Posted on 11/14/2004 5:56:00 PM PST by hope
Reprinted from NewsMax.com
CIA Agent: Nuke Attack Surely Coming
Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.comFormer CIA agent Michael Scheuer told CBS “Sixty Minutes”’ Steve Kroft Sunday that the U.S. fumbled ten chances to kill or capture terror chief Osama bin Laden – before 9/11. Now, he is convinced that the international outlaw will attack the U.S. homeland with some sort of nuclear weapon of mass destruction.
Monday, Nov. 15, 2004
"They're intention is to end the war as soon as they can and to ratchet up the pain for the Americans until we get out of their region.... If they acquire the weapon, they will use it, whether it's chemical, biological or some sort of nuclear weapon," said Scheuer.
In his first television interview without disguise, Scheuer appeared most aggravated by a missed opportunity to level a hunting camp where bin Laden was holding court with several Arab princes.
“If they were eating goat with bin Laden, you know they were up to nefarious purposes. What were a few less Arab princes when considering 3000 dead Americans?”
At one point, the gung-ho agent was dismissed from the bin Laden project at the CIA that went by the code name “Alec.” He told Kroft that he was considered “too persistent” and constantly lobbied his superiors about their “unwillingness to take risks.”
But after 9/11 he was brought back aboard.
His attitude about U.S. policy has not gotten much better. He holds former CIA director George Tenet responsible for 9/11 and lambastes former White House security aide Richard Clark for “constantly denigrating our intelligence.”
"One of the questions that should have been asked of Mr. Tenet was why were there always enough people for the public relations office, for the academic outreach office, for the diversity and multi-cultural office? All those things are admirable and necessary but none of them are protecting the American people from a foreign threat," said Scheuer.
Scheuer thinks it is a grave mistake for the administration to advertise bin Laden as a “thug or gangster.”
“He is not irrational but a worthy opponent,” Scheuer insisted, going as far as to say that bin Laden was in his opinion “a great man.”
“His greatness comes from his ability to influence the course of history.”
"Until we respect him, sir, we are going to die in numbers that are probably unnecessary, yes. He's a very, very talented man and a very worthy opponent," he added to Kroft.
Scheuer coyly admitted to CBS that he was the "anonymous" author of two books critical of the West's response to bin Laden and al Qaeda, the most recent of which is titled Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror.
The CIA allowed him to write the books provided he remain anonymous, but now is allowing him to reveal himself for the first time on Sunday's broadcast; he formally leaves the Agency on Nov. 12.
Other points from the interview:
The retired CIA man admitted that he was not invited to cabinet meetings during the Richard Clark period at the Clinton White House.
George Tenet and Richard Clark were invited to appear on the program but declined to do so.
Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
106-106-106
Sadly the CIA is filled with Clinton-era paper pushers. This guy should have killed OBL instead of fawning over him. Blame Clinton weak on terrorism polocies.
OBL is very smart but the CIA should respect him, not fawn over him and kill him.
My guess would be if Bin Laden has a nuke it is a dirty nuke. I very much doubt he has something the size of the one that destroyed Hiroshima. If he does what will be his method of delivery?
The trouble with analysts is they think they are playing a mind game and if they haven't been able to beat their opponent, their egos won't allow them to admit they are inferior intellectually or otherwise. Therefore, they call their opponent intelligent and shrewd.
This man has been all over saying this..
But I think they'll pick an easier target. Air shipment to US is pert much sealed-off; incoming ocean traffic is tight as a [insert Ratherism here] Beeper-like devices are everywhere.
OBL would be betting that the US would not respond against population centers - and who knows, he might be right. set off a nuke in NYC, without a definitive chain of custody that points to who and where it came from, and we would be faced with having to decide to take out the entire rats nest (pakistan, iran, north korea, syria, saudi arabia) in retaliation. would we do it?
The key problem with Imperial Hubris is that it makes a silly argument about the reason Bin Laden hates the US. This 'policy-based' justification is in my mind a cop-out by the CIA, which has many people who don't even seem to fully believe in their own country right now.
One thing that is right in Imperial Hubris and it applies to this nuke threat arg as well... Only a massive response will win in the end. It's too late to win hearts and minds. If we are going to be hit, we should just lash out and threaten the entire Middle East RIGHT NOW. Threaten all of the capitals. If this nuke intelligence is true, I don't give a crap about the lives....
Bush needs to become more aggressive here too. Maybe only now he is waking up discovering the mess the CIA is in.
A billion or so dead Muslims, for starters.
You guys are still watching 60 Minutes ??
yeah that was brilliant strategic move on bin Laden's part in attacking us on 9/11. In fact, in the pantheon of brilliant strategic moves, that decision ranks right up there with Hitler declaring war on us after Pearl Harbor and Hitler launching operation Barbarossa against the Russians in 1941.
I think that it is pretty obvious, that the population will not tolerate something like that. I can see every treaty and international law getting chucked out the window. Probably quite a few hate crimes directed at Arabs and Muslims here in the states, not to mention anywhere else in the world where they are worried about terrorism. I really can't believe that any terrorist would be so stupid as to think that their cause would have a future after something like that.
Since this appeared on 60 Minutes, it's suspect anyway. Perhaps if it came on a news show from a respected source and not a fantasy outlet, there would be more to it.
I was alerted o here..and switched over just for part of it..I was familiar with the book..I believe we have a serious problem with the CIA..and his mindset on "policy" is one of them..
Well you asked me if I thought we'd ever use nukes again.... This was the scenario I was considering when I answered affirmatively.
The Redskins ran late, I managed to watch the interview.
This guy trashed Bush in the book, right?
What a jerk! I worry about people who are always "right"
when everyone else is "wrong".
This kind of grammatical error should be avoidable after about 7th grade, and certainly at a website that purports to write serious news.
OBL has oil money funding his operation, and he can buy intelligence and secure routes through mexico (corrupt police) --- make a central staging area... --- and ship bombs in pieces by pack mule, to be assembled on other side of border. He only loses if all pieces are caught. He wins with a single assembly and delivery.
OBL missed his target in 1993 - came beack in 2001 on 9/11.
A military and leadership decapitation effort on American government is plausable.
January 20th is the next heavy breather ... at least for me.
I continue to pray for El Presidente Bush.
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