QUIETLY, THE BLAME BEGINS AMID U.S. WAR IN IRAQ

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. war in Iraq has been hampered by faultyintelligence assessments regarding the resilience of President SaddamHussein's military as well as the will of the opposition to his regime. Sources close to the Bush administration said a series of what turnedout to be faulty intelligence assessments formed the basis of the U.S.military buildup and war strategy in the effort to topple the Saddam regime.The sources said several vital conclusions by U.S. military intelligence andthe State Department proved to be incorrect within the first five days ofthe war.