have a different instinct: to follow Dr. Kay's lead and put the blame on the agency's assessments rather than the White House. In their view, that is the best way to insulate Mr. Bush from the charge that he cherry-picked the most damaging information.

Of course, I don't know, but I think that could backfire big time. After all, do they really want those agents coming forward repeating, perhaps even swearing under oath, that they were pressured to provide evidence that fit the agenda? Because that's what they were saying happened.

Mr. Cheney, the man who made the most extensive claims about Iraq's readiness to strike out, has failed to back down publicly. Last Friday he was on the air again, talking about Mr. Hussein's mobile biological weapons units, which now appear, Dr. Kay says, to have had no such purpose.

"We'll have to get Cheney the new memo," one White House official said after Mr. Cheney's comments. "As soon as we write it."

"Mayberry Machiavellis" is right.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.