President was told in July of civil war risk in Iraq
Bush failed to plan for after war, report says
President George Bush was warned in July that Iraq could descend into all-out civil war, according to a classified estimate which summarised the views of a number of US intelligence agencies. Even the best-case scenario for Iraq is a political, economic and security situation described as tenuous. The National Intelligence Estimate predicts three possible scenarios: tenuous stability, political fragmentation, or civil war. The 50-page document, prepared in July before the latest upsurge in violence brought a sharp increase in Iraqi civilians killed and attacks on American troops, has yet to be officially released. A spokesman for the national security council, Scott McCormack, confirmed its existence and remained upbeat, but refused to discuss the details.Meanwhile, even Republican senators described the administration's reconstruction efforts as "beyond pitiful" and "exasperating from any vantage point," when the White House sought to divert $3bn from reconstruction to security. The administration dismissed the criticism, the White House spokesman Scott McClellan calling critics "pessimists and hand-wringers". [ more
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