[randalcousins]

I appreciate that now may not be the time to say this to Americans, and I don't mean this as anything more than constructive criticism from one friend to another, but: your Federal agencies really suck (to use your own vernacular).

Isn't it time you reviewed which were really necessary, opened up replacement agencies for those that are necessary under competent outsiders, and then progressively absorbed the necessary functions and any clean and competent personnel into the replacement agencies? That would get rid of the useless or harmful agencies and clean out the corrupt and/or incompetent ones (the rest), while maintaining the functionality of the useful ones and as much of their experience as possible. I don't see you have much to lose by this course of action, and you might actually be able to trust and respect your Federal government again.

In fact, why not have a constitutional requirement that every Federal agency should be replaced this way every thirty years or so?

[Dan De Quille]

A former senior operative in the region is quoted as saying that “the CIA probably doesn’t have a single truly qualified Arabic-speaking officer of Middle Eastern background who can play a believable Muslim fundamentalist who would volunteer to spend years with sy food and no women in the mountains of Afghanistan. For Christ’s sake, most case officers live in the suburbs of Virginia.” Another case officer said: “Operations that include diarrhoea as a way of life don’t happen.”

I expect that this situation will change. Nothing like thousands of innocent casualties to focus the attention.

[beekeeper]

You are addressing the wrong problem. The CIA has been hamstrung by the congress and, most recently Clinton and an executive order. Congress wants the CIA to behave properly using the rules of Rodney King, "Can't we just get along" while Cilnton excluded the use of informers and infiltrators that had any connection with terrorist organizations. It is unlikely that terrorist organizations harbor Quakers.

The Congress and Clinton want us to be nice in a bad world. It is typical of the thinking in the Johnson Administration when I was off Vietnam and watched the NVA resupply the VC during bombing pauses. When you fight a war, be it clandestine or open, you do not hobble your own troops.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

A criticism of bureaucracy is not a criticism of the United States. The bigger our federal agencies get, the further away from the constitution we move.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that our multi-billion-dollar "intelligence" (oxymoron) communities completely failed us this week.

As our government gets bigger, warring bureaucrats within it are engaged in endless in-fighting which paralyzes our ability to to the right thing. That is where true leadership by a president is supposed to make a difference.

Time will tell if this country can focus again and do what has to be done against terrorism.

I do not believe a word uttered by politicians anymore. Talk, Talk, Talk. ACTION IS WHAT IS NEEDED!

[csvset]

Another operative said that the problem lay in a lack of volunteers for a posting that meant no sex and bad food.

LOL, this same thought came to me the other day. Hardly a "007" assignment. The CIA, imho, are first rate, flim flam artists, criminals, frauds, con men, shysters, grifters, highwaymen, etc. .....

[Rocky]

Maybe the current situation will stir us to fix some of these past ills. I hope so. But you can't fix the roof while it's raining. America needs to take on the task after the immediate crisis is over.

[fporretto]

While superficially plausible, this overlooks a critical fact of the CIA's institutional patterns: it only hires people who thrive on no sex and bad food. Eat at any Langley cafeteria or nearbly restaurant for confirmation.

Don't be misled by the variant behavior of elected officials; they don't have to pass FBI background checks.

(tee hee)

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com

[HEFFERNAN2]

It is time for Arab-Americans "to step up to the plate" and volunteer to be infiltrators into the terrorists organizations. They have lived in America now for many years and have reaped the rewards of freedom and luxuries of capitalism. Now is the time to give back to their new adopted country and prove their loyalty to America. Semper Fi, Mike

[Solid Oak]

Yes we need to buils up human intelligence, but that is not the biggest problem by far. CIA, NSA and DIA, have been preoccupied with political correctness and egalitarian analysis (all analysts and their assessments are equal). Management has no idea who are good analysts and who are not since all are equal. Analysis has to satisfy "consensus" between those who are good and those who have no clue before it can be issued - thus good analysis is neither timely nor accurate. Tenent at CIA and Hayden at NSA should be replaced immediately - they are Clinton holdovers who do not have been a big part of the problem.

[Illbay]

I appreciate that now may not be the time to say this to Americans, and I don't mean this as anything more than constructive criticism from one friend to another, but: your Federal agencies really suck (to use your own vernacular).

The term SNAFU came from the rank and file soldiers of World War II--a very patriotic lot--who had to deal with the inept bureaucracy of the War Department.

We can only hope the situation improves. Let's keep the heat on our elected representatives to see that it does.

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Bump

While everyone is talking about bombing the BaGeezes out of someone, I am scared by the lack of long term thinking.

It will take a half a dozen years to get our intelligence back up to snuff (if no Clintons are presidents).

I think the real solution for the manpower and the brainpower that we need is the draft!

[ConsistentLibertarian]

There are reports that one of the hijackers drove a red Mitsibushi eclipse and that several had run up high bar tabs and that cigarrette butts were being examined for DNA evidence. So it's not clear to me that these people fit the profile of the religious extremist who renounces all wordly things. The other thing is that it's not _easy_ to infiltrate this group because they rely on ties of family and personal history. While bin Laden's brothers stayed in Saudi Arabia and enjoyed opulent lifestyles thanks to their inheritence, Osama went to Afganastan and started out by using his personal wealth to give pensions to widows and ophans of the war with the USSR. These are the people close to him. It's like extended family.

[muir_redwoods]

"No sex and bad food" Sounds like my first marriage ;-)

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

If this is true how does the author explain the long existence of Great Britain? If they can survive on no sex and bad food, so can the CIA.