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CIA Officials Reveal What Went Wrong – Clinton to Blame
NewsMax | Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | Christopher Ruddy

Posted on 09/12/2001 5:13:03 AM PDT by truther

CIA Officials Reveal What Went Wrong – Clinton to Blame

The worst, single most tragic day in the history of America has just passed. Tuesday more Americans likely died than all the casualties of the Battle of Antietam on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1862.

Already the media spin on yesterday's events is relentless.

The talking heads are pushing several themes, including:

* Now is not the time to point fingers at responsible parties in America, i.e., political figures like Clinton or our own security agencies.

* The events of Tuesday are the "worst-case scenario" – the worst is over.

* Osama bin Laden is the culprit.

On these points of spin, the first one is baloney. Of course we need to find why our security failed. This is basic.

And unless the big media are consulting a psychic better than the one I use, no one knows what the future days, weeks and months may yield. This is not the worst-case scenario. A worst-case scenario is a 25-megaton nuclear bomb detonated in New York or a full-scale attack against the U.S.! These should not be ruled out.

These dangers can be avoided, we pray, but only if we stop listening to the media idiots that feed us a diet of blow-dried nonsense. Is Katie Couric going to say how bad she feels for the terrorists who were driven to these cowardly acts?

It is the big media and the hack politicians that led us to this nightmarish day.

Smart to Examine Who Failed Us

We are Amercans, so let's get our feet back on the ground and use common sense.

The media say we shouldn't point fingers. (Funny, isn't it, how the media have spent 30 years pointing fingers at Richard Nixon for his alleged crimes, but when one of their liberal favorites is due for some blame, they feed us the mantras like "Let's move on!" and "No time to point fingers!")

Common sense, in fact, dictates that we need to critically examine the people who are to blame for this incident, both the perpetrators (and if you believe Osama bin Laden was the major mastermind behind this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you) and the people we pay to protect us – that is, our national security agencies.

Without question, these agencies failed miserably in preventing this sophisticated, wide-scale and coordinated attack against America.

Intelligence Agencies Failed Miserably

Tuesday I received an e-mail from a recently retired high-ranking CIA official. I will identify him as "Harry":
Here's what Harry said:

"... Reacting effectively and justly to this [attack] makes us hugely dependent on intell [intelligence] capabilities that failed us miserably. This is an enormous liability, which we shall not be able to fix before we have to react. Payback time for the last eight years!"

He continued: "There were clearly enormous failures here. This operation was ingenious in its simplicity, which would have limited the size (number of people, actions) of the operation and hence detectability. But it could not have been that small for at least a dozen men to hijack four carefully chosen aircraft (routes, fuel load) with carefully coordinated timing. And to get through security with knives big enough to subdue four relatively large crews. If the intell and security systems claim that this challenge is simply too hard for them, they have to be replaced, root and branch. Because this challenge is the challenge. It is now pretty self-evident that claims of reform and adjustment [at the intelligence agencies] to new realities that we've heard over the past eight years or so are hollow."

Of course, it's obvious why the media doesn't want any finger pointing.

Guess who ran the U.S. government and was responsible for our national security for the past eight years? Yes, you got it,

Clinton Responsible for Unpreparedness

The Clintons were supported vociferously by the media through the worst imaginable scandals.

During that time I was one of the lead reporters opposing the Clintons. I was mocked and vilified by my colleagues for doing so. I said throughout that period that Bill Clinton's personal corruption was wholesale and mirrored how he was corrupting America's national security.

I wrote articles and said repeatedly that America, sadly, may end up paying a heavy price for Bill Clinton and the major media's complicity.

I don't believe the worst has passed with the incidents of today.

We remain vulnerable and weak.

Brutally, we witnessed our weakness today.

During eight years, Clinton decimated America's military. Our forces were cut almost in half under his stewardship. Research and development on all new weapons systems were brought almost to a halt as other nations continued to build. Clinton destroyed nearly our entire arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons. Monsters like Saddam flourished as Clinton bombed aspirin factories, tent cities in Afghanistan and worthless radar stations in the Iraqi desert.

These are open facts, easily verifiable.

