By Larry Johnson
closeAuthor: Larry Johnson
Name: Larry Johnson
Email: larry_johnson@earthlink.net
Site: http://NoQuarterUSA.net
About: Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm with expertise combating terrorism and investigating money laundering. Mr. Johnson works with US military commands in scripting terrorism exercises, briefs on terrorist trends, and conducts undercover investigations on counterfeiting, smuggling and money laundering.
Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management.
Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world, including the Center for Research and Strategic Studies at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France. He represented the U.S. Government at the July 1996 OSCE Terrorism Conference in Vienna, Austria.
From 1989 until October 1993, Larry Johnson served as a Deputy Director in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. He managed crisis response operations for terrorist incidents throughout the world and he helped organize and direct the US Government’s debriefing of US citizens held in Kuwait and Iraq, which provided vital intelligence on Iraqi operations following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Mr. Johnson also participated in the investigation of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103. Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership the U.S. airlines and pilots agreed to match the US Government’s two million-dollar reward.
From 1985 through September 1989 Mr. Johnson worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. During his distinguished career, he received training in paramilitary operations, worked in the Directorate of Operations, served in the CIA’s Operation’s Center, and established himself as a prolific analyst in the Directorate of Intelligence. In his final year with the CIA he received two Exceptional Performance Awards.
Mr. Johnson is a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He taught at The American University’s School of International Service (1979-1983) while working on a Ph.D. in political science. He has a M.S. degree in Community Development from the University of Missouri (1978), where he also received his B.S. degree in Sociology, graduating Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1976.See Authors Posts (868) on July 21, 2007 at 4:48 AM in Current Affairs, DoD, Iraq, Presidential Candidates
by
Larry C Johnson
Keith Olbermann, once again, demonstrates why he is our Edward Murrow. A voice of reason, truth, and conscience. The execrable letter that Under Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman sent to Senator Clinton accusing her of helping “enemy” propagandists by merely asking about withdrawal contingency plans. Well fuck you very much Eric Edelman. He has forfeited his right to serve as the Under Secretary of Defense. If the Congress allows this cretin to remain in office then we must seriously ask why Democrats can be entrusted to govern. Hillary is not turning the other cheek. She’s hitting back and hitting hard. Senator Kerry also manned up and defended Hillary. Where the hell are the rest of the Democrats?
Check out Keith’s comment.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMfw65WY4Ug[/youtube]
I was hoping you’d write about this, Larry. TPM’s Election Central got the first “exclusive” and reported on Hillary Clinton’s letter to the DoD about this today.
And Media Matters is on it: “CNN’s King reported Bush admin. attack on Clinton over Iraq request, but not her response“
Interesting….
(from huffpo)
Sec. Gates’ response to Sen. Clinton will be interesting to follow next week.
Andrew, Gates issued a statement today, which was emailed to TPM:
He should fire Edelman.
Larry,
Oh-oh, the Bushies are turning you into a Democrat! Welcome. We could use more like you.
If the Congress allows this cretin to remain in office then we must seriously ask why Democrats can be entrusted to govern.
Larry,
Everyone commenting on blogs and on TV about Edelman have completed missed the fact that Congress, via the Senate, never approved Edelman in the first place. The Cheney Misadministration bypassed Congress with one of their infamous recess appointments in August of 2005.
Why should Edelman be fired? Because he had the audacity to question the defeatist attitudes of a blow hard, fair weather, finger in the air, profile in ineptitude senator from the great state of New York, who happens to be running for President! Isn’t that what senators do all day, everyday, especially on Sunday chat shows, question the views of their opponents and where necessary call them to account. This is the first time in the history of the UNITED STATES, that while the nation is at war, an entire political party that controls a branch of government is doing all it can to undermine the mission of the soldiers in the field and accomplish in the halls of Congress what the al-queda elements in Iraq have been unable to do on the battlefiield, i.e., defeat the US military. Because the war is unpopluar due to the biased press coverage, and the constant drumbeat of the democrats and some scared republicans, politicians have taken that as license to undermine the war effort, in plain sight, not even in cloak room conversation. Edelman’s objection is that Billary has publicly, and with much fan fare, bellowed about plans to retreat (not redeploy, or withdraw as she would call it) from the battlefield. To make such a publc specticule of herself on this issue only gives aid and comfort to our enemies, but I forgot, to most people on this blog, the real enemy is Bush and Cheney, not al-queda, as according to Larry, terrorism threats are overblown….
