Patterico's Pontifications

6/6/2015

Who Caused Us to Reveal How We Are Chasing ISIS — Obama or Pelosi?

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:53 pm



Yesterday, there was a big story concerning the fact that the Air Force has revealed how they have been using social media to track ISIS:

Although ISIS is known for using social media for recruitment purposes, U.S. Air Force intelligence has been using it to track down Islamic State militants, according to Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command.

“These guys that are working down at Hurlburt (Florida), they’re combing through social media. And they see some moron standing at this command and control capability for Da’Esh, ISIL. These guys go, ‘ah we got an in,'” Carlisle said at a speech in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday.

Twenty-two hours after seeing the post, U.S. warplanes went in for the kill.

“Long story short…three JDAMs take the entire building out,” Carlisle said in the speech to the Air Force Association.

Although revealed yesterday, Gen Carlisle’s speech was actually made on June 1. More here.

People have been wondering why we are broadcasting this.

Could Nancy Pelosi’s remarks a few days earlier be the answer?

FMR. REP. PATRICK MURPHY, MSNBC HOST: This past week, though, when it comes to ISIS, the mixed result — unfortunately, Ramadi was taken over by ISIS. The same time, the army’s delta force captured the money man for ISIS in Syria. so obviously mixed results. So you think the strategy’s working? What else needs to be done?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: It’s an enormous challenge. And we have to fight it on every front, including the front of social media. That’s a place where they have really made more advances than you would have suspected. And that is where we have to fight them, as well. This apprehension in Syria — well, killing of one and taking of his wife, as well as important intelligence information was a success. Again, we have to fight them on all fronts. Communication-wise as well as militarily.

Was she spilling the beans about something she shouldn’t have been talking about? It’s unclear, but note this: Pelosi ran her mouth about this on May 23 — just days before the general’s speech.

Were they going to reveal this all along — sacrificing the full utility of an intelligence tool for some cheap publicity? Or did San Fran Nan force their hand?

We’ll probably never know whether it was Obama or Pelosi who caused the reveal; both suspects are plausible.

36 Responses to “Who Caused Us to Reveal How We Are Chasing ISIS — Obama or Pelosi?”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (3cc0c1)

  2. looks like the stupid old lady harfed it up royally

    happyfeet (831175)

  3. Responses to “Who Caused Us to Reveal How We Are Chasing ISIS — Obama or Pelosi?”

    both of them are DA’s – and DA does not stand for district attorney

    Joe (debac0)

  4. Both are entirely plausible. How pathetic.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  5. Anything to take attention away from the stupid Iran Treaty.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  6. I’m not a fan of revealing operational information. But, that said, IS would have to be very dumb to not know this was going on. ISIS is very evil, but not dumb.

    John Moore (3f08ec)

  7. But John, according to Patterico’s links, the Air Force claims it is using social media to locate and destroy members of ISIS and at least one ISIS headquarters. Apparently they were that dumb but they are probably smart enough to learn from this, now that it’s public.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  8. The “they were that dumb” in my comment 7 refers to ISIS, not the Air Force, although I don’t see why the Air Force needed to go public with this.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  9. we are told to disregard the data we do have:

    http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/12/6_guantanamo_detaine.php

    narciso (ee1f88)

  10. Some of the lower level members of ISIS may not be as bright as some of their bosses.

    Or it may be the case, as is ours, that it’s some of the bosses that are not so bright, or not so bright as they think they are. The man[sic] with the minus touch, we have to pass the bill to read it, Valerie, … lots of potential suspects.

    htom (4ca1fa)

  11. Wait. But no one outed Valerie Plame again did they?
    No?
    Oh. Well then everything is shipshape for now. Thank god the cia sophomore JV team and lower tier JV maybe allstar is safe to ply her spycraft another day. In the rear. With the gear. And the soft serve ice cream.
    It is OK to out SEAL Team 6, but Valerie Plame? That’s a prison sentence

    steveg (fed1c9)

  12. Valerie Plame

    lol

    carry that weight

    happyfeet (831175)

  13. If Mrs. Pelosi were in office back in 1944, we’d all be speaking German today.

    navyvet (c33501)

  14. This (Mis-) Administration just CAN.NOT.SHUT.UP. about ANYTHING that a prudent person would understand to require discretion.

    Joe Biden had to go run his mouth about Seal Team 6 and =Boom!= somehow they got attacked in Afghanistan. Obama-and-shills just couldn’t shut up about the killing of BinLaden (in MOST civilized countries, when an “uncivilized” action is required, TPTB claim “we have no knowledge of that” in response to media questions). And, wasn’t it Biden again, bragging about the USA collaborating with Israel to create Stuxnet?

    It’s “Mommy, MOMMY, look at ME, look what I can do !!!” all the time with this crowd of juveniles we’ve got running things . . .

    A_Nonny_Mouse (6fee93)

  15. 6. …IS would have to be very dumb to not know this was going on. ISIS is very evil, but not dumb.

