[AAABEST]

First, this DHS assessment was begun more than a year ago, before Barack Obama was even nominated.

I keep hearing this. If so, then why does the very first paragraph of the 9 page report begin with the following:

The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing* terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.

These "unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment" weren't even a factor a year ago.

[Scutter]

Great point.

[ForeignDude]

It was DHS itself who put out that this report had been in the works for over a year, to defuse the controversy.

This means that LGF took DHS at its word WITHOUT reading the source document. If he had done so, if he had shown a modicum of skepticism and intellectual curiosity, he would have found the contradictions between the official line and the text itself.

I, too, used to read LGF. It’s not the specific issues he has addressed that bother me; rather, and especially over the last couple of years, LGF has consistently shown that he doesn’t actually research what he writes about before jumping into the mix head-first. THAT’S why I stopped reading that blog: if I want to read opinion pieces from people who are woefully ignorant of the topics on which they write, I’ll pick the NYT.

[Senator John Blutarski]

AAABEST wrote:
First, this DHS assessment was begun more than a year ago, before Barack Obama was even nominated.
I keep hearing this. If so, then why does the very first paragraph of the 9 page report begin with the following:

The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing* terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.

These “unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment” weren’t even a factor a year ago.

..... How did that slip by the script editors ?????

[aft_lizard]

Umm but a good report talks about potential outcomes as well as current realities. DHS would know that the economy would turn south and there was a high chance for a black president.

[PapaBear3625]

First, this DHS assessment was begun more than a year ago, before Barack Obama was even nominated.

As you and others have pointed out, while the research for the report may have been started a year ago, the decisions on how to write up that research and what spin to put on it were entirely made by the Obama administration.