Reply to Dan..
First for the record I am not a big Hilary fan but I am just amazed at the lack of both intelligence and research done by some of these Pro-Bush sheeple.
Clinton asked the right question. What is the plan for demobilization? Now the Pentagon has plans for everything military wise. Including pulling the troops out. This is no big deal. To top that this dolt Edelman played right into Clintons hands by answering the way he did. Public opinion on the war is in the toilet and Edelman just flushed the bowl again by answering this way.
As far as making a publc specticule of herself for asking this question. Only a cool-aid drinking moron would even say or beliieve anything like this. BTW, the former Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff basically said the same thing the other day, but I guess you were to busy mixing another batch of Cherry Bushaid for the masses.
For Christ sake grow up! People are getting killed and all you have to say is total political BS? Maybe Dan, you should put your body where your mouth is? Like in Baghdad..
Dan,
You’re so afraid of Al-queda that you’re ready to s*&t your pants and through the U.S. Constitution under the bus?
Terrorism doesn’t threaten habeus corpus or our Constitution. Only a deeply corrupt and unchecked government can do that.
But don’t take my word for it. Here, read former Reagan appointee Paul Craig Roberts: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Oldline_Republican_warns_somethings_in_works_0719.html
You need to get off the Fox “News” channel for a while.
Oh drop the Bushisms, and try thinking it through Dan. Edelman should be fired because he just told Congress, Dems and GOP, that they have no right to conduct oversight for political reasons. They have no right to ask the Pentagon legitimate questions for political reasons. Edelman has no right to tell Congress that, it’s not his job. He has no right to politicize his office. Knowing all this, Gates’s response has been to distance himself from Edelman.
Is this too complicated for you to understand?
Geez Dan,
You’re so full of it, it’s hard to know where to begin.
Explain in detail what the Democrats are doing to undermine the troops?
At some point this war will end, don’t you think the Pentagon ought to have a withdrawal plan for the troops?
You believe the Pentagon is so incompetent, as you imply, that they wouldn’t tell Congress what parts of a withdrawal plan ought to be classified and made available to a Congressional oversight committee only behind closed doors? You don’t think the Pentagon knows how to say that?
Uh, al Qaeda wants us in Iraq for several reasons. Haven’t you read anything about what al Qaeda wants? One of their main complaints was that the US had a base in Saudi Arabia, that we maintained a presence in the Middle East. We just handed them one of their biggest recruitment tools by invading Iraq. Another reason is that as long as the US remains in Iraq, it’s providing real war training to al Qaeda in the field. In other words, the US is training future terrorists.
No, the war is unpopular in spite of the media coverage, not because of it. How often do you see the flag-draped coffins of our brave soldiers who died in Iraq on the evening news? How often do you see images of the fighting there, of soldiers being blown up by IEDs? Oh, what’s that? Speak a little louder–it’s somewhere between not at all and hardly at all, isn’t it?
The enemy is al Qaeda, Dan. But Bush hasn’t done anything to go after them. They’ve been allowed to move to Pakistan to start a new base and regrow. They now threaten Musharraf, our ally, Afghanistan, Europe, and the US again after five years of war in two countries, billions spent on those wars, and hundreds of thousands of people dead. Don’t you think there’s something wrong with that picture? Why are bin Laden and Zawahiri still alive six years after 9/11? Why is the NIE and the Pentagon saying that al Qaeda is as much a threat as it was prior to 9/11?
I have another question for you Dan, on a more personal note, if you support this war [presumably against al Qaeda our #1 enemy] then why haven’t you volunteered to fight in it?
Oh, and by the way, Dan, al Qaeda is non-partisan. Democrats and Republicans died on 911. So while you impugn the character of the Democratic senator from NY, just remember that New York City is a largely Democratic city and it suffered greatly on 9/11. The Democrats want bin Laden’s head just as much as the Republicans say they do. The GOP doesn’t have the market cornered on patriotism, and it’s deeply offensive to the people here [such as me] who were here in NYC on 9/11, or the many people reading this blog who either served in the military/intelligence, are serving now, or know people who are.
So I’ll ask you again: If you support this war, then why haven’t you volunteered to fight in it?
