'Stupid' Intelligence: Some of our spooks simply oppose Bush administration antiterror policy.

Wall Street Journal ^ | 3 October 2003 | Wall Street Journal

[Pilsner]

If there's a silver lining to the controversy surrounding the Valerie Plame "outing," it's that an increasingly poisonous dispute over counterterrorism policy has been outed along with her. We're talking about the disagreement between the Bush Administration and many of the career intelligence officials at the State Department and the CIA.

[Pilsner]

In the late 1980s I interned in Washington DC for an organization headed by a retired three star general who had been both director of the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) and Deputy Director of the CIA. He did not get those jobs by being chatty about about his work, especially with interns. The only comment I recall him making about the intelligence business was in response to someone asking him why it appeared that the CIA was dragging its feet in implementing President Reagan's policy to aid the Afghans against the Soviets. He said basically the following:

"You have got to understand that the CIA is run by liberals. All this Hollywood stuff about conservative crazies there is just (expelitive deleted). The intelligence services in this country were started by FDR liberals in the '40s, taken over by Kennedy liberals in the '60s and retaken by Carter liberals after the Church hearings in the '70s."

It wold appear that not much has changed.

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[jwalsh07]

btt

[fjsva]

Clean House....

[Mr. Bird]

Who is Larry Johnson? He's the author of one of the more poorly timed op-eds in history. On July 10, 2001, he wrote in the New York Times under the headline "The Declining Terrorist Threat" that "Americans have little to fear" from terrorism unless they travel or work in a few of the world's hotspots.

I would say, given what we know now (about terror activity both before and after 9/11), Mr. Johnson should be persona-non-grata in any debate. That op-ed is the equivalent of stating the earth is flat. It renders him a crackpot. Of course, PBS calls him an expert.

[NetValue]

Absolutely! Clean out the CIA stable NOW. This article explains a lot of underhanded leaks, insubordinate actions, and political undermining coming from inside CIA in the past two years. The first to go should be Tenant! Bring back Woolsey.

[Loyal Buckeye]

So therein lies the answer to Bob Novak's question, "Why was Joseph Wilson sent to Niger?"

[TrueBeliever9]

Until Bush purges the anti-American US Department of State and the clinton CIA - he will continue to pay the price (a price too high for Americans to endure with the enemy living amongst us).

[Galtoid]

I think this Wilson CIA phony leak is a godsend for the administration. Why? Not only are they probing the WH, they're now looking into State and everyone else. Could it be that this is a gift? This leak could lead to a serious house cleaning. The Bushies will be able to prove what I've been thinking since 9/11: there are forces deep within our own agencies who want to see the war on terrorism fail. There are forces deep within our own CIA and State that want to see Bush lose. I believe I know why. I think there are hundreds of intel people who covered up very important information during the Clinton years.

[JesseHousman]

Your #9 is a very astute observation and is, without doubt, correct!

[bvw]

Let us stipulate that most American diplomats and CIA employees do their duty in loyal, and often courageous, fashion.

Ringworm is just as loyal, and loyal in the same way. And courage in pursuit of despotism, graft, bribes and pension-fueled cupidity is seen throughout history.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Why hasn't Larry Johnson been tarred & feathered?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Great post. Thank you.

When the arguments are made, we imagine Americans will feel safer with the Bush policy than with the one advocated by Joe Wilson and his anonymous friends.

Know thy enemies within, alert.

 Thanks, Tonkin!

