Secretary Powell swearing in Nancy Powell, left, as Ambassador to Pakistan at the Department of State, August 9, 2002
Posted on 03/28/2005 3:46:19 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
WASHINGTON - A lone U.S. ambassador compromised America's hunt for Osama bin Laden in Pakistan for more than two years, The New York Sun has learned.
Ambassador Nancy Powell, America's representative in Pakistan, refused to allow the distribution in Pakistan of wanted posters, matchbooks, and other items advertising America's $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Mr. bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.
Instead, thousands of matchbooks, posters, and other material - printed at taxpayer expense and translated into Urdu, Pashto, and other local languages - remained "impounded" on American Embassy grounds from 2002 to 2004, according to Rep. Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois.
While the American government was engaged in a number of "black" or covert intelligence activities to locate Al Qaeda leaders, Mr. Kirk said, the "white" or public efforts - which have succeeded in the past in leading to the capture of wanted terrorists - were effectively shut down in the months following the September 11 attacks.
Mr. Kirk discovered Ms. Powell's unusual order in January 2004 and, over the past year, launched a series of behind-the-scenes moves that culminated in a blunt conversation with President Bush aboard Air Force One, the removal of the ambassador, and congressional approval for reinvigorating the hunt for Mr. bin Laden.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
Shocking.
Secretary Powell swearing in Nancy Powell, left, as Ambassador to Pakistan at the Department of State, August 9, 2002
Geez. Sounds like the POTUS waited until after the election to make this move. I'm really kinda surprised, given State Department involvement, that this news didn't hit the media full force in Sep/Oct 04 as a "Bush intelligence failure."
Great career move!
1. she joined the State Dept during the Carter administration
2. a former Social Studied teacher
3. She obviously hasn't read "Dress for Success"
4. Is that her sister, or perhaps her "domestic partner" in the pic...
5. URDU my ass..
Geee, I wonder who is holding the Bible.
Do ya think?
>Is that her sister, or perhaps her "domestic partner" in the pic...
Do you think?
6. What's her DUmmie Screen Name?
Fire her for disobeying an order and violating U. S. Government policy, take away her pension and put her in the stockade without her loverly partner (maybe have Big Bubba in with her, Bubba not be too discriminating.)
Where is her plaid shirt?
And hopefully some kind of Federal Obstruction of Justice charge...
I'm still wondering WHY she didn't distribute the material. Was it incompetence or a chip on her shoulder? You can't tell me "she was just too busy with other things on the agenda". This was done deliberately to compromise someone else's plan.
Somebody at Foggy Bottom must have a thing for Al Lewis look-alikes.
Good list, but you missed the above. Of course the dress-for-success part I find troubling in the extreme ;).
More seriously, why did she hold back on the program? The article is short on that. She cites other priorities, how much time does it take to say:" "Distribute them matchbooks"?
She must be required to explain why she chose to do this and she should be charged with something. This is an outrage.
Sounds to me like somebody ought to be doing some jail time.
Of course, what "ought to be" and "what is" are two different things. The worst thing she will experience is losing her job.
This makes me so mad I want to . . . . . . . do something!!
Geeeez - what a marooooon! That's gotta be one of the daffiest things I ever heard, and believe me, I've heard a lot of daffy things!
... Hmmm..I think I'll wear that $3 shirt I got at WalMart.
Don't know.
I'm writing Chamblis, my congresscritter to have them ask specific questions.
See, it wasn't "I'm too busy" - She caused this obstruction with a deliberate order!
Why?
Because distributing matchbooks causes cancer?
What other "orders" has she written?, to who?, and when? that affected internaional US policy?
Can you spell treezone?
I wrote here a few times about people like this working for the State Department - there are several - many were very vocal in their objection to the Iraq war and have promised that they will do everything in their power to thwart the work of the US government.
Is there hammer and sickle on that red sheeert somewhere?
Well, the way I read it, she lost her position, but not her job. The story says that she is back in Foggy Bottom. I'm sure she spends her day regalling her colleges with stories of her time "on the front".
There are a lot!! Im gonna try digging up some of my older whistle-blowing posts
Don't hold your breath. My critter is RINO Tom Davis and he said he was going to use his Government Reform Committee to investigate Sandy Burgler. Nothing so far, but he sure jumped on the Baseball steroids thing fast like a bunny.
"where do we find these idiots we keep sending out as ambassadors"
Interview with the State Department some time. Everything will become clear.
That organization is rotten from the top down. You can't expect incompetent scumbags to hire anyone but another incompetent scumbag.
They were not unhappy that OBL was not captured.
Perhaps Dr. Rice will be the 'cleaning lady' after all!!!
Thanks for the post.
I'm not shocked. I'm glad that vermin moles like this are being dug up.
Is this not a treasonous act by an enemy within?
I toast PRESIDENT BUSH and our new Secretary of State.
Surely there are more moles like this one ... Condi, You GO, Girl!
Matches are used to start fires.
Fires burn wood.
Wood comes from trees.
Trees are sacred.
Could it be that crazy?
You would think that her cousin Colin would have said, "Could you make sure to dress up a little today?"
The State Department is full of left-wingers. They only hire people like themselves, using a lengthy hiring process to weed out all but avowed socialists.
The U.S. State Department is the enemy of the American people. It is working overtime to defeat American sovereignty and enhance globalism.
As the poster said, the entire department is corrupt from top to bottom.
Like Jimmy Carter, the State Department has never met a tyrant or communist dictator it didn't like.
Don't say much for Powell's deductive powers..
Good one. I sent an email to Davis last Friday asking for the status of his promised Burger archive theft hearings. I don't expect anything more than a mealy-mouthed reply.
NANCY POWELL
Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan
(August 16, 2002 - November 5, 2004)
On June 26, 2002, President Bush nominated Nancy Powell, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, as U.S. Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where she had been serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Mission since June 2. As required by the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination on August 1 and Secretary of State Colin Powell swore her into office on August 9. Ambassador Powell presented her credentials to President Musharraf on August 16, 2002. Prior to her present assignment, Ambassador Powell was U.S. Ambassador to Ghana from September 2001 through May 2002. She also served in Washington as Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs from January until June 2001. From July 1999 until January 2001 she was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.
Ambassador Powell has also previously served as Ambassador to Uganda from 1997 to 1999, and was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 1995 to 1997. After a one-year tour as Consul General in Calcutta, Ms. Powell served in New Delhi as Political Counselor from 1993 to 1995. She was Deputy Chief of Mission in Lome, Togo from 1990 until 1992. Her other overseas assignments have included Islamabad, Kathmandu and Ottawa, and previous Washington assignments included those of Nepal Desk Officer and Refugee Assistance Officer.
Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Ambassador Powell joined the Foreign Service in 1977 following six and a half years as a high school social studies teacher in Dayton, Iowa. She has studied French, Nepali and Urdu
Yes.
Why in the world is she still working in the state dept.? Incompetence should not be sustained.
Sounds like she is just plumb dumb.
What's so dumb about a plumb. They always work for me.
I did a lot searching too. I could not come with any mention of a spouse or a partner. Strange they would see fit to put her into the Ambassadorship of Pakistan.
Ken, your brief sounds solid to me. Anything absorbed by the carter admin is not fit for the esteemed position of a shoe-shine-trusted-employee. NSNR
A carter admin political employee doing what they know best, F'up things for America.NSNR
I think I'm no longer interested in my breakfast.
Ima Fatdyke.
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