A lot of people here just don't have a clue, doesn't surprise me.
Posted on 07/07/2006 7:20:30 AM PDT by FreedomNeocon
The U.S. intelligence community has not been surprised by Iran's refusal to respond to a Western incentive package to suspend its uranium enrichment. Intelligence sources said Iran, following North Korea's model, intends to delay any response or negotiations for as long as possible.
The European Union and the United States demanded that Iran reply to the Western incentive package of nuclear technology, fuel and aircraft by June 29. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Teheran would submit an answer by Aug. 22.
The U.S. intelligence community has been trying to figure out why Ahmadinejad chose that date. Sources said the community was stumped until some Islam experts translated the Gregorian date to that of the Muslim calendar.
Then came the surprise that has the intelligence community worried.
Aug. 22 corresponds to Rajab 27 on the Muslim calendar. The date is called Lailat Al Israa, when Mohammed ascended to heaven from the Al Aqsa mosque to receive the five daily prayers. Later, Al Aqsa came to represent Jerusalem.
The Muslim commemoration is meant to be a night of struggle, accompanied by thunder and lightening, resembling the story of Moses ascending Mount Sinai to receive the Old Testament.
Ahmadinejad could be hinting to the West that he is preparing a major attack on Israel. Or, the Iranian president could be warning that unless the West caves in, he would escalate tension in the region. The lightening in Mohammed's story could represent Iranian missiles.
What is clear is that Ahmadinejad does not see himself as an Iranian leader, but a Muslim prophet, using imagery to portray himself as a messiah for both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.
Most of those, who condemn our MI, wouldn't qualify re personal IQ's and a thorough back ground check. So they sit back and arm chair quarterback people who do qualify.
Or they write the ROE...
Or they write bs articles like this one of course with the unknown/undisclosed MI expert.
I understand where the criticism comes from, more often than not we are not precisely, exactly right. We present the warfighter with an analysis which is an intelligent approximation or assessment of the information we can gather and disseminate in a time period that fits the mission's requirements. What many forget, yet they know it to be true and use it to explain their own operational difficulties, is that every battlefield is fluid and no mission goes according to plan. It's very easy to blame SNAFUs on bad intelligence, when in reality the intel was very good at first engagement, but bullets and bombs always force a change in plans.
The only time a mission is going exactly as planned is when you are about to be ambushed - Murphy's Law of War #2
A lot of people here just don't have a clue, doesn't surprise me.
When the time comes you can rest assured that both Napalm and Cluster Bombs will rain from the sky on our behalf. Political correctness has no hold on munitions, we observe the Geneva Convention and not one inch more.
I would pay to watch that.
mark for later
I wonder if Mr. Ahmad-madman-ijad walks around with a sign on his back that says "Nuke me now"?
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