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[Reo]

We need to have a clearly focused debate in this country about the the merits and correctness of the concept of a "Pax Americana", the pro-active and sometimes pre-emptive use of American policy, persuasion, and power to spread and project American democratic values in this difficult world. This is the over-riding policy question which determines our actions and attitudes towards the Axis of Evil and those who stand with us, against us, or on the sidelines. President Bush is doing well moving us along this path, but he needs to involve the public more and clarify the issue so the left, the Wilson-types, the elites, and those who have their own power-agendas cannot be constantly deflecting our focus with these "yellow-cake" diversions. A great discomfort on the part of at least the retired elements of the intelligence community is reflected in the tone of the Weekly Intelligence Notes of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. There is a clear discomfort and distrust of the "Pax Americana" in this otherwise excellent summary of developements in the intelligence world. The suggestion to bring back Woolsey is a great place to start. The President also seemed to do a far better job of communicating broad concepts when he had Karen Hughes on board. In the international arena, this is truly the biggest policy game in town, and it is being played for keeps. Getting it all out on the table so the public understands the stakes would be a tremendous help.

[Grampa Dave]

Excellent post. This oped that the POS Johnson wrote in July 01 disappeared from the search links right after 9/11:

"Consider Larry Johnson, the former CIA and State Department counterterrorism official interviewed on PBS's "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" Tuesday night. Most of us are still waiting to learn the details surrounding the mention of Ms. Plame. But Mr. Johnson had no doubt "this was about a political attack. . . . It sickens me." He called the Administration's interest in the Niger-yellowcake story "a stupid policy, an erroneous policy."

"Who is Larry Johnson? He's the author of one of the more poorly timed op-eds in history. On July 10, 2001, he wrote in the New York Times under the headline "The Declining Terrorist Threat" that "Americans have little to fear" from terrorism unless they travel or work in a few of the world's hotspots. He added that "Early signs suggest that the decade beginning in 2000 will continue the downward trend" in terrorist activity. (He co-authored a similar piece for this page in 2000.)

A month earlier, and only three months before 9/11, Mr. Johnson told U.S. News and World Report that "Bin Laden has an international network of contacts, but it's more analogous to the Elvis Presley fan club than a corporation like General Motors."

[GOPJ]

This group could sink Bush. He needs to clean house.

"You have got to understand that the CIA is run by liberals. All this Hollywood stuff about conservative crazies there is just (expelitive deleted). The intelligence services in this country were started by FDR liberals in the '40s, taken over by Kennedy liberals in the '60s and retaken by Carter liberals after the Church hearings in the '70s."

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping!

This left wing infestation of the State/CIA got into high gear after JFK was killed.

It got worse under Carter and Clinton.

Carter brought in Stansfield who apparently worked with the left wing mediots in outing good agents which has never been discussed in this current mess.

Then Clinton brought in the left wing criminals from the corporate world to really screw up the farm.

Then over the years we have seen Leaky Leahy, Biden, the Torch and other rats deball and chase out any good people from the farm.

Liz, would you please document on this thread what you have documented on the other threads this morning re the Clintoonian infestation of the Farm with his criminal crooks from the corporate world.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Liz]

Washington Post
Saturday, February 17, 2001

Clinton Ignored CIA in Pardoning Intelligence Analyst
Clemency for Only Official Convicted of Leaking
Classified Information to Media Draws Criticism
By Vernon Loeb / Washington Post Staff Writer

Copyright 2001 The Washington Post

President Bill Clinton ignored a recommendation from the CIA last month when he pardoned former Navy intelligence analyst Samuel L. Morison, the only government official ever convicted of leaking classified information to the media.

While Clinton's pardon of former CIA director John M. Deutch caught CIA officials by surprise, the president solicited advance comment from the agency on the possibility of pardoning Morison, who leaked three secret spy satellite photographs to Jane's Defence Weekly in 1984. But Clinton ultimately disregarded the agency's position and approved a pardon application Morison submitted to the Justice Department more than two years ago.

"We said we were obviously opposed -- it was a vigorous 'Hell, no'," said one senior intelligence official. "We think giving classified information to people who are unauthorized to receive it is a bad thing to do and giving pardons to people who are convicted of doing that sends the wrong signal to people who are currently entrusted with classified information."


SNIP -- read article here


http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:K18Xw04eOgkJ:www.fas.org/sgp/news/2001/02/wp021701.html