Trail for Usama bin Laden "stone cold?"
Thank you once again, Dana Priest!
By AcademicElephant Posted in War — Comments (19) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Dana Priest, whose past highlights include revealing those "secret prisons" supposedly designed to keep the nefarious activities of torture-happy Bush administration officials away from those brave tellers-of-truth-to power in our press, whose right, nay whose duty it is to expose them, has a new doozy of an article in today's Washington Post. Undeterred by the fact that her source for the secret prison story was fired for unauthorized leaking, Ms. Priest has returned to the CIA information trough, this time to compromise the search for Usama bin Laden. Far be it for me to question the patriotism of Ms. Priest or her editors at the Post, but I do think it might have occurred to them that the information in this article is of far more use to Usama and his cohorts than it possibly could be to their readers.
Read on... Ms. Priest and her collaborator, Ann Scott Tyson, are highly favorable to the CIA in their piece, as well they should be. True, Usama is still at large and they admit the trail is "cold," but the CIA has been good to them. And so the blame for UBL's continued presence on this earth is placed squarely with the Bush administration, which is portrayed as shockingly derelict in its pursuit of the al Qaeda chief. Distracted by Iraq, consumed by turf wars and just plain "disorganized," Mr. Bush and his cabinet have repeatedly let UBL slip away, while disgruntled former analysts are sure that had only they been calling the shots, he would be dead or in our custody by now. Not surprisingly, the bogeyman who comes in for the most direct attack is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Secretary of Defense is portrayed as undermining the information sharing mechanism between the CIA and the DoD, which General Michael Hayden (now CIA Director) is reported as telling Mr. Rumsfeld was "working well." No matter. Mr. Rumsfeld, who is apparently incapable of sharing anything and would rather grab that extra little bit of power than catch the man who directed a plane to fly into his office on 9/11, put a stop to it. Also no matter that General Hayden has no recollection of any such conversation, or that the Pentagon spokesman, who is willing to go on record, vehemently denies that any such exchange took place. Ms. Priest and Ms. Scott Tyson stick with their anonymous source who claims to be "knowledgeable about the meeting," although it seems probably not physically present for it. Again, no matter. If it didn't actually take place, it might as well have. Mr. Rumsfeld's imperial arrogance and incompetence are now Known Facts. But as you might know, I have a troubled history with such "facts," and one thing that occurred to me is that looking at these same circumstances, it might be possible to surmise that Mr. Rumsfeld was right to try to radically revamp how such intelligence is gathered and exploited. Those SSCI reports that came out Friday provide another damning indictment of the CIA, which also missed 9/11 among other intelligence failures over the last decade. Seems to me a reasonable person could conclude that Mr. Rumsfeld's urgent restructuring of military intelligence under Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal of SOCOM my well prove to be among the most significant long-term developments in the Global War on Terror, which is after all shaping up to be a long conflict with stakes more important than even the capture of Usama bin Laden. Moving on from Mr. Rumsfeld, I learned a great deal in this article that I expect also will be helpful to those trying to protect Usama from capture. Ms. Priest and Ms. Tyson provide information on intelligence and military asset movements, and let al Qaeda know what has been most effective in eluding US intelligence. But the most eyebrow-raising breach of security comes in their revelation that US operatives are embedded with the Pakistani forces active in the border region where consensus tells us Usama is hiding. For their part, the Pakistanis, who understand the perilous mission of these embeds, refuse to confirm their presence--after learning how many Pakistanis have been murdered by al Qaeda operatives in this region, we discover that "Pakistan will permit only small numbers of U.S. forces to operate with its troops at times and, because their role is so sensitive politically, it officially denies any U.S. presence." Seems to me the Pakistanis have a point, and I wonder what we gain by knowing that these brave soldiers are executing difficult and frustrating work under extremely dangerous circumstances? Perhaps Ms. Priest and Ms. Tyson could learn a thing or two about discretion from the Pakistanis? [UPDATE: Inspired by a comment, I have appended an additional thought to this paragraph]: I think all those who got so bent out of shape about Valerie Plame might take a minute to reflect on how American operatives deployed in this region are now more likely to get their heads chopped off because of this revelation. I repeat, their heads cut off. At which point, bin Laden's trail won't be the only thing in this region that's "stone cold." I suppose some might accuse me of hyperbole (probably not the Pakistanis who have already suffered such a fate at the hands of Usama's henchmen, but I'm sure there are others) and of course we will never know what repercussions this article may have for the pursuit of Usama bin Laden, or for those pursuing him. I hope none, and while I would be sorry for their wounded pride at being so duped, I hope that Ms. Priest and Ms. Tyson were fed some red herrings and that the net is actually closing around UBL. I for one wouldn't mind reading about their outrage at the "questionable timing" of his capture in next Sunday's Washington Post.