This is why:
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2007/07/caesarism-raise.html
Dan, it is entertaining to see you characterize Reagan and Cheney as having a “defeatist attitude” for the withdrawal from Lebanon that Edelman subtly attacks. I am amused that no one noticed that he implicitly attacks the President for talking about withdrawal after certain benchmarks are met, just as you attack Sen. Lugar without naming names. (I think his letter to Sen. Clinton was also a shot across the bow of many Republicans.)
I was also amused to see that he was smart enough to only claim that it was a perception that Nixon abandoned his allies in Vietnam and that Reagan abandoned his in Lebanon, not that they actually did it.
The reason Edelman should be fired is that his letter contradicts official policy by asserting that establishing “security in Baghdad … is only a precondition for further political … progress.” The President has frequently stated that the Iraqi government needs to act on a number of political changes in parallel with security improvements, not after them.
However, it is good for everyone to know that Edelman claims the official position of the government is that “it is premature to say with certainty whether … a phased withdrawal would be conducted.” He is telling us all that the President actually does not yet have any plans to withdraw from Iraq, ever, period.
Plameologists: was “Principal Deputy”** Edelman’s transfer from the Cheney Cohort of Aging Ephebes to the DOD a promotion, an exile, or a quarantine?
** http://www.talkleft.com/story/2005/11/04/532/36097
dan, of all of the gin joints in the world you had to walk in to mine. your nonsense may play well elsewhere — i’m thinking the free republic website — but this is a much savvier crowd. it’s hard to bullsh*t us because many of us have served our country in the national security field. as the saying goes, “we were there and we drank the mead.” and we don’t take kindly to “puddknockers” (see the movie the right stuff) peeing on our legs and telling us it’s raining.
short version: that dog won’t hunt. and the people giving aid and comfort to the enemy are the bush/cheney maladministration.
longer version: it was they who blew off gen. shinseki. it was they who blew off gens. zinni and hoar former centcom commanders. and if you read tom ricks’ fiasco you will see that even gen. schwarzkopf had big time concerns. (he caveated that with not being in the loop intel wise.) it was they who blew off gen. scowcroft, who was “only” bush’s daddy’s nsa. and author of a book with 41.
it was they who blew off col pat lang, us army special forces ret. former def. attache in yemen and saudi. in one of the most infamous anecdotes of the war doug — the stupidest mother f*cker on the face of the planet; it’s gotta be horrific when a presidential medal of freedom guy trashes the sh*t out of you — feith interviews col. lang for a job and says, “i understand you’re fluent in arabic.” lang confirms. feith’s reply, “too bad.” col. lang didn’t get the job.
it was they who blew off lt. col. karen kwiatowski’s, usaf, ret. karen worked in feith’s little house of horrors, the osp, where they did an “enron” on the intel books. and col. sam gardiner, usaf, ret, documented, in real time, 50 lies by the bushies. (i always thought the soundtrack should be paul simon’s “50 ways to leave your lover” [no need to be coy, roy/get off of the bus, gus] interspersed with aluminum tubes, and unmanned aerial vehicles, ad naseum.)
it was they who blew off our allies. jordan’s king has to tell bushie that chalabi is a flat out crook. (what, unca dick nevah told me that!) or, hosni murbarak said going to war would create a hundred bin ladens.
cont’d.
cont’d.
dan, your watb, (whiny ass titty baby) cry about the the biased media is more drivel.
the same librul media that didn’t tell us that w. was awol in the summer of 2000. tin foil hat stuff? not exactly. from a 2 star general. some of us knew it in real time then. and i know that 2 us senators, inouye and kerrey (nebraska) tried to alert the media. boston globe carried it, but otherwise a virtual blackout. or that unca dick had 2 duis. or, told us, front page above the fold, the photo of rummy shaking saddam’s hand. (of course that didn’t happen.) i know where he was in dec. of 1983. or told us about the reigle-damato report. 2 senators who looked into the wmds after gulf war one and concluded that yes saddam had them. they came from american companies. which they cited.
as the joke goes: we know saddam had wmds. how do you know? we saved the receipts.
or the liberal media which printed steno judy miller’s garbage. or the liberal media which held the wiretapping story for 13 months until after the election. or, i think it was c. 18 oct. 2004 and bushie was overseas in manila and the a.p. ran a story about how w’s grandfather in bed with hitler 10 1/2 months after pearl harbor. cited us gvt. documents. one day story. disappears down the memory hole.
