Posted on 06/28/2004 4:05:02 AM PDT by chambley1
By Nicholas F. Benton (nfbenton@fcnp.com)
An anonymous CIA analyst broke the contents of a scathing new manuscript on CNN yesterday that will hit bookstores next week calling the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq "the best gift we could have given to Osama bin Laden."
The anonymous intelligence specialist, described as "an active CIA official," discussed the book, entitled Imperial Hubris, with CNN's David Ensor on the news channel late yesterday. Only the silhouetted outlines of his darkened face were discernible on screen, but he spoke with a chilling clarity and obvious appreciation of the capabilities and motivations of bin Laden and the al Qaeda networks.
He not only asserted the Bush administration is seriously misguided in terms of appreciating al Qaeda's goals and abilities, but he claimed that its approach to foreign policy has significantly strengthened the hand of America's still extremely dangerous terrorist adversary.
"We have not taken the measure of our opponent," he said. "We have grossly underestimated this threat."
He predicted the al Qaeda networks are both capable of and intend to attack the continental U.S. again with an impact greater than Sept. 11, 2001. "They will use weapons of mass destruction," he said.
Insofar as it has been the objective of bin Laden's offensives against the U.S. not to overthrow our form of government and destroy our nation, but simply to "get us out of the Muslim world," the analyst asserts, the U.S. invasion of Iraq has only strengthened his hand, underscoring the need to achieve al Qaeda's goals in the minds of countless fresh recruits to the cause.
Bush, he said, "is misguided to think that bin Laden hates us and our democracy."
"He's far more calculating than that. Khomeini was like that, hating democracy, voting and equality for women. But not bin Laden. He doesn't hate us for what we are, but for what we do," he said.
Among the U.S.'s crimes against the Muslim world that he wants to stop, the analyst said, are the U.S.' presence on the Arabian peninsula and support for Russia, China and other tyrannies that suppress the Muslims under their control.
"Bin Laden represents the Islamic resentment for the U.S.'s policies, not our system of government. It's a great mistake to think of him as a ranting mullah. He's very calculating and specific, and focused on the actions of the U.S., not our beliefs or systems," he went on.
"There is no more perfect validation of this than that we went to war in Iraq," he added. He said he considered that if the status quo is continued in Iraq, then "the war will go far into my children's lifetime."
"This is not a war with terrorists, it is a war with U.S. policies," he emphasized.
The publication of this scathing indictment of Bush administration miscalculations is apparently being sanctioned by the agent's superiors at the CIA, who know the individual in question to be mentally tough and brutally frank. From the CIA's point of view, giving an airing to differing points of views is good for the overall process.
In this case, the "deal" with the agency was that the author of this report will remain anonymous.
But the analysis comes on the heels of the 9/11 Commission's final report that, itself, blew away and thoroughly discredited the Bush administration's claim that the invasion of Iraq had something to do with the war on terror and the effort to find bin Laden and dismantle the al Qaeda network.
The notion that the invasion of Iraq had more to do with Halliburton than terrorism is seeping deeper and deeper into the consciousness of the average American citizen. The deeper it goes, the more ingrained it becomes and it will not be washed away with vacuous gestures and disclaimers from the president or his cabinet.
While more and more Americans are wising up to the fact that the 9/11 attacks were exploited by the Bush administration to justify a largely self-serving military adventure into Iraq, it has yet to be appreciated just how all of this has put the lives of possibly tens of thousands of American civilians directly into harm's way.
The author of Imperial Hubris begins to bring this frightening reality much closer to home.
Why would one buy ot take credence in a book written by an anonymous person?
The left never accepted the fall of the Berlin wall and communism. They will never accept a new Iraq.
Ping. Update from the posting last week.
So this government employee gets to write a book and profit from it while on the government payroll? I don't think that's legal, nor ethical.
Its bunk. This notion Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are opposed to this or that American policy or President is belied not only by their words but by their deeds, beginning with 9/11, which by the happened BEFORE we invaded Afghanistan much less than Iraq. Its another example of a liberal idiot who seems to think effect comes before cause. In other words, Al Qaeda's terrorism was a response to what the U.S has done in the Islamic world rather than being an unprovoked assault on America for what she represents. If this kind of liberal thinking ever becomes official policy, the rest of this century is going to be very dark. "Imperial Hubris," indeed.
Mr. Anon - who apparently comes from the same school as former intelligence analyst Richard Clarke - must be one of those All-Seeing All-Knowing government employees in Washington DC.
The liberals and the terrorists agree: terrorism is caused by U.S. policies. If we get out of the Middle East, the terrorists will leave us alone. Yeah, right!
I guess liberals like Anonymous have never heard of 9/11.
He's not anonymous apparently. At least one FNC guest knows who this Anonymous is. Wish he'd named the guy, theough the FNC guest made clear this author is no great shakes in the intell community.
This is disinformation, perhaps prepared by someone who has only second-hand knowledge of the inner workings of CIA. First thought that came to mind - Joseph C. Wilson IV spouse of Valerie Plame.
Nah, they wouldn't risk exposing themselves to very high-level scrutiny. The penalties would be too great.
But then, there are a lot of people who would fall on the sword to put Bush out of office.
Little by little even the most unaware American is beginning to realize that we have unamerican people working in the State Department, the CIA, the FBI, and probably as 'career' employees in the white house as well.
Their motives are irrelevant.Their goals are not.Almost any dicussion outside of "How do we defeat them utterly" is merely intellectual exercise.But look out ,bigger lies than this are SURE to follow.
dicussion=discussion(damn fingers)
Amazing that we live in a world where such nonsense can become accepted by a large percentage of the population.
The Iraqi invasion has liberated millions of people (and despite what the media says and what the leftist marxist enemies in this nation try and convey most of those people are extremely happy we came). It also has provided us with a fly trap in that area for the Bin Laden Jihadists where they are dying by the hundreds and the thousands...and that means they and we are not dying here in the CONUS.
Finally, we are strategically in a position in Iraq and Afghanistan, on both sides of Iran, to be able to mount an operation against them at will...and the Mullahs know it, oh yes, they know it well.
If all of that is a gift to Bin Laden...then let it be his birthday every day.
This annonymass idiot, whomever he is, is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the anti-liberty, anti-Bush pundits in the media and in the democratic party.
Nothing more, nothing less.
There is a report out that Anonymous thinks Bin Laden will attack before the election in order to assure Bush's reelection. This is in contrast to others that have the theory that an attack would cause Bush's defeat.
Yes, taking down a regime that harbored, trained and funded terrorists was a total distraction from the war on terror. What were we thinking?
Only the silhouetted outlines of his darkened face were discernible on screen, but he spoke with a chilling clarity and obvious appreciation of the capabilities and motivations of bin Laden and the al Qaeda networks.
But a janitor accidentally turned a light on in the interview room, and the CIA source's face was revealed for all to see!
This is treasonous if he actually said it. He should be found out, fired and investigated to make sure he hasn't damaged national security.
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