Posted on 03/28/2005 3:46:19 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
WASHINGTON - A lone U.S. ambassador compromised America's hunt for Osama bin Laden in Pakistan for more than two years, The New York Sun has learned.
Ambassador Nancy Powell, America's representative in Pakistan, refused to allow the distribution in Pakistan of wanted posters, matchbooks, and other items advertising America's $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Mr. bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.
Instead, thousands of matchbooks, posters, and other material - printed at taxpayer expense and translated into Urdu, Pashto, and other local languages - remained "impounded" on American Embassy grounds from 2002 to 2004, according to Rep. Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois.
While the American government was engaged in a number of "black" or covert intelligence activities to locate Al Qaeda leaders, Mr. Kirk said, the "white" or public efforts - which have succeeded in the past in leading to the capture of wanted terrorists - were effectively shut down in the months following the September 11 attacks.
Mr. Kirk discovered Ms. Powell's unusual order in January 2004 and, over the past year, launched a series of behind-the-scenes moves that culminated in a blunt conversation with President Bush aboard Air Force One, the removal of the ambassador, and congressional approval for reinvigorating the hunt for Mr. bin Laden.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
*Sigh*... De facto, treason is, sadly, no longer illegal. There have been so many acts of treason by so many high-profile personalities for so many years since the 50's and 60's that the only conceivable faux pas for which someone would likely be prosecuted would be producing an hour-long documentary for Al Jazeera showing every active and retired CIA agent, each member of his family, his current address, phone number and make, model and license plate number of his car. This might not do it either, until the producers offered to provide guided tours of the agents' homes, complete with complimentary AK-47s and RPGs.
Okay. Thanks.
I don't know what I was thinking. :)
THAT is a WOMAN????? Come on....it MUST be a fae picture!!! She even LOOKS like a lefty!!
The "ambassador" looks like Benny Hill with a wig.
FMCDH(BITS)
Get your facts straight. April Glaspie never told Saddam he could invade Kuwait. She didn't say anything and he got the impression it was okay. Still no excuse on her part, she was inept to say the least.
I was just getting ready to say one should not send a woman to do a man's job.
All I can ruminate is ......WTF!
Over and over again, we keep assuming these things are blunders, rather than part of the plan . . .
As I recall, the subject of the Iraq/Kuwait dispute over the oil fileds came up in her meeting with Saddam, and she said the US would not take an active role or get involved in that issue, so Saddam went ahead with all out invasion to reclaim his '19th province'.
"Sometimes it's as if the entire State Department has 'gone native' and forgotten who they represent."
Bingo. Back in the mid to late 90s in an effort to stop a gangster from poisoning a navy dependent housing area in Japan with an illegal industrial waste incinerator facility, our biggest impediment was the State Department.
Goes without saying that "talks" between the Japanese PM and Billy JeffAirplane Klintstone did nothing.
It wasn't until we got real help from the Pentagon and the DOJ got involved that we finally got him closed down. The State Department re-emerged just in time to throw a victory party and try to take credit.
In fairness, one State Department employee, a young woman of Korean ancestry who transferred in late in the process, did seem to have her head on straight.
"Did Powell really send a lesbian to Pakistan?"
Bush doesn't seem to understand that appointing people who flaunt same-sex attraction disorder to high office is de facto endorsement of the radical pervofascist agenda.
Hmm, did she named her daughter after the country or the tableware?
A woman diplomat named Powell was just named Deputy to Condi Rice. Is that the same woman I wonder.
Any more info? I can't find anything on this. The #2 & #3 deputies to Condi at State are Bob Zoellick & R.Nicholas Burns. Nancy Powell was deputy to Susan Rice...
Not clear she was responsible for ending the program. She doesn't sound like a prize anyway.
The US diplomat in charge in Pakistan is probably a "military attache".
I'll bet she can't speak any of those languages fluently. Or perhaps she can and that's why this dopey lesbo was sent to the sensitive post of ambassador to Pakistan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.