Rowley Faced More Than FBI Bureaucracy

Minneapolis Star-Tribune ^ | 6/6/02 | Greg Gordon

[Paul Ross]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Minneapolis FBI agent Coleen Rowley, who testifies before Congress today, faced more than bureaucratic obstacles in August while she pressed FBI headquarters for a warrant to search the belongings of suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui.

Minnesota's federal law enforcement leadership was in flux during the weeks that crucial decisions were being made.

[tubebender]

There was a post a few days ago where someone parsed Rowley's memo and it was very informative. It could have been from NewsMax or Mark Levin.

[calico joe]

Why all the hostility to Ms Rowley on this thread? Has anybody ever actually read the memo? She does explain why she wrote it now rather than in September. She says she was fed up with all the mendacious statements from Washington FBI about how nobody had any clue about 9/11. Since authority in Washington has caved on that point, she has been vindicated. Had she not written the letter, the FBI would still be in clueless mode. So, I repeat, why the hostility?

[tubebender]

I hate to disapoint you but in fact I did read the memo and she now has her minute of fame. I will allow you to have you own opinion...

[Endeavor]

You know, it's that kind of thinking that allows the Peter Principle to flourish.

Rowley isn't the typical polished show horse that Congress likes to invite to listen to themselves pontificate on how great they are to give their "guest" the time of day. But she is bright, has an innate common sense and has good instincts. She knows her job, knows the law and knows the ropes of her job.

She also is not impressed with peoples' positions, and she isn't afraid to rock the boat. I'll take that over the pompous bs Tenet and Mueller pitch out left and right, thank you.

[Howlin]

She also is not impressed with peoples' positions, and she isn't afraid to rock the boat.

Then why didn't she rock it on 9-12?

[Endeavor]

"There is NOTHING that she has said today that I couldn't have said."

Howlin, I disagree. You might could have said it better, but I suspect there's a lot more substance to Ms. Rowley than you're giving her credit for.

[Howlin]

I'll have to guess you didn't hear her. She had absolutely NOTHING to offer except that it took her an hour to type 60 names.

[Endeavor]

Perhaps because it wasn't apparent the boat, ie, the composite of all of our nation's security agencies, was named "Titanic" on 9/12? I really can't say. It should be obvious to all at this point that our national security is bound by inept imbeciles who care more about their own butts instead of ours. It will take whistleblowers and the pressure of you, me and the rest of our "fellow Americans" to apply the appropriate heat to the appropriate butts to effect a positive change. I certainly am not comfortable leaving that responsibility to the "preeners" we saw today, known by any other name as "senators."

[swarthyguy]

Exactly, she is not television savvy personality trained in the nuances of appearing on tv. She's an agent in front of preening senators who have spend more time looking in the mirror than anything else.

[Endeavor]

Well guess again, honey, I heard her. I heard her say that Mueller was disingenous in calling for better leadership and managerial skills among those promoted up the FBI chain of command, in his recent remarks. I heard her say that was particularly surprising since the exact opposite has been emphasized in the past 12 mos. I heard her lay out critical issues that bind the hands of FBI agents - FISA issues, which Congress can effectively modify w/o endangering Miranda. I heard someone stand up very publicly and describe the Emporer's bloated body which many folks seem content in overlooking, while admiring the clothes the Emporer isn't wearing. That takes guts. Her career is likely toast regardless of everyone bending over backwards today to tell her that they'd personally see to it that she is protected. These same senators will comfortably forget Ms. Rowley as soon as she no longer gets them the tv mileage they crave. It is up to us to continue to apply pressure to our charming elected officials if we expect any positive change to occur in our "security" agencies.

She's a quirky personality, which may likely make her good at her job - a lot of people who don't fit the typical "professional attorney/agent" mode can nonetheless be good at what they do. I admire her courage and believe me, it takes a ton of courage to rock the boat in a bureaucracy as strong as the FBI. Would it have been easier to hear these things from someone as polished and telegenic as Candace DeLong? Sure. But I think there's a lot substance to Ms. Rowley and she's welcome in my foxhole anytime.

[Howlin]

We must not have heard the same woman then.

And again I say, why not 9-11 instead of 5-17?

[Endeavor]

As you like it.

[swarthyguy]

Judging her on her hair, hesitant delivery does her a dis service. She could have kept her mouth shut and then the names of Maltbie and Frasca would never be out here. As it is, her career is over. I do expect to see some negative stories about her past mistakes, etc., as if no agent who truly does her job wouldn't have made a few. In the meantime, I do not see anyone calling Maltbie and Frasca to testify. Again, the central question, who or why were all these investigations spiked or ignored?

[AndyJackson]

Given that her memo is very well written, either she or someone working with her knows how to think things out in a very cogent manner. Very few people who are not practiced at it do well at Congressional hearings, and I doubt many of her detractors here would come off any better.

[Sandy]

why the hostility?

You're surprised? She's criticizing the government, and that might somehow make the President look bad, so she needs to be defamed (sort of like what the left did with Linda Tripp).

[Redbob]

"There is NOTHING that she has said today that I couldn't have said."

Doesn't she remind you of the Enron "whistleblower" Ms. Watkins, who had in fact written nothing more than a CYA memo to file?

[Howlin]

Yes, plus she couldn't even seem to remember what she had written....she had to keep looking at her notes!

[nunya bidness]

Well said.

[nutmeg]

bump

[self_evident]

You're surprised?

I am. I haven't seen a more digusting thread on FR in a long time. The Tripp analogy is dead on, although she was taking on a greater power at greater risk. Clearly, though, the majority of the criticism here is that she wasn't entertaining enough, or overtly polical enough. Part of the blame belongs to the press, though. The blew the memo WAY out of proportion. It appears some people here actually believed the press and expected shocking (and entertaining) revelations by her.