[quidnunc]

CAVEAT LECTOR [Rick Brookhiser]
Debka.com, a site that Jonah has mentioned before, predicts sandstorms and snowstorms in Iraq; says the allies didn't bring enough troops; foresees a fierce fight for Baghdad. Maybe they are right — in my experience, they are right about half the time — but a word on them is in order.

Debka is the name of an Israeli folk dance. The site comes from Israel, and seems to run the leavings of Israeli intelligence. Some of their items are stuff that was new yesterday, and hence, though true, is no longer vital, and so gets passed on to Debka. Some of it is stuff that an intelligence officer said, "Why are you putting this crap on my desk? Give it to Debka!"

There is also a steady tone of marginally anti-American doomsaying. In the big picture, Debka supports the United States, thought 9/11 was terrorism, etc., etc. But in virtually every specific case, it takes the view that Americans are dumb cattle who don't know what they're doing. I assume this attitude is compounded from 1) the desire for sensationalist copy 2) Israeli arrogance — more common before the intafadas than now, but still sometimes surfacing: only we understand the region, only we know how to fight, and so forth and so on.

Posted at 09:47 PM

('The Corner' in National Review, March 23, 2003)
http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp

This latest Debka 'exclusive' doesn't have the ring of truth to it.

I seriously doubt that a Republican-controlled committee would issue a report criticasl of Bush, especially in the run-up to an election year.

[FairOpinion]

"DEBKAfile’s War Diary is included in US Library of Congress historic collection of 2003 War on Iraq on Internet"

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If Debka is so unreliable, why do you think the Library of Congress decided to include Debka's reports?

[Old Sarge]

Thank you, for possibly the best synopsis on Debka I have seen yet.

This "report" keeps moshing around dates, like 1991, 2001, 2002, et al.

Conspicuously absent are the dates 1993 - 2001!

Now, how could that be?

[GatekeeperBookman]

JBS.org has a book which explains that Mr. Buckly & his 'enterprise' ( National Review ) are 'owned' by the CIA. Wonder, if the JBS is a nut-case, how can people buy such a work?? Has it been savaged, refuted or shut down?? How can anyone 'trust' any source-I think, I believe with some logic, everyone & every institution suspicious. Some more than others. Maybe even some posters to web forums. I even doubt myself, occasionally, late at night when I awaken frightened & full of doubt about what is real. Debka is certainly mysterious.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/957405/posts Please indulge me this. I think a great many factions are at work in the current 'crisis'.

I think the word faction should be revived. I may promote its use.