has the media told you about questions raised about 911? go to http://www.911truth.org. store. info cards. a, smaller than 5 x 8 inches postcard with 11 uncomfortable questions about the new pearl harbor. dan, because i’m a nice guy, have a friend standing nearby when you read it. this way, when your head explodes, he or she can call 911 and summon an ambulance for you.
cont’d.
cont’d.
dan, w’s core constituencies are rejecting him. big time.
virtually all college republicans do not have a dd 214. department of defense form 214. tells what type of discharge you got and what you did in the military. what’s a matter danno, “spring break fallujah” doesn’t sound so good? what, the possibility of “flossing with rpgs” isn’t luring them in to the nearest recruiting station? they are rejecting your beloved fuhrer danno. they are “voting with their feet.”
virtually none of the rep. caucus has their kids in the military. but danno, it’s the “existential threat” of our lifetime. danno, it’s easy to be brave with other people’s children.
and the congress critters haven’t gone to those who write them $2,300 checks and say your kids need to go. my patch at fort benning, georgia had a bayonet and 2 words on it. everything you ever needed to know about leadership danno. 2 words: “follow me.”
and the recent west point classes who have done their 5 year obligation are leaving the service in droves. at a rate not seen since vietnam. duty. honor. country. they have lost faith in their civilian leadership. i guess these west pointers are punks, right danno?
and i know that the fortune 500 ceos have their kids in the army, right danno? infantry for the men. transportation corps — running convoys, dodging i.e.d.s — for the wimmin, right danno?
cont’d.
cont’d.
now danno, (i’m assuming you’re still reading) i’ll give you two bits of friendly advice.
one, go away and read some books about american history as it really happened. and not the walt disney/lynne cheney crap they peddle. [and btw, "leave it to beaver" was NOT, repeat, NOT a documentary about the 1950's.
]
start with gen. smedley butler’s, usmc, ret., war is a racket pamphlet. before you call him a punk danno, know that he almost became the commandant of the marine corps and he won not one, but two medal of honors. come back and tell us what he had to say about the military’s role for big business. and danno, if you want to fight with smedley, even though he deceased, let me know. i’ll be glad to hold your coat.
read the conservative thomas fleming’s the illusion of victory. about the idiot from staunton, virginia, woodrow wilson and world war one. read day of deceit by robert stinnett. about pearl harbor. fdr was scum. “connect the dots” with that pearl harbor and the pearl harbor that brezinski talks about in the grand chessboard and pnac raves about how we need a new pearl harbor. read the costs of war. an edition of essays. know that lbj — another ethically challenged scumbag from tex-a** who should’ve been impeached — lied about the gulf of tonkin. google col. fletcher prouty, usaf, ret, who was the liason between the cia and the jcs in the late 50’s and early 60’s. has articles on line and a book or two. read overthrown. read william blum, killing hope. to know the infantry, which is what war is all about, read paul fussell.
feel free to research the gulf war syndrome and depleted uranium. du.
ask yourself what oliver stone, howard zinn, father berrigan, kurt vonnegut, and others had in common. it wasn’t criticizing our guh-mint. hint: they all wore the uniform.
and btw, what outfit did you say you were in? i missed that.
cont’d.
cont’d.
i will wrap this up with friendly advice item #2.
danno, know this. as jfk would say, “let the word go forth” that when you come to play on the no quarter blog……………. you had better bring your “a game.”
right now, “your sh*t is weak” son.
out.
ps. two more books for you danno. antony sutton on wall st. and the bolshevik revolution. and wall st. and the nazis. hint: funding both sides is very lucrative. war: it ain’t personal, it’s business.
Why’d you stop Wethornet?
Wethornet, that was one of the best posts i have ever read,anywhere…. Thank you.
Senator Clinton was well within in her rights to request the information be provided to her. Where she stepped out of line was asking for a public hearing. Both the Senator and Undersecretary stepped over the line, but I doubt anyone here will agree with me. We. Must. Blame. Bush.
Well fuck you very much Eric Edelman. He has forfeited his right to serve as the Under Secretary of Defense.
Turkey didn’t like him either. I wonder if Sibel Edmonds knows anything about this traitor.
