About this episode
James Bamford , author of "A Pretext for War," delivers a devastating analysis of intelligence failures and political manipulation surrounding the Iraq invasion. Drawing from his decades of experience investigating the NSA and intelligence agencies, Bamford reveals how the Bush administration had predetermined plans to attack Iraq regardless of evidence. He exposes the role of neoconservative intellectuals who advocated regime change in Iraq as early as 1996, long before 9/11 provided political cover. The conversation explores how intelligence was distorted to support predetermined policy goals and why no weapons of mass destruction were found despite confident government assertions. Bamford discusses the deliberate conflation of 9/11 and Iraq in public messaging, creating false associations that persist in public opinion polls. He analyzes the growing insurgency and terrorist influx into Iraq, arguing that American presence has created more problems than it solved. The discussion examines whether the invasion was based on genuine intelligence failures or deliberate deception, with profound implications for American credibility and Middle Eastern stability.