Clinton, the Ever-Clever Bastard

But Clinton, the ever-clever bastard, was more insidious. Little, systematic changes were undertaken to destroy America's intelligence agencies.

Let me explain. A regular NewsMax reader, "Roger," was a CIA spy in the Mideast.

I met him almost two years ago. Roger wanted to tell me why a gung-ho American quit the CIA in disgust. Roger said the CIA was not interested in recruiting spies.

Clinton and company knew they could not just tell the CIA to stop recruiting spies. That would look stupid and embarrassing.

So they just changed the rules of how spies are recruited, raising the bar on requirements to such a high degree that the most valuable spies could never meet CIA standards and couldn't work for us.

Previously, I wrote how Clinton effectively stopped the recruitment of Chinese nationals by demanding that only high-ranking embassy officials could be recruited – knowing this is almost impossible.

Roger told me that. Roger reminded me again of this today. He noted that Clinton policies reached their zenith under CIA Director John Deutch and his top assistant, Nora Slatkin. The pair ran Clinton's CIA in the mid-1990s and implemented a "human rights scrub" policy.

Here's how Roger described it in an e-mail Tuesday evening: "Deutch and Nora, Clinton's anti-intelligence plants, implemented a universal 'human rights scrub' of all assets, virtually shutting down operations for 6 months to a year. This was after something happened in Central America (there was an American woman involved who was the common law wife of a commie who went missing there) that got a lot of bad press for the agency.

"After that, each asset had to be certified as being 'clean for human rights violations.'

"What this did was to put off limits, in effect, terrorists, criminals, and anyone else who would have info on these kinds of people."

Roger says the CIA, even under new leadership, has never recovered from the "Human Rights Scrub" policy.

Perhaps that was the intention.

But we, the American people, Congress, and honest media need to examine all of these issues, now and quickly. If we don't, we risk even more grave dangers than those that we just lived through.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 911; 911commission; cia; clinton
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Comment #41 Removed by Moderator

To: Illbay
Hah!!
42 posted on 09/12/2001 7:08:32 AM PDT by abigail2
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To: ChaseR
This was a great post.. I agree.
43 posted on 09/12/2001 7:09:51 AM PDT by abigail2
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To: truther
Christopher Ruddy should hang his head in shame.
As usual, instead of reassuring his readers he is looking to blame something else on the previous administration.
He should be slathered in honey and staked out over an anthill.
44 posted on 09/12/2001 7:14:32 AM PDT by BubbaZanetti
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Comment #45 Removed by Moderator

To: themightysrc
The argument of failed intelligence has merit. Informants serve a purpose. Cells of terrorists can be monitored, and it is certainly feasible to track a group of suspected terrorists who purchase airline tickets all on the same day, and then follow up with special agents to track those suspects, even onto an airplane. There are not that many in a cell, perhaps 20 to 25. Not that many agents are needed to follow several such cells.

How to effectively stop future attacks:

1. Arm and train pilots and flight crews in deadly force.

2. Restore and increase funding levels for our intelligence operatives. Give it permanent hands-off highest priority in funding.

Defunding our intelligence services should have a process that is most difficult.

46 posted on 09/12/2001 7:28:08 AM PDT by Hostage
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To: ScreamingFist,phenrykid
Info bump!
47 posted on 09/12/2001 7:28:25 AM PDT by freefly
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To: truther
Our intelligence capabilities have never recovered from President Carter cutting the CIA to the bone during his tenure. He fired about half of the agency and many more top notch, experienced agents quit in disgust.
48 posted on 09/12/2001 7:29:42 AM PDT by razorbak
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To: truther
"Monsters like Saddam flourished as Clinton bombed aspirin factories, tent cities in Afghanistan
and worthless radar stations in the Iraqi desert."

And po'ed those people to the point where terrorism against the US became a popular idea.
We're getting to reap what clinton sowed.
49 posted on 09/12/2001 7:31:53 AM PDT by freefly
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To: abigail2
WE ARE IN A ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT now. They want to involve the 'world' in it's decision. Probably because we don't have the capability on our own now or something. But I realized what Powell was saying was, let's see what 'the world' thinks. Sovereignty? Hah!

my heart just sank reading your post. dear god, help us all!

