Saddam bin Laden attacked us first

Highly informed guests. On BBC Newsnight?

Alas, the depressing reality:

Presenter Jeremy Paxman: The accusation James Woolsey is that you've squandered the moral good judgement that you had of much of the rest of the world in an ill-conceived venture in Iraq and some very dubious practices in rendition and secret prisons and the like.

James Woolsey: (speaking by satellite) I know some people feel that way but you have to remember 9/11 came before Iraq and Bin Laden declared war on us in the mid 90s.

Is the BBC deliberately trying to kill all hope?

This is not accidental conflation. James Woolsey is a New American Century signatory. He naturally convinced himself that Iraq played a central role in directing the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States. He was unofficial liaison to the Iraqi National Congress. He vouched for, and actively promoted, at least two fabricators. He testified that the 9/11 highjackers honed their skills using a crippled Boeing 707 inside Iraq.

As former CIA analyst Mel Goodman correctly observed, "Woolsey was a disaster as CIA director in the 90s and [he] is now running around this country calling for a World War IV to deal with the Islamic problem. This is a dangerous individual...".

Yes he is. A cursory examination of his remarks will reveal this. So why does Woolsey keep popping up on BBC television as some kind of independent expert?