What's Wrong with the CIA? (October Imprimis)

Imprimis, Hillsdale College ^ | October 2003 | Herbert E. Meyer

[livius]

Excellent article. I think he puts the whole matter quite delicately, but the fact is, there are many in the CIA who obviously would like to see Bush fail, and don't really care that they are compromising the nation's security by doing so. And I don't think that this is just because they are Clinton hold-overs.

As the author pointed out, even in Reagan's day, the CIA had already been taken over by people whose point of view was anything but Reaganesque. I think this has to do with the fact that the CIA, like everything else, was recruiting from universities whose every graduate was fundamentally tainted by left-wing indoctrination. Furthermore, the lack of intellectual curiousity and the weakness of historical knowledge is very typical of just about any university grad since the 1970s.

For decades, the mere idea of a "patriotic academic" (mentioned earlier in the article) has been enough to make one laugh.

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[Renfield]

Back about 15 years ago we rented a house from a nice old gentleman who was the most naive person I've ever met. People took advantage of him all the time, to considerable financial loss on his part. I couldn't believe how naive, trusting, and shortsighted a person could be. I found out, after a while (from another one of his tenants) that he was a retired CIA case officer. He would have been one of those people discussed in the article above, as he would have been here at that time. It was very dismaying to me to learn what sort of person could make a career in the CIA.

[gulfcoast6]

Its not only the CIA, look at the State Department while we are at it.

[Just mythoughts]

Could it be that President Bush's confidence comes from the fact that he to has an "OSS within the CIA"?

The sending of a "sweet tea" sipping ambassador to verify intel cannot be called anything but a joke, so who sent him?

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

reduced the chances of President Reagan being blindsided by a CIA whose career analysts weren’t as good as they should have been or embarrassed by a bureaucracy that disliked him and his policies and just plain hated to give him any ammunition.

This is exactly what many of us suspect. A lot of people in the CIA are so loyal to a preconceived leftist ideology and vision of America they fail to see obvious evidence at odds with their vision.

The CIA failed to recognize the imminent breakup of the Soviet Union. They failed to see what was to happen on 9/11/01 because they DID NOT WANT TO SEE IT.

There is none so blind as him who WILL NOT see.

The CIA is too big and too bureaucratic to protect the American people. It is still being run by a Clinton appointee- George Tenet. I don't think we should expect much from it when the culture itself has not changed since 9/11/01.

Though the average American cannot know the secrets of the government, he/she can judge the results. They are abysmal. Thousands of us died on 9/11/01 because of failures of the CIA. There is no way to tell how much of our treasure has been squandered on this agency fiddling while Rome burns before them.

Some of the world's tinpot dictators are better at gathering information than this monstrosity.

[not-an-ostrich]

Possibly Homeland Security can have a section to counter this failure of the CIA.

[Just mythoughts]

This whole drama the left if putting on over a "leak" explains why they were demanding special "union" protection under the Homeland Security legislation.

With that special "union" protection the left could and does protect their own moles within agencies, can't fire them for not doing their job.

[Just mythoughts]

sorry can't type if = is

[WHBates]

Whoever sent him should have been fired. The CIA didn't even require a written report and then allowed this jerk to publish conformation of the mission. It looks like whoever sent him got the answer they were looking for. It was a joke.

[Just mythoughts]

What I can't understand is how they lost control of him.

He exposed himself and the fact that there are some hidden someplace within these government agencies who have an agenda to undermind President Bush and protecting this nation.

Mr. Wilson has destroyed his own credibility, and if he had kept his mouth shut and his words out of print who would have ever know things were not adding up. So makes one wonder if his drama of past weeks was an attempt to divert attention cause he had been found out.

Reason for demand of "Special Counsel" take the focus of answering questions about what really is going on and also attempt to control the investigation by getting one of their own to run it.

[prognostigaator]

ditto, bump

[independentmind]

For instance, the incumbent Director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet, is a Clinton administration holdover.

Tenet was retained by Bush even after 9/11; for that, Bush must be held accountable.

[browardchad]

Good article; thanks for posting.

With all the ex-CIA types in the media badmouthing just about everything Bush has done since 9/11, it's refreshing to read the truth.

[WHBates]

You make some very good points. But the also exposes how unprofessionally this organization is run.

It use to be when the CIA was asked to confirm or deny the name of an agent they would say nothing.

Who has lost credibility is the US when it appears that our own agency is working against our interest. Did they even try to confirm what the Blair goverment was saying about the issue. That is what they should have been doing.

[independentmind]

Reason for demand of "Special Counsel" take the focus of answering questions about what really is going on and also attempt to control the investigation by getting one of their own to run it.

The request for a Special Counsel is motivated by the desire to drag this scandal out until the next presidential election.

[Galtoid]

Do not forget one important fact: Bush I was the head of the CIA at one point. I know it was several years ago, but could it be that GWB is the secret recipient of intel, that even Tenet is unaware of? Bad grammar, but you get my point.

[Just mythoughts]

That was my initial thought, however, the way Mr. Wilson has acted and the words/accusations he has tossed out without anything to back them up to me says this is a whole lot deeper than dragging out a scandal.

Dragging it out is the icing on the cake, but it also stops getting anything about why Mr. Wilson was selected to go gather intel.

That is what need be answered, WHY HIM?

[independentmind]

I have not forgotten that Bush Sr. ran the CIA. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if certain personnel and policy decisions made by the current administration have been heavily influneced by the machinations of the first Bush administration.