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Trail for Usama bin Laden "stone cold?" 19 Comments (0 topical, 19 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
that at this very late stage of the game, the Administration has figured out that the only real security in DC, or any other government, is canary leaks and memos so that the leaker outs him/herself with it. Usually doesn't take many firings once they figure out it isn't safe to do that stuff.
In Vino Veritas
That has the smell of one of those deals where you tell five suspected leakers five different things, and wait to see which one shows up in the Washington Post.
I'd agree with this except that thus far this administration has shown d*mn little interest in prosecuting leakers and the enemies supporters in the press (Keller, Priest et al). This would be a good way to track down a leaker but if you aren't going to do anything once you've tracked them down why bother?
If friend mbecker908 runs out of rope to contribute I've got lots of the stuff on my sailboat I'll donate.
John
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True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whisky, I don't know.
P.J O'Rourke
of 5/8" anchor rode in my garage yesterday that I'd forgotten I even had. I'll be happy to contribute it to "The Cause."
In Vino Veritas
The are much better uses for rope; like tying up old newspapers or bundles of twigs. Once you use the rope it's gone and opportunities for repetitiveness are infrequent.
What's needed in this case is some metaphorical rope. Made in part of truth, fact and exposure. Combined appropriately, it produces a slow strangulation which results in irrelevance and finally ceasing mortality.
What better pleasure is there than watching reporters, newspapers and their beloved party slowly fading into oblivion?
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
It is so much easier to feel than think, even easier to act on feelings than on thoughts. They have now two or three generations a large percentage of whom are absolutely incapable of telling the difference even. The dividing lines in the country are stark and are cast entirely in a philosophical world view.
I think the Boomer Generation is the last that had a place to return to philosophically if they fell into the intellectual trap set by the government monopoly schools and the "elites." Since then, if you didn't learn how to think critically, in the terms that phrase was understood by inheritors of the Enlightenment, at home or had the great good fortune of a powerful mentor, you cannot get it American culture.
As long as we keep churning out mindnumbed robots, all the Ds have to do is push emotional buttons and the people cannot even hear us when we "argue."
In Vino Veritas
"If they attack us, it means we're winning." - Rush Limbaugh
No no no. Eric Rudolph was on the lam. It's Osama bin Laden who engages in sex with barnyard animals.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.
Concur with Robert, this does not pass the smell test. In midst of the Democrat's fire Rumsfeld campaign, comes this irresistible story. More of the same "pig pile" on Bush, Rumsfeld et al. The WaPo and Priest were probably drooling at the prospect of another front page story.
It is not the intelligence details that trouble me per se. It is the willingness to disclose such details given the fact they have little usefullness to the reader. Accordingly, these discosures are akin to gossip and reveal a self serving parochial intent. Hence, there is a breakdown in journalistic integrity as specious motivation outweighs potential adverse impact to the common good.
It is therefore apparent by their actions they have no interest in the capture of OBL. Otherwise, the would not wield intelligence assessments like frivolous gossip.
My only hope is that a week from now, we are discussing the latest firing at CIA for leaking to Dana.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
Ditto on the better uses for rope.
You have to put Ms.Priest in context. After all she is William Chester Goodfellow's bedfellow. Some of Mr Goodfellow's credits include Indochina Resource Center (allied with Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda), Center for International Policy ( Cofounded by Orlando Letelier, Chilean Marxist, who had the misfortune of being assassinated and having his "Friends and Family" calling list fall into the FBI's hands. There were 13 East German KGB agents on that list, among others.) Campaign for a Democratic Foreign Policy ( another Tom Hayden link controlled or infiltrated by the Communist Party USA). Human Rights Working Group ( Tom Hayden spin off group led by Chilean Marxists).
The number of mr Goodfellow's Communist, Leftist, and Pinko associates are many and varied. Ms. Priest's penchant for committing acts of treason in print should come as no surprise considering who's she's aided and abbetted by.
In the aftermath of the attempted assasination of Adolph Hitler in July 1944 by members of the German Military, some 2000 Germans were tried, convicted and executed for their complicity, real or imagined. The Nazis used some fairly exotic methods carrying out the sentences. Neither rope nor firearms were necessary.
stakes more important than even the capture of Usama bin Laden.