    John Moore (3f08ec) — 6/6/2015 @ 2:42 pm

    No, a lot of them are dumb. Do you know how far you can spot somebody lighting up a cigarette on a moonless night?

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, the caliphate doesn’t allow smoking, blah, blah, blah.

    I can get a cab for an entire day in Bahrain during Ramadan by trading a six pack, so (blank) me.

    Not like there’s anything in Bahrain that’s worth taking an entire day to see, but I digress.

    I saw this article yesterday and, you know me, I’ll comment on anything. But not this. I saw it and I was thinking, sweet Jesus, why is this news?

    Steve57 (48418e)

  16. Just in case anyone doubts me.

    http://www.ratebeer.com/p/navy-exchange–nsa-bahrain/34829/

    Stopped in here while awaiting air transfer to a carrier in the Gulf. Nice to see a decent selection of actual beer, better than most of the region’s State Department commissaries. Fits in well with Bahrain’s more relaxed atmosphere and attitude toward foreigners and alcohol than some of its larger neighbors. I wouldn’t make a special trip to Bahrain if I were you…

    Steve57 (48418e)

  17. the Times pointed out the Pentagon has known the seven structures where the IS command structure is, yet hasn’t targeted them in nine months,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  18. I lived in Bahrain for a year back in 81. Wasn’t that bad. Better than Qatar of Kuwait. At least we had decent restaurants that serve booze. Chico’s was a favorite.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  19. I just checked and it’s still there albeit Cico’s.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  20. I meant or Kuwait back there

    Gazzer (be559b)

  21. The blame should be on the White House. Pelosi’s remarks are vague enough that she could be referring to efforts to track and stop recruitment through social media. She may have been referring to the Air Force bombing, but she was not very specific…. which means she did not force the WH to go public with this. This autogolpe should be assigned to POTUS.

    kishnevi (91d5c6)

  22. I only ever passed through Bahrain. A couple of days at most.

    Steve57 (48418e)

  23. I was so worked up about Midway I almost forgot about Normandy.

    Everybody knows about the Rangers at Pont du Hoc. It’s my job to stick up for the Navy.

    http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/06/pointe-du-hoc.html

    This man never set foot on the ground on D-Day or for some time thereafter. Yet, he is someone any Ranger will not only thank, but buy a round for because he was a crucial part of securing Pointe du Hoc… If you have studied D-Day, then odds are you have heard about the captain of DD-626, the Satterlee, who said that if beaching his destroyer was what was needed to help the Rangers he would. He ordered his ship into dangerous waters, filled with rock and sand, and provided point-blank fire support to the Rangers. That man above is the person who carried out those orders: John T. Siewert, helmsman of the Satterlee.

    Steve57 (48418e)

  24. Not only did TFG not say a word about the D-Day anniversary, one of his sickophants (sic) tweeted this.

    Dan Pfeiffer @danpfeiffer

    Another accomplishment — Obama first President to have a Triple Crown winner since Carter
    3:59 PM – 6 Jun 2015

    192 192 Retweets
    158

    Gazzer (be559b)

  25. “If Mrs. Pelosi were in office back in 1944, we’d all be speaking German today.”

    Pelosi wasn’t in office in 1944?

    Ag80 (eb6ffa)

  26. Nein.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  27. 27. “If Mrs. Pelosi were in office back in 1944, we’d all be speaking German today.”

    Pelosi wasn’t in office in 1944?

    Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 6/6/2015 @ 9:37 pm

    I could have sworn Pelosi was in office the last time Hillary! drove her own car.

    Shortly after the Earth’s crust cooled, amphibians crawled out of the muck and Hillary! got a Secret Service detail. Which explains why Marco Rubio has traffic tickets and Hillary! doesn’t.

    Steve57 (48418e)

  28. If you are looking for someone to blame for this speech the man who gave it seems like the place to start. But it is possible the general had a sensible reason for disclosing this information (perhaps it is actually disinformation).

    Anyway the real problems are strategic not tactical. The actual options (like backing Assad) are pretty unattractive so the administration keeps pursuing fantasy options. A trait prominent Republicans like McCain seem to share.

    James B. Shearer (23c542)

  29. Jarrett.

    htom (4ca1fa)

  30. The message from the Democratic party to America. And let’s be clear on this.

    ELECT THE FOSSIL!

    Steve57 (48418e)

  31. This may describe the rules that govern disclosure of classified information by members of Congress. If this website is correct, the rules are surprisingly fluid.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  32. not unlike gender

    happyfeet (831175)

  33. Intel wars are not like ordinary wars. Sometimes there are accidents. And sometimes there are reveals that have another purpose.

    If there is another purpose getting angry with Pelosi helps.

    And what I’m doing hurts.

    That should muddy the waters.

    MSimon (a49d4e)

  34. It is cute how Shearer thinks McCain is a prominent Republican,’and even cuter how Shearer’s pathetic “but Republicans” attempt was.

    JD (3b5483)


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