O Brave New World,

That has such people in't!

WASHINGTON - Congress' investigation into prewar intelligence on Iraq (news - web sites) is all but over, Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts signaled Thursday. ...

The Senate Intelligence Committee produced a 511-page report last summer on flaws of the Iraq intelligence estimate assembled by the country's top analysts in October 2002, and promised a second phase would look at issues that couldn't be finalized in the first year of work.

The first phase was tightly focussed on what intelligence was provided. The politically-charged question of what the administration did with that intelligence (did they distort it, did they cherry-pick it for their own purposes, did they just ignore it) was to be confronted after the election.

Following a speech Thursday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Roberts was asked whether the inquiry's second phase would be taken up this spring. He listed three main parts of the investigation and dismissed the merits of each:

_On whether the administration overstated Iraq intelligence in public remarks, Roberts said his committee could ask why officials made such strong, declarative statements about Iraq's weapons, but they would reply that their statements were based on "bum intelligence."

"To go through that exercise, it seems to me, in a postelection environment, we didn't see how we could do that and achieve any possible progress," he said. "I think everybody pretty well gets it."

_On whether the estimates regarding the postwar situation in Iraq were accurate, Roberts said the intelligence was "all over the lot." For instance, he said a predicted humanitarian crisis from a wave of refugees proved wrong.

He said other issues before the committee take precedent over further study of Iraq intelligence, including the new national intelligence director, intelligence reform and "pre-emptive oversight" on North Korea, Iran and other areas.

_On whether the Office of Special Plans — an intelligence office reporting to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld — operated appropriately, Roberts said there was no evidence the office had a significant impact on the national intelligence estimate of October 2002, a document the administration relied on to help make the case for the invasion.

In other words, a) we could ask, but they'd lie, and we'd never use our own investigative power to find out the truth, so why bother? b) so what if they listened to wackos instead of more reliable estimates? and c) there's no evidence that there is evidence somewhere we haven't looked yet.

It's good to know that Roberts thinks they should be doing "oversight" on intelligence for the next conflicts, since they did such a good job with the last one. After all, why delay reforming the intelligence system until after you know what's wrong with it?

To be fair:

Later in the day, Roberts' spokeswoman Sarah Little said the committee is still looking into issues saved for the inquiry's second phase. Roberts' comments were "his personal view of the difficulties that the committee staff faces in engaging in phase two. He has ordered staff to follow every lead," Little said.

Yes, Senator Roberts, I've heard that running a government is "hard work."