From what I gather, it sounds like Rob was previously or is currently active in the military in the ME.
Food for thought:
Just to expand a little bit on pre-war intelligence... BUT FIRST a little background to help you understand.
so we have these different sects of Islam like the sunni and the Shi'ite, there's also a sect called Wahabi. the Sunni and the Wahabi hate the Shi'ite, hate them more than Americans, more than Jews even. Why? because they view the Shi'ites as innovators in Islam. They inturpret the Ku'ran but to the Sunni and the Wahabi there is no room for inturpretation. They view the Shi'ite as destroying Islam from within because of this.
I dont know if any of you have ever read up on how sophisticated the training in some of those terrorist training camps were but it's on a level comprable to most militaries. Ibn Sheikh was the head at a training camp called Kaldan (I think that was the name.) anywhoo.. one of the things they trained to do was to survive capture and interrogation. Also on how to provide false information that will ultimately benafit the Mujahidin (Islamic fighters)
Sheikh veiwed Iraq as the next great Jihad. More important than Bosnia, Afganistan, Chechnya or Isreal. Why? because if the next great jihad was in Iraq and the Sunni could take control the they would have Iran (an extremist Shi'ite country) surrounded. SO THATS YOUR BACKGROUND INFO.
So now the US is hot on the trail for Al Qeada looking to strike again. We just took over Afganistan and we captured a bunch of important people (to include Sheikh) and they start interrogations. Sheikh was the one that gave the US the intel that Saddam was supplying Al Qeada with WMD's to strike America. We believed him bc hell we just had a huge attack on us already and this time we weren't going to be cought with our pants down right? right?
Well truth is.. it was a lie. Ibn Sheikh lied to the US so that we would get rid of Saddam for them. Basically using the War on Terror against us and having the US start their Jihad for them.. do the dirty work if you will. Now bare in mind Saddam was a Sunni, but he was still a corupt bastard and he didn't rule by Shir'a (Islamic law) so he had to go.
So our current situation: hell go to Yahoo news, look at all the headlines about fighting between the Sunni and the Shi'ites. Just this weekend some 600 fighters gathered to attack and assasinate the countries Shi'ite Islamic leader.. Americans are not the target by the extremists in Iraq, well we still are A target but not the main target.. more like "the cherry on top"
Now take a step back and look at Irans actions through all of this. Iran, sending in its own extremist fighters to attack Sunni neighborhoods and Mosques. Hell I remember when I was in Iraq there were Iranian Military in Iraq! (never in large numbers.. usually groups of about 10) also note that they will stop at almost nothing to get Nuclear weapons (just my opinion of course but hey they just started installing 3,000 centrofuges and want to total some 54,000........ [btw cetrofuges are what you use to get the Uranium for weapons, they're use for peacful energy I admit I don't know.]) Now of course while Iran is stepping up its nuclear ambitions right in the middle of Sunni/Wahabi Islamic world Iran has to step up its rhetoric about the US and Isreal, making it apear to the world that IF there is a weapons program, thats why. but the reality is Aminijad knows he needs something that he can use to defend himself with and will carry some clout if the Sunni gain control of Iraq.
BUT of course the US and Isreal take the Iranian threats seriously (as well they should) so currently we have two carrier groups in the persian, a number of nuclear subs and orders to attack Iranians in Iraq who are helping the extremists (finally).
And again, Ibn Sheikh won.
The US led war in Iraq is not a war for Oil, the US led war really is the smoke covering the fire of the real war thats actually going on.
***just my two cents, opinion, whatever. not going to argue over it. I'm not an expert and couls be completely wrong (pshh! yeah right Smile) like i said, just food for thought.