What if the ClintonCIA--read: the likes of Valerie Flame--did feel compelled to exaggerate? And of course, in the transition to the Bush Administration, they conveniently forgot to re-do the books, so as not to expose themselves. Besides, who likes extra work? Certainly not a Clinton hold-over!
Now that all this focus has gone toward bad intell, could it be the CIA has purposely had Wilson go over the top, and thrown the monkey on the back of the administration, both serving their "former master" while also covering up their half-truths to allow Kurintong his justification for Monica missiles?
Tenet was probably re-using that "slam-dunk" line he got from Bubba hisseff.
HF
It really doesn't matter if they are right. As others have pointed out we had plenty of reasons to get rid of Saddam and it was the policy of the US since Clinton's time. The only reason this is any kind of issue is that we let the terrorists get a foothold in certain places in Iraq. But that is a different problem, with a different solution, isn't it?
The question the LA Times and others should be asking is, "where did they go?" not, "were there ever any . . ."