Polls & Research

Americans Question CIA Actions Before Iraq War

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the United States believe the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) failed to provide genuine information during the months that preceded the coalition effort, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 53 per cent of respondents think the CIA was not very truthful or not at all truthful before the war in Iraq.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was launched in March 2003. At least 3,377 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 25,000 troops have been wounded in action.

Last month, former CIA director George Tenet released a book, which asserts that some figures in the federal government—particularly U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney—were determined to seek military action in Iraq before the 9/11 attacks. Tenet also claims the Bush administration showed a willingness to "mischaracterize complex intelligence information."

On May 6, Tenet discussed the CIA's actions in the lead-up to the war, saying, "Did we believe (Saddam Hussein) had weapons of mass destruction? Yes, we did, and we said so. Were we found to be wrong? Yes. But let's not turn this meeting into the seminal moment that I think the vice-president was implying."

In February 2003, U.S. state secretary Colin Powell assured the United Nations (UN) Security Council that Hussein possessed biological weapons. Tenet expressed frustration with this episode, declaring, "We let the secretary down and we undermined the credibility of the United States. (...) It was a dark moment for all of us. Nobody regrets this more than I do."

Polling Data

Perceptions of the actions of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before the war in Iraq.