Who is Greg Theilman?

[cross posted from the English Comp II Blog]

On Wednesday, September 22nd, our English class will meet in the ECC lab and go down to Olin 124 to hear Greg Theilmann speak. Your assignment is to listen carefully, and then write a 1-2 page summary and response to what he has to say. But who is he you ask?

Thielmann is a 25-year veteran of the US foreign service who was in charge of the State Department’s intelligence office before the Iraq war. He advised Secretary of State Colin Powell on the Iraqi threat until he retired in September 2002. And now he is advising the American public—that Iraq was not an "imminent threat" to America, and that the world is less safe today than before the war. Here are some of his comments to 20/20 Vision:

•"A rogue intelligence operation [the Office of Special Plans]…was providing a stream of questionable and unvetted reporting to the President through Vice President Cheney."

•"The intelligence leadership wanted to simplify and clarify that which should have remained qualified and nuanced."

•"The intelligence leadership wanted to deliver what the political leadership wanted to hear: Iraq was a serious and imminent threat."

•"The political leadership already knew what the bottom line was. It wanted arguments, not insight, and discounted all contrary analysis."

•"Vigorous pursuit and implementation of arms control agreements and effective enforcement of non-proliferation regimes by states acting under UN Security Council-authorization continue to be the most relevant and hopeful path to international security."

Read more about Theilmann's view here

Theilmann will be appearing in Cleveland on Tuesday of next week!

WHO: Greg Thielmann, former State Department advisor on the Iraqi threat
WHAT: Insider look at U.S. intelligence failures in Iraq
WHEN: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 @ 12:00pm
WHERE: Cleveland State University, University Center, Auditorium (UC 6), 2121 Euclid Ave, Cleveland OH 4415
Sponsored by: CSU Political Science Department – CSU Student Peace Action Network – Cleveland Peace Action - 20/20 Vision