Former CIA agent says Iran WILL use their nuclear weapons against the West
Reza Khalili would know, he was a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is interesting to see that Islamic end times prophecy mirrors that of Christians – just from the other side. John Bernard has more at Let Them Fight.
In: Geopolitics, National Security, Religion · Tagged with: CIA, Iran
Why the CIA isn’t as effective as it should be
Because of “leaders” like Stephen R. Kappes, who “resigned” following the assassination of seven agents in Afghanistan.
Kenneth R. Timmerman calls Kappes one of many “shadow warriors who play politics with intelligence. The article is definitely worth reading in order to understand what these “shadow warriors” have done to our intelligence service.
In: Politics · Tagged with: CIA
Military Roundup
ACLU project endangers CIA interrogators: The CIA says that the ACLU-backed “John Adams Project” endangers CIA interrogators. The Washington Times states the Project “has photographed covert CIA interrogators and shown the pictures to some of the five senior al Qaeda terrorists held there in an effort to identify them further.”
On 29 Mar, 20 photos of CIA interrogators were found in the cell of a detainee believed to be a financier of the 9/11 attacks.
Some CIA officials are said to be concerned over Justice Department officials who formerly represented Guantanamo inmates. Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder admitted nine DOJ appointees represented GTMO detainees or contributed to amicus briefs on their behalf, but would not provide further details. Holder also admitted, however, that he didn’t survey the entire Department, just large offices. There could be many more former terrorist litigators in our “Justice” Department. Andrew McCarthy has more.
Photo of the Day: U.S. pilots flying Russian helicopters?
Cheonan incident: South Korea’s president placed the military on alert, said the sinking could have been due to a North Korean mine. 46 crew members are still missing and it is unlikely any will be recovered.
START Treaty: Russia claims they will have upgraded 80% of their nuclear arsenal by 2015. Meanwhile, the U.S. is paying to dismantle their old weapons systems – allowing the Russians to spend on new weapons systems instead. The U.S. has not introduced a new system in 15 years. Advantage: Russia. Big time.
Afghanistan/Pakistan: U.S. forces set sights on Taliban bastion of Kandahar
Ralph Peters: Gen. McChrystal’s “look out, here we come” warnings to the Taliban may be backfiring; terrorists turning on terrorists in AfPak; Obama’s midnight ride to Afghanistan sends the wrong message.
The good news? We’re not only killing terrorists in Pakistan — they’re starting to kill each other. The bad news? Afghanistan isn’t a war. It’s a politically correct experiment — conducted with our troops — by an administration with higher priorities.
Somalia: Pentagon considers sending surveillance (unarmed) drones, special operations units to Somalia in fight against al Qaeda-linked terrorists.
U.S. Navy E-2 aircraft crashes in Arabian Sea. Three of the four crew have been rescued. Search efforts are underway for the fourth.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: ACLU, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, CIA, Guantanamo Bay, John Adams Project, Justice, Taliban
Obama the CIA agent?
There’s even a court case on this issue. The very few rogue agents in the Agency’s history have wound up in a world of hurt, so I sincerely doubt that a CIA turncoat would make it to president. Besides, I have a hard time imagining Obama – who probably doesn’t tuck his kids into bed without two teleprompters – running around with tough guys. While I have served on details for previous presidents, I haven’t done any for Obama. But I have talked with folks who have. I am told that Obama’s handshake was the most limp-wristed they had ever experienced, and his hands were far softer than any woman’s they ever met. The man has probably never worked a day in his life.
My assessment is that this case doesn’t pass the smell test. This event seems to be an attempt to answer valid questions about our president’s past that deserve answers. Perhaps if Obama didn’t block access to virtually all of his records, things like this case wouldn’t be necessary in the first place.
In: Politics · Tagged with: Barack Obama, CIA, natural-born citizen
Are we even TRYING to catch bin Laden anymore?
The search for Osama bin Laden has been farmed out to Pashtun spies run by the ISI – the Pakistani intel service that created the Taliban. Conflict of interest? Instead of actually accomplishing anything, the ISI handlers keep our spooks prison-like conditions staring at computer monitors.
