Wolfowitz Defends Intelligence Community
VOA News
31 Jan 2004, 21:21 UTC
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz says even though weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq, the war was still necessary.
Mr. Wolfowitz said in Germany Saturday that Saddam Hussein had lost his final chance to comply with a series of U.N. resolutions. He said the Middle East had been "heading down the wrong road" for years, and that building a free and democratic Iraq is going to be a turning point for the region.
Mr. Wolfowitz also defended the intelligence community, saying the United States had to act on information it had before the war even if it now appears shaky.
Earlier this week, the former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, David Kay, called for an independent inquiry into pre-war intelligence, saying the United States was "almost all wrong" about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction.
Bush administration officials have said an independent inquiry is not needed because the CIA is doing its own investigation, and because the search for weapons in Iraq has not been completed. On Friday, President Bush said he too wants to know the facts.
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