“With [CIA Director George] Tenet’s approval, Saul [pseudonym for the CIA’s Iraqi Operations Group director], [Deputy CIA director John] McLaughlin, and Jim Pavitt, the deputy director for operations, worked on a new Top Secret intelligence order for regime change in Iraq that President Bush signed on February 16 [2002]. It directed the CIA to support the US military in overthrowing Saddam and granted seven explicit new authorities:
1. Support opposition groups and individuals that want Saddam out.
2. Conduct sabotage operations inside Iraq
3. Work with third countries such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia–and support their covert intelligence operations.
4. Conduct information operations to distribute inaccurate information about the regime.
5. Run disinformation and deception operations to mislead Saddam and the regime’s political, intelligence, military and security leadership.
6. Attack and disrupt regime revenues, banking and finances.
7. Disrupt the regime’s illicit procurement of material related to its military, especially its weapons of mass destruction programs.
The cost was set at $200 million a year for two years… After some disputes in Congress the budget was cut to $189 million for the first year.”
– Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, Pages 108-109