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Christopher Hitchens: Bush Crippled by Agency Fratricide
NewsMax.com ^ | 12/19/05 | Dave Eberhart

Posted on 12/19/2005 5:23:24 AM PST by ricoshea

Commentator Christopher Hitchens tells NewsMax that the Bush administration has been crippled in its war on terror by "debilitating inter-agency fratricide" as agencies like the CIA, NSA, Defense and State departments war over the president's policies.

The controversial writer shared some of his insights this past week as he prepared for another great debate over the Iraq war on Dec. 20 in Tarrytown, N.Y.

NewsMax caught up with the peripatetic author upon his return last week from Shanghai, China.

NEWSMAX: You wrote recently: "It would be admirable if the president could manage to make such a [case-for-the-war] presentation. It would also be welcome if he and his deputies adopted a clear attitude toward the war within the war: in other words, stated plainly, that the secular and pluralist forces within Afghan and Iraqi society, while they are not our clients, can in no circumstance be allowed to wonder which outcome we favor." This was written before the current Bush rhetorical offensive around the country took off. Has President Bush now more clearly stated his case to the American people?

HITCHENS: Partly because of the debilitating inter-agency fratricide between State, Defense and CIA, the administration has never been able to speak with any coherence about such critical matters as WMDs and the connection between Saddamism and Islamism.

The damage done by this failure is now irreparable. Clearly, the Iraqi democracy theme is more appealing, but that case makes itself without any administration "spin." Meanwhile, it is a rare week that does not bring news of some appalling blunder or misjudgment: most recently the planting of "good news" in the Iraqi press and the misuse of the NSA.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cia; hitchens; roguecia

1 posted on 12/19/2005 5:23:25 AM PST by ricoshea
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To: ricoshea

Hutchins is one of the few people out there who gets it.


2 posted on 12/19/2005 5:24:51 AM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed.)
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To: ricoshea

He gets the truth and he is a lib.


3 posted on 12/19/2005 5:25:58 AM PST by bmwcyle (Evolution is a myth -- Libertarians just won't evolve into Conservatives.)
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To: ricoshea

There's no doubt this has taken place
and Hitchen's understands not only the
back-stabbing that's been happening, but
we'll find out what this Plame/Wilson thing
was really all about!


4 posted on 12/19/2005 5:30:15 AM PST by sirchtruth (Words Mean Things...)
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To: ricoshea

"The connection between the current indifference and an open or covert wish to see a Coalition defeat in Iraq is one of the most horrible things I have ever witnessed."

Amen


5 posted on 12/19/2005 5:39:49 AM PST by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR) [there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: ricoshea

"debilitating inter-agency fratricide"

He is a lib who gets WHAT is happening and he may even know WHY but says little about Why. The CIA is a warehouse of Slick Willy appinted Civil Swervants ( Swereving from Presidential Policies while appearing to follow them), as is the Department of State.The NSA and the FBI ( thanks to Freed)are not saddled with the same Democrat (silent revolution) Where they can , liberal prosecutors and
liberal judges, also Clintoonians, seek to hamstring the efforts of our elected Republicans to take shortcuts around the disloyal Civil Swervants.

Porter Goss and Condi Rice are at the forefront of waging this battle. The Presidents policy of prointing positive News Articles in Iraq, and paying for them has the sacred cow liberal press all upset, because they want Bush to attack their "1st amendment" rights in public, and he has not, simply watching the MSM devolve to tabloid style reporting , as their circulation and audience shares go down.

Tom DeLay should be our next president. All attempts at bipartisanship on the part of Republicans need to be abandoned , at least for the remainder of President Bush's term in office.Goss , Risce and Attorney General Goss should quietly continue to clean the dem foxes out of the chicken coups that the CIA, Dept. of State , and the A.G. offices have all become.

President Bush in the New Year should continue a barrage of conservative appointments to the federal bench, keeping the Dimwits off balance.


6 posted on 12/19/2005 5:40:29 AM PST by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: ricoshea

glad someone sees the problem bump


7 posted on 12/19/2005 5:45:37 AM PST by the crow (I'm from the government. I'm here to help.)
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To: ricoshea

President Bush has been plagued by an internal war within government agencies who oppose him. You can only shake these organizations at the top of the tree. All those clinging to the lower branches continue on their merry way with their own agendas.


8 posted on 12/19/2005 5:47:45 AM PST by Recon Dad (Proud Marine Dad)
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To: Candor7

Lots of good points. Let's hope that they will materialize.


9 posted on 12/19/2005 6:01:38 AM PST by maica (We are fighting the War for the Free World --Frank Gaffney)
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To: ricoshea

Hitchens is wrong about there being no sister cities. He specifically mentioned there being no sister city for Baghdad, and it appears Denver is. I'm sure he'll be getting letters from the sister cities.