Edelman’s two-year stay in Ankara turned into a lightning rod for deepening anti-U.S. sentiment in Turkey. The Turkish columnist Ibrahim Karagul wrote: “Edelman is probably the least-liked and trusted American ambassador in Turkish history” (quoted in K. Gajendra Singh, “U.S.-Turkish Relations Go Wobbly Now Over Syria,” Al Jazeerah, March 23, 2005).
Wethornet,
Since you are so savvy, maybe you could write an essay on why Congress doesn’t have the balls to defund the war that is so unpopular? Why are they playing games with the military? Why are you not on their ass for allowing more troops to die while they sit there and twiddle their thumbs. If, as you claim, the war is so unpopular, I can’t see the downside to a comple defunding of the war. Educate us.
Excellent Post, WetHOrnet… glad you wrote it, cause I couldn’t even begin to say half of what you did.. You deserve the Bayonnets, and the Follow Me emblazoned on it. Thank you again. I want to follow up with you on suggestions you put forth on earlier thread, that somehow always get buried, as I read and save volumes… I believe you have some great ideas…
Also, thanks for all the hard work on our new ‘home’… Larry, Susan, Andrew… I know you hear me bitch sometimes, but I hope you take it with a grain of salt. I really think you are doing a super great job… coming together nicely…
I’m baaaaaaaaack. I decided to check something.
In 2001, Dickerson was apparently given a position in the weapons systems acquisition arena with the Pentagon and US Department of State. Dickerson’s areas of responsibility supposedly included Turkey, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. He also had dealings with Edelman, formerly US Ambassador to Turkey, and now with the Pentagon’s Policy Organization.
http://cryptome.org/edmonds-turks.htm
Bio on the Edelman:
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1143
screwed the pooch w/Turkey which prevented the 4th from using Turkey as a jumping off point for the invasion.
Thanks 1Watt,
I was about to look for that and you provided it.
Larry, Susan,
the current admin. in charge of the executive branch couldn’t find water if it were sprinkling on its face.
sen. clinton needs to stomp a mississippi mudhole right in the middle of edelman, and not be gentle about it either. the senate armed services committee membership needs to request that dod terminate edelman’s employment immediately. ther are other places where edelman could find a job sweeping floors.
1Watt,
That’s odd, since the profile you linked to claims
How exactly did Edelman “screw the pooch w/Turkey” that had anything to do with the 4th?
Not to make too fine a point on accuracy around here, but
And on further review of Edelman, doesn’t look like the Clinton administration had any problems with employing him.
So, this person who served under both republican and democratic administrations suddenly becomes a pyriah? Isn’t that something that the left admonishes the right with all the time when they point to Wilson, for instance?
He is connected. Clinton’s posting him to Ougadougou would have pissed off certain contributors.
Wethornet,
I’m not much on modern music, but isn’t there a song, “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” that would go good with any movie on the Neo-cons. Funny how they call that new arms platform drone “Reaper,” just as they call the surveillance drone, “Predator.”
In a memoir by Vietnam veteran Lt. Col Herbert he said that you could always tell from the names of operations whether they had been planned by a desk jockey or someone who would actually be in the line of fire if things went to Hell. “Operation Blood and Guts”–desk jockey; “Operation Hybiscus”–grunt.
Kos on Hillary’s week:
Wasn’t it the wife of a democratic presidential hopeful that called her “womanhood” into question? Is Kos calling Edwards an idiot? Or just his wife?
Sue, perhaps you should read what Elizabeth Edwards said and not what Dame Drudge alleges she said.
Don’t forget the folks at Time Magazine and the Washington Compost all say that Drudge rules the media world.
Needless to say Drudge’s facts are as accurate as his pre-primary smear about John Kerry’s “mistress”. No facts, just innuendo that is sopped-up by the mainstream media and the sheepish followers of Drudgism and Limbaughism.
-GSD
Good to see we didn’t make this thread all about Dan.
I liked Sen Clinton’s letter to Gates. I thought that Gates’ response was measured and NOT Snow-ish or Rove-inspired.
* (Actually, my only significant beef with Hillary is that, if elected, she WON’T take all these sorry mf’ers and hang them from the light poles on the Key Bridge until their carcasses rot. But then Kissinger is still going to the Bohemian Grove and Tricky Dick died of natural causes…so there ain’t a lot of Justice anyway, unless you buy it.)
