Ron Suskind Drops Bomb on Bushies, Says CIA Forged Iraq Letter

Review by Timothy R. Homan

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- In ``The Way of the World,'' Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind paints a picture of a morally reprehensible White House. He charges that the administration ordered the CIA to forge a document creating a link between the Sept. 11 terrorists and Saddam Hussein.

Months after the invasion of Iraq, when no weapons of mass destruction had been found, the White House issued a memo calling for the CIA to create ``a fake letter'' from Iraq's then-head of intelligence, Tahir Jalil Habbush, ``to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001,'' saying that ``9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq.''

Suskind, citing a CIA operative, describes how a ``handwritten letter, with Habbush's name on it, would be fashioned by CIA'' and then taken by a CIA agent to Iraq for distribution. He also writes that the letter ``mentioned suspicious shipments to Iraq from Niger set up with al Qaeda's assistance.''

The account has drawn denials from the White House, former CIA director George J. Tenet and Rob Richer, a former intelligence official named in the book.

Suskind stands by his reporting. He even posted the transcript of an interview with Richer on his Web site. Richer confirms the existence of the White House memo, but the interview doesn't detail the execution of the forgery. Congress has already launched an inquiry into the matter.

Two Books

``The Way of the World'' is really two books in one. The first, of course, is an investigation into the way the administration under President George W. Bush has crafted its post-9/11 doctrine. The second, somewhat incompatible book describes the experiences of foreigners, from an Afghan high school exchange student to a young Pakistani professional, living in 21st-century America.

These stories read like a modern-day, political Canterbury Tales. The most compelling focuses on a religious debate between two siblings raised in Pakistan but now leading separate lives in the West. The sister has embraced Islam; her brother has renounced many aspects of it.

The two taunt each other with personal, philosophical questions about the faith. But after the brother likens his sister to Osama bin Laden, they take a step back from their intellectual feud.

Suskind says it ``should be duly noted'' because the two ``managed to search and sweat until they told each other they're still part of one body, one shared soul.'' That may work for family members, but it's unlikely to resonate with ideologically opposed strangers.

Bad Timing

While the melding of investigative reporting with personal narratives showcases the range of Suskind's writing skills, the staccato format ultimately proves jarring and incoherent. Upon getting settled into the tale of, say, the Afghan teenager's eye- opening experiences with his American host family, the story cuts to a discussion about nuclear proliferation.

In this case, two books would have been better than one. And ``The Way of the World'' has another problem: timing.

At the beginning of the book, Suskind poses a sort of where- are-we-now question. His answer: ``America has lost so much of the moral power that the world now desperately needs it to possess.''

The culprits, according to Suskind, are the usual suspects: President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA. But unlike the author's previous two books -- ``The Price of Loyalty'' and ``The One Percent Doctrine'' -- which offered valuable firsthand accounts of how Bush's inner circle operates, the reporting this time around provides limited insights into the higher echelons of the administration. Nor does it look ahead.

Obama and McCain

At the end Suskind writes, ``Now it's a lack of imagination again that is America's greatest vulnerability -- a lack of imagination about what the nation might yet become.'' Such a forward-looking conclusion cries out for follow-through, but none is forthcoming.

Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, receives only a passing mention, and there's no reference to his Republican rival, John McCain. The book would have benefited from Suskind's view of how the next president might begin to repair the damage.

``The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism'' is published by Harper (415 pages, $27.95).

-Bloomberg

LaoPo

I'm sorry Lao Po...but this is highly suspect reporting. People in the White House would not create a memo asking the CIA to create a false document...rather they would whisper in their ear that they wanted it done.

I'm sorry Lao Po...but this is highly suspect reporting. People in the White House would not create a memo asking the CIA to create a false document...rather they would whisper in their ear that they wanted it done.

Really! Even GW ain't that dumb.

I'm sorry Lao Po...but this is highly suspect reporting. People in the White House would not create a memo asking the CIA to create a false document...rather they would whisper in their ear that they wanted it done.

..... who am I to claim it's untrue ?

LaoPo

More serious shit than this happens every day of the week!

More serious shit than this happens every day of the week!

If that would be true, we would have many more wars...

LaoPo

More serious shit than this happens every day of the week!

If that would be true, we would have many more wars...

LaoPo

So let me get this straight Lao Po. Are you buying this bullshit? If so, I've got a nice piece of land in New Mexico that I would like to sell you. Don't worry about the cactus and the snakes. It is prime land with good irrigation.

More serious shit than this happens every day of the week!

If that would be true, we would have many more wars...

LaoPo

So let me get this straight Lao Po. Are you buying this bullshit? If so, I've got a nice piece of land in New Mexico that I would like to sell you. Don't worry about the cactus and the snakes. It is prime land with good irrigation.

I'm not sure Farang Prince....not sure about the honesty of the present administration in service in Washington DC if that's what you mean.

I'm not sure if Ron Suskind's book delivers the truth or not but I wouldn't be surprised if he is correct about the allegations.

After all, who was lying about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ? You know....I suppose.

Myself ? I don't believe any government at all anymore in the world; they're all liars.

PS: wish you and your lovely Lady good luck in the middle of (another) war zone*....you need it !

* Just read your topic about Mindanao in the PHI...

LaoPo

More serious shit than this happens every day of the week!

If that would be true, we would have many more wars...

LaoPo

So let me get this straight Lao Po. Are you buying this bullshit? If so, I've got a nice piece of land in New Mexico that I would like to sell you. Don't worry about the cactus and the snakes. It is prime land with good irrigation.

I'm not sure Farang Prince....not sure about the honesty of the present administration in service in Washington DC if that's what you mean.

I'm not sure if Ron Suskind's book delivers the truth or not but I wouldn't be surprised if he is correct about the allegations.

After all, who was lying about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ? You know....I suppose.

Myself ? I don't believe any government at all anymore in the world; they're all liars.

PS: wish you and your lovely Lady good luck in the middle of (another) war zone*....you need it !

* Just read your topic about Mindanao in the PHI...

LaoPo

Thanks LP. Appreciate your thoughts. Just send the Farang Princess to Thailand to visit the family. Things might get interesting in the next few weeks. By the way, the offer on the desert property in New Mexico still stands.

Thanks LP. Appreciate your thoughts. Just send the Farang Princess to Thailand to visit the family. Things might get interesting in the next few weeks. By the way, the offer on the desert property in New Mexico still stands.

Thanks for your kind offer but I refrain from buying real estate/land at the moment, where ever...

LaoPo

Thanks LP. Appreciate your thoughts. Just send the Farang Princess to Thailand to visit the family. Things might get interesting in the next few weeks. By the way, the offer on the desert property in New Mexico still stands.

Thanks for your kind offer but I refrain from buying real estate/land at the moment, where ever...

LaoPo