"American cities have already taken the first step in the Sister Cities program to link with Iraqi communities as "International Partners for Peace". These partners are: Denver and Baghdad; Dallas and Kirkuk; and Tucson and Sulaymaniyah, Kissimmee, FL and Zafaraniya," (to name a few.)


Also, I disagree with his take on Chalabi. I don't trust anyone who has the backing of the Iranian regime. And they publicly announced their endorsement of Chalabi.


10 posted on 12/19/2005 6:11:07 AM PST by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR) [there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: ricoshea

[[Hitchins is one of the few people out there who gets it.]]

One of the few LEFTIES, who gets it :) I recorded the 2.5 hour debate between him and George Galloway that was on CSPAN a few months back. It is a keeper.


Semper Fi'
Jarnead


11 posted on 12/19/2005 6:14:49 AM PST by Buffettfan
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To: Candor7; Recon Dad
All attempts at bipartisanship on the part of Republicans need to be abandoned, at least for the remainder of President Bush's term in office.

Excellent suggestion that is not likely to be followed. In a recent interview W said he would continue to try to "change the tone in Washington".

President Bush has been plagued by an internal war within government agencies who oppose him. You can only shake these organizations at the top of the tree. All those clinging to the lower branches continue on their merry way with their own agendas.

When they were finally forced from the WH, some of Clinton's pipsqueak aids joked that they had planted a few time bombs for Bush. As an aside, compare their trashing of the WH when they left and the refverance the Reagan and the Bushs show for it.

When Slick first took over he fired all Federal Attorneys throughout the U.S. and replaced them with his own. That was a warning shot across the bow and it disrupted some ongoing investigations. For eight years he systematically moved many of his political appointees, the ones who get changed during each administration transformation, into permanent Civil Service protected positions so that they couldn't be removed by the next president. Those are the moles we are fighting now and we need more internal spying, to less, to reveal and expose them.

We seem insistent on protecting our civil rights from those who won't abuse them to the benefit of those who will.

12 posted on 12/19/2005 6:35:43 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
When a civil servant is proven to resist or twist presidential policies, permanent or no, his is fired. I hope they get on with it. I hope Bush listens and records and evesdrops on them with delightful multiplicity. ( We now know why the Dims don't want the Patriot Act, or Presidential Order NSA wiretaps). The Dims want their leakers and Moles in place! The Clintoonian "shadow" government of traitors and seditionists MUST GO! Image hosted by Photobucket.com
13 posted on 12/19/2005 7:00:31 AM PST by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: Candor7
When a civil servant is proven to resist or twist presidential policies, permanent or no, his is fired.

That may be more honored in the breach than in everyday administration. I am assuming that the ones who might uncover this on a middle management level are most likely part of it.

I have heard many war stories of people committing indictable violations who are not only not fired, they are transferred and promoted. One lady had greatly abused her government credit card buying personal stuff. She was just transferred and promoted and guess what her new job was? Overseeing the use of government credit cards! Only in America.

Of course, that is just money rather than something like sedition and undermining the administration.

14 posted on 12/19/2005 7:12:33 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: ricoshea
Let the many daggers in Bush's back be en eternal warning to every Republican President who thinks he's going to leave the nice Democrats in place and thus change the tone.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. You don't win an election and then try to get the losers to like you. You TAKE OVER.

The Clintons understood that.

15 posted on 12/19/2005 7:17:03 AM PST by Taliesan (The power of the State to do good is the power of the State to do evil.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot

"Of course, that is just money rather than something like sedition and undermining the administration."


And can you can bet that there is a long list of Civil Servants who will be going, Bush has been collecting a list and checkin it twice, using NSA wiretaps , and replaying them to these traitorous , seditious Clintoonian wogs! Most will likely resign their positions.


16 posted on 12/19/2005 7:45:47 AM PST by Candor7 (Into Liberal Flatulence Goes the Hope of the West)
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To: ricoshea



50 USC 1802 Permits Warrantless Surveillance

Posted by angkor
On 12/19/2005 4:25:09 AM PST · 58 replies · 1,249+ views

United States Code ^ | 12/19/2005 | Self
Throughout the "illegal wiretaps" debacle of the last several days we have not heard a single citation of the actual law that is alleged to have been violated. And that's from both the accusers (Rats, the NYT, WashPost, etc.) as well as Republicans, up to and including the White House staff (e.g., Condi Rice on talking head circuit, Sunday morning, where she did not cite the law in defense of the practice). Well, the fact of the matter is that the alleged "illegal surveillance" is not illegal at all. In fact it is specifically permitted under 50 USC 1802, and...


17 posted on 12/19/2005 8:15:10 AM PST by wouldntbprudent
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