How do we get this horrible guy to quit or get fired? Gates should fire Edelman and apologize to Sen. Clinton and the country for doing a miserable job.
rjj, thanks for above link on Edelman’s b/g… Not being a lawyer, it would seem to me that Val and Joe’s case should stand an even better chance of succeeding in the long run, because of his ‘interest’ in the case. WTH did he not recuse himself? maybe thot it would get under the radar screne???
also agree with other commenter, up thread, who mentioned Foberts court, as well as about other ‘interim’ appointed judges… we need to get these corrupt azzclowns put in prison and start over… start with anyone who has NOT been confirmed by Congress, and then work backward with anyone who was appointed during the 109th congress, and re-eval and impeach if necessary…. Oh well, one can dream, can we not???
Larry, thanks for the Olbermann posting. Those of us without cable appreciate it.
I worry about the true believers who will say anything to defend their gangster heroes. Are they seriously thinking we need a dictatorship of wingnuts to salvage their agenda?
Six months ago Congressional Dems couldn’t agree on a timeframe to pull out of Iraq. It’s good to see they have come together. How will the extremists react? Edelman’s comments provide a clue.
Simply put, those who accuse others of being unpatriotic are projecting.
Hmmm…my post got deleted but the person I was quoting from didn’t? How does that work? Rhetorical. Don’t bother.
I did. And I want the time I spent reading it back, but alas, that isn’t going to happen.
Maybe we should get Bill Clinton to read what she said, since it was his quote that tickled me the most. He must have read the drudge headline too.
Just out of curiosity, who deletes my posts? Larry or unpcsusan?
Reply to Rob et al
First of all… Sec’y Edelman serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States, not the blowhards of the Senate Armed Services Committee. If all of you can not see through Sen Clinton’s letter for the political document that it was, then that is your problem and no insults, which say more about you then me, will suffice. The fact is that Hillary was very late to the anti-war party and now she wants to make up for this by being the loudest voice in the “get the troops out now” crowd.
That is her political right to do so, but to trumpet her cause at a delicate time when thousands of US troops are on combat operations in harms way, risking their lives in the service of their country in order to achieve a stable Iraq is, in my opinion, giving aid and comfort to the enemy. It demonstrates a contempt for those soldiers mission and conveys the view that she is leading the charge to cut them off at the knees. She knew full well that the pentagon has contingency plans for an orderly withdrawal of US forces but she chooses to play politics.
I doubt whether many of you have ever been in a combat zone, much less put your life on the line in the service of your country. The most important thing a soldier needs in combat is the support of his fellow soliders in his unit, his commander and from his fellow citizens. Hillary and the democrat party have sided with the enemy in this conflict and they will have to live with that.
Dan,
Have you ever served in the military? Have you served in Iraq?
Because many of the people who read this blog and contribute to it have served in the military, have fought in Iraq, or have family and friends who have–including the person whose blog this is.
Ol Hosni sure was correct. 5 guys and a ham sandwich re-invent themselves as Al-queda de Miami and the USA has conniptions. 3 drones, an ex-cia type and a bagel rename themselves Al-queda de Kennedy airport and everybody goes bonkers. 5 kosovars and a pita pocket become Al-Queda de fort Dix and New Jersey yawns. If only Al-queda were more litigious with groups that appropriate the Al-queda IP and trademarks. Or maybe the objective was to create the “hundred flowers” effect. After all, from its inception until 2001 the original Al-Q was able to mount maybe one successful op every two years worldwide. One semi-successful op in 10 years in the USA, that frequency is just not enough to sustain the requisite level of AmericanFear© ( short attention spans is an issue in any 4gw operation ).
Another interesting bit of info is that Edelman was comfortable working with the clintons and the bushes. Most second tier neo-cons have no problems finding ways to maintain their close affiliations with the Dept of Magic. Think termites, stink bugs or cockroaches, the home ownership may change but the little vermin remain. Now if the USA were to elect the equivalent of the Orkin Man maybe there would be a short term exodus but as the termites and the roaches do they would return.
Okay. I get the point. Though I don’t know what I said that caused the last one to disappear. Maybe you could give me a hint.
So was Wilson. And come to think of it, Larry. Your point?
Edelman served in positions, for both administrations, that required him to be nominated by the president and placed with the advise and consent of the senate. ( in edelman’s case a recess appointment was necessary for his latest gig).
