[Stentor]

"We had to justify every single connection we made. But the intelligence community had preconceived notions, and if the information didn't fit into those notions, then they simply ignored it."

Are these preconceived notions an expression of Arabism?

[yoe]

"But the intelligence community had preconceived notions,..."....Turf Wars as well.

Cleaning out the nests of long-in-the-tooth bureaucrats be they CIA, FBI, Pentagon or foreign intelligence, is about the toughest job a President has. Tenure in any form is dangerous to seekers of truth.