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Australian Intel Analyst -
'Bush Is Stupid & Dangerous'

The Age
12-3-3


US President George W Bush is a stupid and dangerous man and the Australian government had lost credibility by supporting him, a former intelligence analyst says.
 
Andrew Wilkie resigned from the Office of National Assessments (ONA) in March and accused the Howard government of exaggerating information about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
 
Mr Wilkie said terrorism had made the US feel vulnerable and many of its politicians had realised the September 11, 2001 attacks had forced them to deal with all the things that made them feel vulnerable.
 
"It was tapped - not so much by (President) Bush, because I think he is a stupid and dangerous man - it was tapped by the highly intelligent and dangerous men who surround him," Mr Wilkie told the Now We The People conference in Sydney.
 
Mr Wilkie was named Australian of the Year by the conference delegates, including politicians, unionists, religious and community activists who are trying to build a movement against Prime Minister John Howard and Mr Bush.
 
He told delegates the "mess" in Iraq had proven that the US was "powerful enough to win a war, but needs more international support to win peace".
 
"There will be no improvement in Iraq until the US presence is significantly diminished ... and the life of the average Iraqi has improved considerably," he said.
 
Mr Wilkie also said the next terrorist attack could well involve Australian interests.
 
"The next terrorist attack - and there will be one and it will be big - could involve Australian interests, it's just a matter of time," he said.
 
"What is important is how the US responds to that ... (because) we have a problem with security (issues) now because the US is less credible, and because our government is less credible."
 
Mr Wilkie told a federal parliament inquiry the government deliberately skewed the truth and misled the public over Iraq's weapons capabilities to strengthen the argument in favour of war.
 
He said the government fabricated the truth and deliberately exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq to keep in step with its American allies.
 
He also said Mr Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer were the chief cheerleaders of the invasion campaign.
 
Both Mr Howard and Mr Downer have rejected the accusations, with Mr Downer describing Mr Wilkie as hysterical.
 
While Mr Wilkie said he supported Mr Howard's decision to send Australian troops to the Solomon Islands, he said the timing was questionable.
 
©2003 AAP
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/23/1061529374383.html
 

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