Colin Powell is disappointed

[Dowding]

"I was deeply disappointed in what the intelligence community had presented to me and to the rest of us, and what really upset me more than anything else was that there were people in the intelligence community that had doubts about some of this sourcing, but those doubts never surfaced up to us."

I'd say it is disappointing that he blames faceless, anonymous 'intelligence community' personnel for his convictions. When he went in front of the UN he was absolute and unequivocal about the case for war. Now it appears he was misinformed.

Poor Colin.

[storch]

yet another thread posted by foreigners who most likely in the next few posts will marginalize our national importance and supremacy.  if you are truly concerned emigrate, become a citizen and vote.  I mean after all since you can't possibly beat us at anything you may as well quit being a wannabe.

[eagl]

Dowding, as the chief of wing flying scheduling at RAF Lakenheath, I "know things" that would improve operations at the base.  But because of the way information must be filtered up through my boss, and because my boss does not trust how I got some of my info, there is no way I can present it to the senior base leadership.  And that's for something that isn't really all that important, just the results of an efficiency study.

Analysis results must ALWAYS get filtered on the way to the top, and it's really not suprising to learn that the desire to give "the boss" the best, unambiguous set of data, certain alternate results were filtered out.  That's what those lower level analyists are SUPPOSED to do, and their bosses are paid to filter the analysis upwards.

What people don't understand is that there is a lot of human judgement that goes into this sort of info gathering and analysis.  That means that mistakes will be made.  There is no way around this...  It's not something you can turn over to a computer to do, and simply tossing it all out because errors will occur is just as bad because then you'll get no info at all.

[Dinger]

Of course, the system works if you reinforce (promote) those nodes that are good at filtering information; it fails if you reinforce those nodes that only filter "good" information. In other words, there are plenty of bureaucrats in the world who mistake yes-men for competent-men. We've all been in hierarchies where the folks who say "What the boss wants to hear" get promoted above those who say "what is the case, whether the boss wants to hear it or not".

You have to trust those under you in a hierarchy -- but when the hierarchy becomes more important than getting hte job done, you have systemic failure. You can't have your yellowcake and eat it too.

[eagl]

Of course dinger.  That's why the military goes through tons of inspections and visits from outsiders that look at everything, from reg compliance to the underlying processes used in daily activities.  To avoid the risk of the inspectors spreading bad juju, the inspectors rotate out of their assignments just like everyone else so at worst you'll have a potentially bad inspector/evaluator around for 3 years.

But you're right, each organization needs to look both up and down their information flow to ensure they're getting the whole story and not just someone's personal agenda.

[Masherbrum]

Powell is a man's man.  A true gentleman.  I've always held him in high-regard.  He handled the "mishap" with class.

Karaya

[john9001]

Powell is "passing the buck"

[Sandman]

Originally posted by john9001
Powell is "passing the buck"

Unfortunately, the buck won't find its way to the Oval without being spun back out again.

[Dowding]

Nice patronizing post, Eagl. Given that I'm an accountant, I'm well versed in analysis, its scope and how it is reported. Thanks anyway.

Those at the top should have the nounce to be able to ask critical questions themselves, and not simply rely on being spoon fed the 'facts' (a word that is used very loosely here).

It sounds like Powell either didn't ask those questions - either deliberately or through negligence; he's not a stupid or incompetent man from what I've seen and read, so my conclusion is perhaps it was a liberal application of the "don't ask, don't tell" mantra?

[eagl]

Dowding,

And you thought my post was for your eyes only?

But thanks for the thinly veiled insult.  Tard.

[NUKE]

Originally posted by Dowding
Nice patronizing post, Eagl. Given that I'm an accountant, I'm well versed in analysis, its scope and how it is reported. Thanks anyway.
 

So, you are a bean counter who knows how to skew facts? Good show!

[storch]

I figured him to be employed in something such as that.

[Dowding]

Eagl, when you start a post with someone's name, it can pretty much be taken as read that you are addressing your post to them.

[eagl]

If it had been a PM, then it would have been a condescending message directly to you.

[Dowding]

But if it starts with my name, I'm meant to assume it's for everyone? Sounds like that Fawlty Towers sketch.