Posted on 01/08/2010 12:47:38 PM PST by mojito
The recent death in Afghanistan of seven American counterterrorist officers, one Jordanian intelligence operative, and one exploding al Qaeda double agent ought to give us cause to reflect on the real capabilities of the Central Intelligence Agency and al Qaeda.
The report card isn't good. America's systemic intelligence problems were partially on display in the bombing at the CIA's Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province. Worse, al Qaeda showed skill that had been lacking in many of its operations. In response, President Barack Obama will likely be obliged to adopt counterterrorist methods that could make his administration as tough as his predecessor's.
Professionally, one has to admire the skill of suicide bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi's handlers. This operation could well have been months—if not longer—in the making, and neither the Jordanian intelligence service (GID), which supplied the double agent to the CIA, nor Langley apparently had any serious suspicion that al-Balawi still had the soul and will of a jihadist.
That is an impressive feat. The Hashemite monarchy imprisons lots of Islamic militants, and the GID has the responsibility to interrogate them. The dead Jordanian official, Sharif Ali bin Zeid, reportedly a member of the royal family, may not have been a down-and-dirty case officer with considerable hands-on contact with militants, but al-Balawi surely passed through some kind of intensive screening process with the GID. Yet the GID and the CIA got played, and al Qaeda has revealed that it is capable of running sophisticated clandestine operations with sustained deception.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Despite the gloomy picture, the author, a former CIA professional, believes that while 0 may continue to utter leftist platitudes, he will become more serious on an operational level. I wish I had the same confidence.
Depends on what the operation is. I really don’t think Obama’s on our side. The ultimate double agent.
I heard on the radio this morning that the wife of the Jihadist/Spy that sucide-bombed and killed 7 real CIA agents said that one of the reasons he did so was the “treatment” of other jihadists in Guantanomo Bay.
What this means is that all the journalists AND politicians who exaggerated, falisified and screemed about waterboarding and flushing korans down the toilet (which never happened)-—THEY ALL HAVE THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTIC AMERICANS ON THEIR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I spit on the graves of your mothers, you scumbags!!!
Imagine what could happen if our enemies tried to put one of their agents in a position of power right here in the US! Imagine what could happen if we had no screening process. No vetting process. What might happen if our media refused to ask questions, or ignored all concerns about this persons background, loyalty, or associates?
Under such circumstances, an enemy of America probably rise pretty high up in our government, I would imagine.
Beyond that, expect more of the same. They won't be waterboarding anyone soon to prevent CIA people from being killed.
Most people probably don’t have the slightest understanding of how bad this really is. I would say this is Al Qaeda’s most effective tactical operation i am aware of (post-9/11).
However, destroying your own secret agent in the process is pretty stupid from an intel gathering point of view. A functional operative on the inside like that would provide much more value to Al Qaeda. They hurt us badly though but we will recover. They will never have that asset again and we will probably tighten up our counter-intelligence operations.
As for Zero, i only expect him to make things worse.
A lack of screening & vetting is how BO got into the White House in the first place.
The government is once again putting out the call for agents with Arabic language skills.
Seems to me it would make more sense to spring for a few of those Rosetta Stone language CDs instead.
I had read that one of the CIA people was becoming suspicious of the suicide bomber.
He probably figured it was now or never. Blow up 7 CIA agents now or risk decreased influence. If that was the case the bombing wasn't stupid, but smart.
It is a major problem if we underestimate our terrorist enemies, for certain they are not stupid.
Don’t forget the young men gunned down in Little Rock. Can you add them in there?
Right! Thank heavens for our free media! Power to the people, man, . . right on!
I am with you.
He may or may not be a closet Muslim, but he is certainly a Muslim sympathizer.
My fear is that this is happening more and more.
It makes me uncomfortable that so many CIA people were buying into the hype that they were going to snag Zawahiri.
We need sober, more cynical CIA people...not I Want It Now people fashioned by today's hype-TV culture.
To me, this tragic failure to "trust but verify" reeks of arrogance and stupidity--and that IS a "systemic" problem that the CIA damn well better address!
The CIA is still stuck in the Cold War mentality. Us vs. Them; one clear defined enemy with similar capabilities that’s always on the same spot on the map that spoke one language.
In the age when our cheif enemy is terrorism that ain’t so. Cold War technology like satellites isn’t so helpful against terrorists hiding in caves in Tora Bora. SIGINT was great against the Soviet Union but not so much against enemies like al-Qaida and state sponsors of terror like Iran. HUMINT and OSINT, which are way undervalued, are much more effective in these cases.
One nuclear weapon against a cell of 15 AQ guys doesn’t do nearly as much damage to the organization as one nuke used by 15 AQ guys against the US. We could deter the Soviets with our nukes because we would each suffer equal damage from the other’s using them. Can’t do that against AQ for the reason I just mentioned.