50 posted on 09/12/2001 7:38:25 AM PDT by christine
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To: themightysrc
"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday, but I think you've completely lost it if you think this is all Clinton's fault."

.......and if YOU think yesterday's horrors happened "in a vacuum", or that Clinton didn't (via his "policies" and downright Communist appointees) lay the groundwork for what happened in NY and Washington, then you're either hopelessly naive, woefully uninformed, or pathetically blind to the truth.

51 posted on 09/12/2001 7:42:35 AM PDT by RightOnline
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To: chemainus
....bin Laden , damn his soul , will be the SOLE scapegoat and another deal will be cut. Show me different and I will eat every word.

Get out the salt and pepper, all terrorists are about to get hit and hit hard. Even most of the Democrats are together with us today, listen to Chuick Schumer, I don't care for him at all, but he is right there with the rest, calling for obliteration of all terrorists. This will not be "business as usual."

52 posted on 09/12/2001 7:46:28 AM PDT by morque2001
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To: Illbay
Thank you! and bump!
53 posted on 09/12/2001 7:46:39 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Illbay
I'm a Christian but I thought what Graham said was ill-chosen. Not all who believe in God believe in Jesus Christ. Why say things that can only serve to divide?

Did you ever read the part in Revelations where it says EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is Lord?

Today, or later; it matters not when; they WILL believe in Jesus.

Will you be with the sheep, or with the goats?

54 posted on 09/12/2001 7:49:38 AM PDT by packrat01 (there will be some division then. you betcha.)
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To: truther
Lets face it, Clinton and his feel good friends led U.S. national security in a downward spiral for 8 years. He was funded by CHICOMS for cryin out loud !!!!!! Anyone that denies that fact is on crack. Do you think the U.S. could fight a gulf war today? No chance. Clinton emasculated our armed forces because he had no respect for them or our country as evidenced by his acts of treason. He (the liberals) live under a state of utopian dementia. Our enemies knew we were weakened and didn't think we had the stomach for real retaliation. I had friends that are dead now,they were the best friends and the best people I knew with families. I hope we reduce the middle east to rubble and rid this scum from the earth. Its time to bring the war to our enemies. Use the bomb and send them a message they will never forget.
55 posted on 09/12/2001 7:52:04 AM PDT by culpeper
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To: chemainus
Yep, I agree.
56 posted on 09/12/2001 7:58:55 AM PDT by MadRobotArtist
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To: BubbaZanetti
BubbaZanetti member since August 29th, 2001

57 posted on 09/12/2001 7:59:29 AM PDT by Mmmike
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To: morque2001
This article is a little over the top, but just a little.
Remember, Clinton first had to win election twice. We, as an electorate, took the bait.
Yesterday, we felt the sting.
From the night of November 3, 1993, upon news of X42's victory, I felt the hollow dread in my gut. God is not mocked.
58 posted on 09/12/2001 8:19:11 AM PDT by irgbar-man
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt
Agree with you 100% on seeing ms. clinton's face on the TV and this morning Fox made sure they covered her speech to the Senate. This is the same woman who hugged arafat's wife and has supported the Palestinians until it became a political liability not to. Anyone that thinks that the clintons/gore are not responsible for what has happened better think again. They gave arafat a world stage to spout his rhetoric and in some cases took his side against the Israeli's. We allowed the UN to have too much control and the clintons cozied up to dictators around the world! And our willing press corps went right along including Russert yesterday asking where clinton was to speak out.

End of my rant except for a final thought -- clintons/gore are responsible for not even taking intelligence briefings from the CIA and pure and simple dessimating the Intelligence community and the military!

59 posted on 09/12/2001 8:25:02 AM PDT by PhiKapMom
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To: DittoJed2
As gross as it is to have to do that, she is a senator from New York State. That's why I toughed out listening to Schumer a little while ago. When he warned Americans against being extreme, he restricted it to personal attacks on Arabs here. Then he praised Bush's no distinction remark and said we already know who the terrorist states are: they're on the State Department's list.

Excellent. Now could you do something to get the planes in the air?

60 posted on 09/12/2001 8:25:23 AM PDT by Styria
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