CIA Director Tenet says uranium line was the CIA's fault.

[Dog]

Breaking on Fox..

[jwalsh07]

Probably because they know the root cause goes back to the Torricelli amendment

Very good, you''re writing what I'm thinking.

What I'm thinking now is, why don't the Congressional Republicans hang that around the lefts scrawny necks?

[William McKinley]

My theory?

They are being told by the administration that fixing the system is much more important than nailing them partisanly. And of course, instead of following the lead, the Democrats have been rabid sockpuppets on the attack.

Which means they may get their investigation, which leads back to them.

But that is not what we need. We need to fix the problem. And we need them to grow up in order for the problem to be fixed.

[CedarDave]

You're a peach! Thanks!!

[jwalsh07]

WMD very tough to find, especially if we're not looking har in the Bekaa. He had too much time. My belief is that he shipped out what he could and destroyed what he didn't have the time or wherewithal to ship out.

There may be some small amounts of anthrax, vx and mustard gas but finiding them is almost impossible. What do we do, dig up every rose garden?

At this point it's probably better to kill as many bad guys as possible and capture as many Iraqi scientists as possible.

Reward money may or may not help because presumably only his inner circle is privy to WMD locations. Amnesty for WMD may be an option.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Would Woolsey come back as Director?

[jwalsh07]

But that is not what we need. We need to fix the problem. And we need them to grow up in order for the problem to be fixed.

I wish that it were that easy. The only thing that fixes intel networks devoid of operatives is time. There are no quick fixes, assets have to be sought, scoped out and recruited. It takes time.

In the meantime politics, war by another means, continues.

[William McKinley]

I agree- once the fix is decided upon and implemented, it will take years to cultivate.

[maestro]

Kim Philby for CIA Director!!

/sarcasm

[PhilDragoo]

MR. GERMOND: I don’t think you can fault Tenet on the particulars, not knowing the particulars of 9-11. What you really wonder is why when we spend all this money on intelligence, why we don’t ever manage to get a mole into al Qaeda. I mean, it wasn’t hard to join the group, as this kid Walker demonstrated, why don’t we get somebody in there who’s some help to us?

MR. KRAUTHAMMER: Well, one reason is the Torricelli Amendment, in the mid-‘90s, in a state of righteousness, we passed a law that said in the CIA you cannot enlist anybody who is essentially a thug or a felon. Now, you aren’t going to infiltrate thugs and felons if you don’t recruit them.

~~~

MR. KRAUTHAMMER: Evan, regarding thugs and killers, it’s true that you could get a waiver if you asked, but it changed the whole culture, you don’t want to ask, the idea is that it would be risky if you hired a thug.

~~~

MR. KRAUTHAMMER: Because we don’t have good human intelligence.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

[Porterville]

I don't understand what needs to be fixed. Saddam was an immenent threat, if he wasn't seeking uranium from Niger, he was looking elsewhere. I think it turned out fine.

[MEG33]

Piffle

[jethropalerobber]

...rope-a-dope...the Administration will release all the WMD stuff that they have been holding back.

i wouldn't count on it. folks on FR have been making that prediction for months now.

what was it rumsfeld said when asked when he found out the niger document was forged? "in recent times"? "a few days ago" ?

[William McKinley]

Phil, you have been a font of good stuff today. You rock!

[jwalsh07]

Remember 9/11? The CIA and the rest of the alphabet soup missed it completely. The Dems forced legialation in the late 80's and early 90's making it impossible to have assets who were less than solid citizens.

How can you garner human intel about terrorists and whackjobs if you can only recruit altar boys? You can't. Our human intel network is at a nadir. Horrible.

[jwalsh07]

I didn't see your post before I replied. Yours is better sad to say. :-}

[CedarDave]

In addition to the fanatics running about in Iraq shooting at the US troops and
anyone else they suspect of being a collaborator or anti-Saddam, a certain number
of scientists, engineers, and high placed bureaucrats are keeping quiet. They may not
know if Saddam is dead or alive, but they are just laying low with their knowledge
of WMD because they figure in four or five years the US will be gone, the old crowd
will return and they have long memories.

It is imperative that the US not play footsie in our searches, interrogations, and our
governing. I see us already doing this with our premature withdrawal from an Iranian
city outside Baghdad. While this is our ultimate goal, with the baddies still shooting
up us and the landscape, this is no time to slacken up.

[clintonh8r]

How about Porter Goss for Director?

[OldFriend]

Terry McAuliff promised he would be the next governor........he promised!!!

[visualops]

The suspense is killing me ...argh

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Well, at least McBride got to have dinner with Clinton. I mean, that was reward enough for all he had done for the party.