This is coolbert: Kerry is speaking on TV this morning. Talking about intelligence failures. He evidently has been a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Now, he relates how in 1988, during the last years of the old Soviet Union, he and his compatriots made a trip to Moscow. He says there were no light bulbs at the air port, the trucks were old beaten up hulks, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a desk with twelve telephones on it. Kerry says he was told that these phones were all on one desk as no one had the ability to connect them so that they could work separately. This seems to confirm some things I had mentioned in previous posts. Military wise the Soviets had all the equipment and capability that they had. But societal wise, the Soviets were inept and backward by U.S. standards. Perhaps very much so. I think Kerry is saying that the U.S. intelligence agencies across the board overestimated the threat from the Soviets and gave bad advice to the powers that make decisions, namely, Congressmen, Senators, the Pres. Not necessarily lies or misleading advice, but poor intelligence.

coolbert.