The purpose of intelligence

Gene Lyons' new column for tomorrow (no link yet, I get a courtesy copy by email) makes an interesting connection I hadn't thought of before. To wit, the Bushies treatment of intelligence reports prior to Iraq mirros its treatment of intelligence reports before 9/11. Namely, if it doesn't fit their preconceived notion of reality then they just ignore it. The Bushies don't seem to understand that the purpose of the intelligence service is to tell you what you NEED to know, not what you WANT to know. (I'll try to link the story once it becomes available)