Some US Intelligence failures, oldest to most recent:
- Pearl Harbor
- The Bay of Pigs Invasion
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Vietnam
- Tet Offensive
- Yom Kippur War
- Iranian Revolution
- Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
- Collapse of the Soviet Union
- Indian Nuclear Test
- 9/11 Attacks
- Iraq War (WMDs)
- Invasion of Afghanistan (US)
- Israeli moles in US intelligence, various dates
Those are just a few of the failures of US intelligence, some of which cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives.
Yet, you can read today: Trump’s refusal to accept intelligence briefing on Russia stuns experts.
There are only three reasons I can think of to accept findings by the US intelligence community:
- You are on their payroll and for that to continue, well, you know.
- As a member of the media, future tips/leaks depends upon your acceptance of current leaks. Anyone who mocks intelligence service lies is cut off from future lies.
- As a politician, the intelligence findings discredit facts unfavorable to you.
For completeness sake, I should mention that intelligence “experts” could be telling the truth but given their track record, it is an edge case.
Before repeating the mindless cant of “the Russians are interfering with the US election,” stop to ask your sources, “…based on what?” Opinions of all the members of the US intelligence community = one opinion. Ask for facts. No facts offered, report that instead of the common “opinion.”