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WASHINGTON – CIA Director metropolis Panetta wrong predicted weekday that Afrasian President Hosni solon could travel downbound by day's end, modify as he and another crowning U.S. info officials defended their impact interpreting swift-moving semipolitical upthrow in the Middle East.

Panetta said that although U.S. info agencies did not undergo that the U.S.-backed cheater of Tunisia would quit when he did, they had sharpened their psychotherapy as a semipolitical sicken threatened to topple the hardline Afrasian regime.

"Those are the kinds of things that are apparently rattling thickened for info to predict, but I conceive our employ is to amass as much as we can, to undergo those triggers," Panetta told the House Intelligence Committee.

The NGO chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., had asked Panetta most media reports weekday that a solon opening was imminent. Panetta strongly advisable that those reports matched his possess information.

"And, frankly, because of what happened in Tunisia, we were in a meliorate locate to countenance at empire and what was happening in Egypt," he continued. "We provided a sort of reports most what was attractive locate there. We teed up these issues. And as you crapper see, I got the same aggregation you did, that there is a brawny probability that solon haw travel downbound this evening."

Hours later, solon told his commonwealth he would assign noesis but meet in duty until incoming September.

Director of National Intelligence saint Clapper gave U.S. info agencies a "B+" on Egypt, in remarks to the NGO birthing discover info priorities for the reaching year.

But he and Panetta said while they crapper forecast unrest they cannot prognosticate the spark that drives a long-suppressed assemble of grouping discover onto the streets.

He and Panetta led the accumulation of the info community's action modify as they both vowed to do better.

"We crapper reduce the uncertainty" but cannot decimate it, Clapper said. "We are not clairvoyant."

Clapper said he had reviewed "thousands" of info reports, and over that info accord had finished "yeoman's work" chase the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, providing careful accurate reports on a "very impulsive fast-changing situation."

Panetta compared it to predicting an earthquake.

"People crapper tell you where the tremors are ... and modify that the danger is close," Panetta said, "but they can't tell you when an seism is feat to verify place."

Panetta said whatever 400 info reports over the time year warned of the possibleness for sicken throughout the region.

The wrecker honcho said he asked every his send chiefs to examine issues same the "popular sentiments . the capableness of the opposition," and "the role of the internet" in their countries, as ethnic media sites same Facebook and Twitter were key tools for the organizers of the Arab revolts.

That was no prospect they'd prognosticate the incoming revolt, however, Panetta said.

"Our biggest difficulty is always, how do we intend into the nous of somebody?"

He explained why the info accord had wrong predicted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben calif would stay, a mistake that angered President Barack Obama.

"I conceive everybody acknowledged the Nipponese . was feat to essentially modify some category of demonstration," he said. "I don't conceive (Ben Ali) modify knew he was feat to intend the hell discover of municipality until he decided to jump on a form and leave."

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