Against terrorism, we have to be successful every time. Terrorists only have to be successful against us once.
Islamic terrorism is spread across the globe by multiple non-state actors (although financed by states) and speaks many languages, many of which aren’t taught in public universities.
This isn’t the Cold War. It’s much more difficult. Instead of two lions sizing each other up, think of one lion (the West) vs. a swarm of little fire ants (global terrorists). The sooner the CIA and the intel community realize this the better.
nah...couldn't happen could it? sarc.
I received this today in an e-mail from a friend - didn't know how to verify it. Can anyone tell me if this is authentic? Has anyone else heard this?
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 1:24 PM
VERY QUIETLY OBAMA'S CITIZENSHIP CASE REACHES THE SUPREME COURT
AP- WASHINGTON D.C. - In a move certain to fuel the debate over Obama's qualifications for the presidency, the group "Americans for Freedom of Information" has Released copies of President Obama's college transcripts from Occidental College . Released today, the transcript school indicates that Obama, under the name Barry Soetoro, received financial aid as a foreign student from Indonesia as an undergraduate at Occidental College. The transcript was released by Occidental College in compliance with a court order in a suit brought by the group in the Superior Court of California. The transcript shows that Obama (Soetoro) applied for financial aid and was awarded a fellowship for foreign students from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship program. To qualify, for the scholarship, a student must claim foreign citizenship.. This document would seem to provide the smoking gun that many of Obama's detractors have been seeking.
Along with the evidence that he was first born in Kenya and there is no record of him ever applying for US citizenship, this is looking pretty grim. The news has created a firestorm at the White House as the release casts increasing doubt about Obama's legitimacy and qualification to serve as President. When reached for comment in London , where he has been in meetings with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama smiled but refused comment on the issue. Britain 's Daily Mail has also carried the story in a front-page article titled, "Obama Eligibility Questioned," leading some to speculate that the story may overshadow economic issues on Obama's first official visit to the U.K. In a related matter, under growing pressure from several groups, Justice Antonin Scalia announced that the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments concerning Obama's legal eligibility to serve as President in a case brought by Leo Donofrio of New Jersey . This lawsuit claims Obama's dual citizenship disqualified him from serving as president. Donofrio's case is just one of 18 suits brought by citizens demanding proof of Obama's citizenship or qualification to serve as president.
Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation has released the results of their investigation of Obama's campaign spending. This study estimates that Obama has spent upwards of $950,000 in campaign funds in the past year with eleven law firms in 12 states for legal resources to block disclosure of any of his personal records. Mr. Kreep indicated that the investigation is still ongoing but that the final report will be provided to the U.S. attorney general, Eric Holder. Mr. Holder has refused to comment on the matter.
LET OTHER FOLKS KNOW THIS NEWS, THE MEDIA WON'T !
Subject: RE: Issue of Passport? While I've little interest in getting in the middle of the Obama birth issue, Paul Hollrah over at FSM did so yesterday and believes the issue can be resolved by Obama answering one simple question: What passport did he use when he was shuttling between New York, Jakarta, and Karachi ?
So how did a young man who arrived in New York in early June 1981, without the price of a hotel room in his pocket, suddenly come up with the price of a round-the-world trip just a month later?
And once he was on a plane, shuttling between New York, Jakarta, and Karachi, what passport was he offering when he passed through Customs and Immigration?
The American people not only deserve to have answers to these questions, they must have answers. It makes the debate over Obama's citizenship a rather short and simple one.
Q: Did he travel to Pakistan in 1981, at age 20? A : Yes, by his own admission.
Q: What passport did he travel under? A: There are only three possibilities.
1) He traveled with a U.S. Passport, 2) He traveled with a British passport, or 3) He traveled with an Indonesia passport.
Q: Is it possible that Obama traveled with a U.S. Passport in 1981? A: No.. It is not possible. Pakistan was on the U.S. State Department's "no travel" list in 1981..
Conclusion: When Obama went to Pakistan in 1981 he was traveling either with a British passport or an Indonesian passport.
If he were traveling with a British passport that would provide proof that he was born in Kenya on August 4, 1961, not in Hawaii as he claims. And if he were traveling with an Indonesian passport that would tend to prove that he relinquished whatever previous citizenship he held, British or American, prior to being adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967.
Whatever the truth of the matter, the American people need to know how he managed to become a "natural born" American citizen between 1981 and 2008...
Given the destructive nature of his plans for America, as illustrated by his speech before Congress and the disastrous spending plan he has presented to Congress, the sooner we learn the truth of all this, the better...
If you Don't care that Your President is not a natural born Citizen and in Violation of the Constitution, then Delete this and put your head back in the hole...
If you do care then Forward this!
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