74 of 76 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inside Testimony from A Hero for Our Times, Oct 22 2005
By cvairag - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein (Hardcover)
Scott Ritter is a stand-up guy - of the highest order. Not only has he seen the entire tragedy of Iraq from the inception of Gulf War I through the brutal decade of sanctions, to the unfortunate denouement of U.S. policy in the current war, from unique vantage points first as military attache to Schwartzkopf in Gulf War I, later as U.N. Weapons Inspector in Iraq. Mr. Ritter's book provides direct, 'ground-zero' witness to the material facts surrounding the build-up to the war as no other can - his is the one testimony which is unbiased by the ideological slant, special interests, or simply hampered by armchair distance that almost all other accounts are. Thus, the book is required reading for those who want the most accurate and detailed inside account of the most important single issue of the war: the justification for our invasion.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ritter inspires confidence, Oct 30 2005
By Larry G. Mcclung - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein (Hardcover)
At a time of conflicting arguments concerning the disaster in Iraq, Scott Ritter is among the most credible voices around. A Marine intelligence officer during the 1991 Gulf War, who calls himself a conservative Republican, Ritter voted for George Bush in 2000, in large part because of the Clinton administration's attempts to infiltrate his UN Weapons Inspection team with CIA agents in an attempt to find a way to assassinate Saddam Hussein. When the candidate Bush who renounced the goal of "regime change" morphed into the president Bush who lied and deceived the country into a war of aggression, Ritter became an outspoken critic. His analysis of the Bush regime's motives and the chaos of its war policies is incisive and very persuasive. Every citizen should read this book as well as Ritter's earlier books.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
the real smoking gun (no mushroom cloud), Dec 10 2005
By ct reader "logos.hfd" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein (Hardcover)
Throughout the 1990s we were told Iraq wasn't complying with UN resolutions -- they arrogantly flaunted the inspections regime (UNSCOM) formed to prove compliance. This book, by a US Marine officer and weapons inspector with wide experience in Iraq, destroys many of those claims.
Ritter's account indicts three American Administrations and the CIA. They did everything possible to ensure UN resolutions wouldn't work (while claiming the opposite). `Regime change' (unsanctioned by UN resolutions and international law) was the only acceptable outcome.
Iraqis charged UNSCOM fronted CIA covert operations dedicated to compromise their sovereignty. Turns out they were probably right. The CIA (without notice) used UNSCOM for covert ops. The only problem - the CIA had no real expertise (they were unable to accomplish anything -- least of all regime change with unreliable paid expatriate Iraqis in the mid 90s).
Ritter's most disturbing charge is the politicization of intelligence. CIA information was routinely produced to justify positions supporting previously determined administration goals. Little wonder the CIA was blind on 9/11, the Downing Street Memo, or the absence of Iraqi WMD post invasion.
The trashing of the UN was the perfect touch. We needed to preserve the agenda of a few political `scientists' and conceal their mistakes (incompetence). Why not blame it on the UN?
This work is well worth reading. You decide.