Comments on: Dafydd: Counter-Intuitive Argument

By: MD in Philly

MD in Philly — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 17:04:21 +0000

Hard to know what the CIA and NSA are up to, if they do have any power/abilities at all (which I assume they do). I’m not into conspiracy stuff, but why should the average Joe/Jane American expect to hear from the lips of anyone high in intelligence any specific information about things? Even things 10 years old that might be really helpful to the American public in understanding some things may well have aspects to it that have ramifications for today. As far as I am concerned, that is why I think it is important to elect a President, Senate, and House that we can have confidence in. (THAT can be scary).

Who knows what is true and what is disinformation? I believe I have read that while we were not really close to any kind of star-wars technology in the 80’s, the fact that we invested such effort to it was intended to help bring the fall of the Soviet Union by forcing the downfall of their economy in trying to keep up. (Please correct me if I have this wrong). So it was true that President Reagan presented an over optimistic picture of what could be accomplished, but that did not necessarily mean he was making a mistake.

We don’t expect professional football coaches to tell us what they plan to do before and during a game, why should we expect an intelligence official?

I would love to have some info about things in the past that could be illustrative, with a statement of authenticity by the Pres. at the time, the current Pres., and other officials as well (although again…)

Maybe if we looked through the trash can of Sandy Berger’s dry cleaners we could get to the bottom of some things.

By: Veeshir

Veeshir — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 15:59:20 +0000

Hard to infiltrate al Quaeda? A white-bread teenager from Marin County didn’t find it that hard.
They also screwed up totally over Pakistan nukes. Remember that surprise?
I’m not placing blame for it, but I do think the CIA needs help.

By: Patterico

Patterico — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 07:01:50 +0000

As early as April 2003, my feeling about “intelligence” was this:

“Intelligence sources” are usually just some guy in another country telling you some stuff.

I think criticism of intelligence is usually overkill. Government is not God. It’s composed of fallible human beings, relying on other fallible human beings. Get used to the limitations.

By: Jim Rockford

Jim Rockford — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 06:41:57 +0000

The biggest problem is that the CIA is totally reliant upon, and thus captured by, relatively hostile foreign intelligence agencies. Examples: Syria, the Sudan.

This is partly due to Congressional overkill in reaction to the plots against Castro and the Iran-Contra idiocy (like anyone could trust the Iranians) but there you have it; the CIA bureaucracy is dependent on intel passed on through foreign agencies and has no wish to change, since that would require work and considerable danger.

It’s as bad as Hug A Thug stuff coming from various Democratic Liberals about how crime rates are “too low” and we need to start releasing rapists, murderers, and other monsters out of our prisons. Perceived reality versus the actual situation. In this case the danger of relying on agencies fundamentally hostile to us.

By: mikem

mikem — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 05:39:49 +0000

I’m not up on that specific CIA issue well enough to give an opinion, but I agree with your general praise for the CIA. One of the wisest remarks I heard post 9/11 about criticism of Bush, the CIA, the FBI and so on was that if the 9/11 attacks had been prevented the very same entities would have been castigated as paranoid Islamophobics trying to create an enemy out of whole cloth. If you don’t think that is true, just look at the same abuse these people receive even though there was an attack.
Criticism and examination is part of the American way. But most liberal criticisms of our security systems arise from a deep resentment for the success of capitalism and the individual rights and responsibilities that both blossom from and help fuel that success.
And for all the teeth clenching that CIA and FBI agents must learn to live with, the basic cop is by far the best example of someone doing a tough, seemingly thankless job. One that is essential to the quality of our daily lives and our safety. I wouldn’t be a cop today for anything. The people and neighborhoods who need you the most are the same people who will attack you if you do your job, because the criminals who prey on them are their neighbors, their cousins, their children. No thanks. Somebody more altruistic than me has to do that job.

By: Paul Deignan

Paul Deignan — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 05:24:57 +0000

I vote for the hypothesis that the CIA is full of pampered, unaccountable, idiots with no effective leadership.

Want to bet a bottle of wine on the success of their next big intel estimate?

By: Miaka Leiber

Miaka Leiber — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 04:42:06 +0000

I think you are kissing up to the CIA.