What could be more important than the capture of Usama bin Laden, and his trial in New York Family Court for conspiracy to commit child endangerment?
The left is unable to answer that question. They see the War on Terror, if there is indeed to be such a war, as all about revenge. They don't understand that is radical Islam really and truly wants us gone, and they will do anything in their power to destroy us.
Since the Islamists are (as Known by the left) disadvantaged, disaffected, and pushed around by the West, that means the Islamists are the good guys. The left's sense of "justice" (making everyone the same) makes them blind to the fact that many terrorists (such as UBL) are filthy rich, and use Islam as a way to gain personal power.
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The Presidency is a position more easily critiqued than attained.
OK that really made me laugh:
What could be more important than the capture of Usama bin Laden, and his trial in New York Family Court for conspiracy to commit child endangerment?
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If you're seeing shades of gray, it's because you're not looking close enough to see the black and white dots.
ok I'm not being sarcastic at all when asking this - But haven't there been many threads on RS about how Bin Laden didn't matter anymore and Democrats were just grandstanding when going on about how he's still loose? Why does this article matter at all if OBL is no longer a threat - as has been argued many times on this website?
I'm not sure if you mean my post or the WaPo piece by "this article", but if you're referring to the Post, then I would say that UBL is by no means meaningless, but his value is largely symbolic. Focusing every single military and intelligence asset on capturing him for the last five years and neglecting the broader war on terror might have brought Mr. Bush (not to mention Mr.s Cheney and Rumsfeld, and Dr. Rice) short-term poll spikes, as of course they know. But they also believe that it would be a dereliction of duty to chase fleeting popularity rather than to engage in the larger conflict with the goal of long-term victory. Do they want to catch Usama? Of course they would like nothing better. Is it their only priority? No, nor should it be, but they're still pursuing it to the best of their ability.
Having said this, the reason I believe the Priest/Tyson article to be so despicable is that it 1) plays into the unsubstantiated "get Rumsfeld" nonsense that is all the rage these days, and 2) actually does endanger covert ops who are in the field fighting this war, not sitting at a desk at Langley. All those who got so bent out of shape about Valerie Plame might take a minute to think about the men who could get their heads cut off by al Qaeda members now alerted to their presence in the border region by the kind auspices of the Washington Post, which did not have the wit to understand that the Pakistanis were probably not talking about them for a reason. Their heads cut off.
So that's why it matters to me.
"I'm kind of old-fashioned. I like to engage my brain before my mouth." Donald Rumsfeld
and Dana Priest should be in jail.
UBL may or may not continue to be actively in charge of Al Qaeda, but his continued existence is a rallying point for the Islamists. He should be dead, after having lived on IV Sodium Pentathol for a few weeks. And no, I don't think we should let him talk to a lawyer first.
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The Presidency is a position more easily critiqued than attained.
reading the article would answer this question, but then, of course, that would require reading the article rather than just posting a talking point from the Magic Eightball Fortuneteller.
don't knock it if you haven't tried it. It's a lot easier, takes a lot less time and it doesn't tax already meager abilities. :-)
John
---------
True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whisky, I don't know.
P.J O'Rourke
at least in the big picture sense, yet that was one of the things Guiliani focused on when he cleaned up New York. UBl/OBL may not "matter" in the sense of controlling events on the ground, which makes the failure to capture him less damaging to our operations, but symbolicly, he reamins important. When Dems rail against our "failure to capture" they are railing against our operations, and that at best makes their criticism ingenuine.
However, on what I consider the more important question: "Did this article endager the lives of Americans engaged in fighting the war on terror?" the answer is an unquivicable 'Yes!' Whether or not it helps UBL/OBL is not relevant to this question. It helps every terrorist organization understand how to defeat our intelligence tactics for penetrating, locating, and destroying their operations. To my mind, that is aid and comfort to the enemy, and it is one of the things that frustrates me most about the GWoT: we say the words, but we won't act like they are true. If we really are engaged in a global war on terror, then this article IS treason, and its authors and all those involved in its dissemination should be prosecuted accordingly. The leak in the CIA should simply be shot and face military court martial. Preferably in that order.
Ms. Priest and Ms. Scott Tyson stick with their anonymous source who claims to be "knowledgeable about the meeting," although it seems probably not actually present for it.
That has the smell of one of those deals where you tell five suspected leakers five different things, and wait to see which one shows up in the Washington Post.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.