Wilson worked his way up the bureaucrat chain in the state department. His job in Iraq did not require presidential nomination. His later ambassadorial positions did. As far as I can tell his Niger trip was as an outside contractor for the CIA and did not require any approval by either the pres or the senate.
Larry was a striver in the CIA and never attained any position wherein the president or the senate had to approve.
Given the foolishness the USA indulged in during the Arthur administration with the creation of a permanent class of bureaucrats, government is infested with those strivers who start somewhere near entry level and advance regularly while not blotting their copybooks. And given that same foolishness there will always be those who find work in any administration by appearing to cut their jibs to match the prevailing winds. I expect in a Hillary administration that most of the current neo-cons will be quite comfortable within it and a few larger names will spend a few years enduring the penury and ignominy of the AEI or some other private welfare group. Hell I expect RevoltinJoe Lieberman to be a significant member of any Hillary administration.
OT Sue there are issues with the posting mechanism here that can make posts not appear for some time after one would expect them to be visible. Not geek enough to explain the vagaries of this new method to you, and I am sure the site has some method of deleting posts as well as some method of holding, null filing spam posts.
Since my post with the question to Larry was deleted, for reasons unknown to me, I’ll try again.
Larry,
Do you think our government was behind 9/11? And if so, which alphabet soup was responsible?
“Do you think our government was behind 9/11? And if so, which alphabet soup was responsible?”
Man what is it with this guy named Sue? Son what ever your problem is you are very much conflicted. Maybe euthanasia would fix that. It would surely be an act of mercy…
CK,
The post was there, then it was gone. Not too worry though. It isn’t the first time my posts have been deleted and it probably won’t be the last.
Wilson has held the same positions that Edelman has held, though not at the same posts (I don’t think, I’m not really sure where Wilson was outside of Iraq and Africa). Larry has played both sides of the fence rather well, if you are familiar with any of his appearances in front of committees.
Now, watch this post appear then disappear.
Sue I do not believe that Wilson was ever the #3 man at State. He was at his highest an ambassador to Gabon or some such Gulf of Niger personal fiefdom. And that position was basically an “end of career” thank you that could go on his resumé should he need the embellishment. Bush Sr had nice public words for Wilson when, as chargé de affairs in Iraq he wore a noose to an presser and thumbed the American nose at Saddam & Friends. But basically Wilson was just another bureaucrat, another foggy bottom type not quite the Quiet American of Vietnam nor the faceless drudge of Fantasy fiction.
Ah your post about t r u t h e r s? Yes it has disappeared.
One of those questions that “reasonable” blogs just do not allow to exist ( DKos is another place that has issues with that area of discource ). There are no conspiracies; there is just a convenient string of profitable co-incidences. You can question the actions of members of this or that admin but by no means and at no time are you allowed to question the legitimacy of government per se. We are all of us just assets held by whoever is in power to spend as they wish because they say so.
CK,
Are you claiming the government ‘disappeared’ my post?
That is even funnier than thinking fire won’t melt steel.
Yes Sue..
Its all been a Convenient Coincidence..like 9/11 was for all the People who just happened to be prepared to make MONEY off the event..Carry out their own Ideological Objectives..
Remarkable timing Eh..
All those Convenient coincidences..
…Does reality bother you..?
Are you Having a wake Up Call..??
Examining the Facts..??
looking at the Evidence..??
Understanding how things Work..?
Even a Blind Person can still Smell the Smoke..or when something is Rotten and Stinks..
This Administration has done enough to Prove that its ROTTEN..and something Stinks..
It may be trying to bury the Spoiled Meat..Hide the Evidence..Take the Fifth..Refuse to testify..Pardon the criminals..think it owns the System..Has the Political capitol..
But the Truth is..Corruption is Corruption..and those guys have bankrupted the System..
The facts Maam..just the FACTS..
Actually Sue No. I was trying to say that on some “reasonable” blogs run by “respected” commentators, threads and or comments that imply that 9/11 was an inside job get sent to dev-null by said blogs respectability watchdogs. Any government that could pull off a 9/11 on its own people would not be too concerned about making threads disappear when it would be easier to make the threader disappear and even easier to just tar the threader and the blog with the nutso conspiracy theorist tag and then ignore them.
Another request denied story.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/118489654058910.xml&coll=7
Sue, you claim you are married to a undercover law enforcement officer. Would you be ok with your husband’s ID revealed?
taters,
I did? I don’t think so, since I’m not.
Oh my Sue. Let me guess - you were drinking and you don’t remember?
CK,
Not here. There are 2 that I am aware of on this thread that are still here. My post was deleted for another reason. I disparaged the intelligence of a certain poster.
Though that person was disparaging the intellience of another poster when I disparaged him. But oh well. I don’t lean the direction that allows disparaging of posters around here. However, feel free to disparage me, that is allowed.
Sue…how cleverly disparaging your last post was.
Sue
As a member in good standing of the Cynics International Affiliates it is against our bylaws to disparage most things ( we exempt broccoli and zuccini from the anti-disparagement amendment ). Our bylaws do allow us to observe and enjoy mutal disparagement matches among non-cynics.
Help me out. Which thread was that taken from?
I found it! See, context matters. I was responding to you, taters, asking me about outing undercover cops. Heck, that was a neat trick, leaving out your part of the conversation. I thought I really was drunk.
The analogy to Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame was obvious to me. I guess it wasn’t so obvious for you.
My husband is not an undercover cop.
Patrick,
No. Do you see black helicopters, too?
Sue..No~IQ)
Reality seems to be bother about Seventy Five Percent of the American
People these days..who have gotten beyond all the Corporate SELLING
Techniques you Neo~Con Weenies have been putting out as a Smoke Screen..to sell Your Package..The american people are not as Stupid as you think..and Your Shit is getting Weak..
Your mustach is slipping dear..
Do I see Black helicopters..??
Only at Night ..when we get ours Out of the Hanger..and go to Work..Neat helicopter..Stealth..you can’t even hear em..
we call it the BLACK GHOST..
CK,
I hope you take note of Mr. Henry’s post to me. It proves my point. It will remain for eternity, but if I decide to respond in kind, my post will go…poof…
…
Patrick Henry,
Which corporations do you object to? All of them? Is capitalism a crime? If so, your buddy Larry is guilty…guilty…guilty.
Sue..No ~IQ)
It is in One CAPITOL…Who’s Creed is GREED…
Depends on how you make your Money..and if you are a Pimp or Whore..or Drug dealer..
There are good Corporations..There are bad ones..
There are good Capitalists..there are BAD Ones..
The PRISONS are full of the Bad Ones..
You don’t know anything about Larry..so save your Guilty Verdicts
for the (Neo) Con Men.. Criminals.. and PREDATORS..
There are however only bad governments. Coercion is all any government has to offer. The USA was very lucky to have a least bad government from 1771 to 4/01/1789 followed by a not so bad but not so good government from 04/30/1789 until 03/04/1829. It has been downhill since then. The first ten presidents of the usa were a pretty decent bunch, Samuel Huntingdon, Thomas McKean, Richard Henry Lee, and John Hancock among them were quite freedom oriented.
Patrick given that the USA has the largest prison population among nations it is surprising how few fascists reside in one.
Yes..
And the only thing going “POOF”..is the Tax payers Money at all levels..its going to corporations…who also seem to have an ability to Make their Investors and Stock holders Money go POOF too..at least some of those CEO”S do go to prison..unlike the CEOS who can Pardon themselfs..or thier Directors..
You’re absolutely spot-on, sir.
(As to the original topic on this thread.)
Firstly, I don’t believe that fantom Al Qaeda were responsible for 911. They were hired to do the job - labourers, as it were.
The pantomime is playing out well, Larry. For once the repubnecks are doing their job competantly. The ellection is a ‘given’. The Demopansies need a mittigated reason to let the people down when they don’t pull out from Iraq. It serves a dual purpose, as when they get in the Repubnecks will change their direction, get a vision from God [like Bush] and decide that continuing the Iraq campaign is, well, plain wrong (said it like the ‘master’). The Demopansies will simply playback ‘on record’ statements made prior to their power surge.
As Shirin rightly pointed out, it was Clinton (not Bush 1 or 2, although they haven’t made it a bowl of cherries) who made Iraq hell on Earth. Most of what he did was hardly reported. So Hillary is in, regardless of what you or the papers say, because that is the way it is going to be. If the people can vote a moron in, think of the prospect of someone with inteligence! The deal was done. Now, I’m really interested to know why Clinton was really impeached.
Anyone got any ideas?