I don’t think our politicians are willing to do anything but to just have a presence overseas. Killing bin Laden may not bring about the end of al Qaeda, but it sure as heck would be a great propaganda victory for the U.S. – something neither of the last two administrations seem willing to do.
From the Times of London:
When a senior al-Qaeda figure was identified and located — Mr Keller said that it would take weeks, often months, to build a case for an airstrike by a US Predator drone — and even if the go-ahead was finally given by CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the Pakistanis still had to approve. “Since 9/11, with 99 per cent of these strikes, the Pakistanis were consulted and they have to approve them,” he said.
99% of air strikes are given with approval from a government that is doing its best to keep this guy hidden. Why do you think that Pakistan waits for months to give approval for air strikes? Because the target is long gone. What Mickey Mouse political appointee makes these decisions? This is BS! No wonder why Michael Scheuer is pissed off.
In: Geopolitics · Tagged with: al Qaeda, CIA, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan
ACLU photographing Covert CIA Operatives
How on earth is the ACLU photographing Covert CIA Operatives?
Remember the outrage from the left and the media when the Bush administration supposedly ‘outed’ CIA officer Valerie Plame? Although Americans who are risking their lives to keep us safe at home could very likely die horrible deaths due to the actions of the ACLU and others, I seriously doubt that this outrageous event will illicit so much as a yawn from the media and the left.
From the Washington Post:
Investigators are looking into allegations that laws protecting classified information were breached when three lawyers showed their clients the photographs, the sources said. The lawyers were apparently attempting to identify CIA officers and contractors involved in the agency’s interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects in facilities outside the United States, where the agency employed harsh techniques.
Techniques that Nancy Pelosi and Congress likely approved…
If detainees at the U.S. military prison in Cuba are tried, either in federal court or by a military commission, defense lawyers are expected to attempt to call CIA personnel to testify.
If the Obama administration is serious about effectively ending our ability to collect intelligence in order to keep American families safe, calling covert CIA operatives to the stand is a good way to do it.
The photos were taken by researchers hired by the John Adams Project, a joint effort of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, to support military counsel at Guantanamo Bay, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the inquiry. It was unclear whether the Justice Department is also examining those organizations.
Both groups have long said that they will zealously investigate the CIA’s interrogation program at “black sites” worldwide as part of the defense of their clients. But government investigators are now looking into whether the defense team went too far by allegedly showing the detainees the photos of CIA officers, in some cases surreptitiously taken outside their homes.
Our own government and in this case the ACLU are a far larger threat to our nation’s security than our enemies ever could be.
In: Military, Politics · Tagged with: CIA, Guantanamo Bay
Military Milestones from a Midnight Ride to a Pre-Dawn Airstrike
Originally published at Human Events
Apr. 12, 1861: Confederate Brig. Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard’s artillery forces — strategically positioned around Charleston harbor, S.C. — open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter (constructed atop shoals at the harbor entrance).
Unable to effectively return fire and with his position indefensible, Union Army Maj. Robert Anderson will surrender the fort: The garrison will be evacuated on the 14th.
The firing on Fort Sumter is considered to be the opening engagement of the Civil War. Technically it is; though shots were fired in January by militia batteries — including a battery manned by cadets of the Citadel (the Military College of South Carolina) — on the U.S. commercial paddlesteamer “Star of the West” in Charleston harbor.
In: Military History · Tagged with: American Revolution, CIA, Civil War, Doolittle Raid, Mexican-American War, US Air Force, US Navy, World War I, World War II
Why Wars and Lawyers Don’t Mix
The most deadly weapon facing our armed forces is the improvised explosive device, or IED. These modern-day landmines account for 40% of U.S. fatalities in Iraq.
The Pentagon is seeking to marginalize the threat posed by IEDs. As our government is finally supplying our troops with better protected mine-resistant vehicles, a small army of robots, bomb dogs, sensors, reconnaissance drones, and good old-fashioned raids are putting terrorist IED cells out of business.
But with more troops downrange as part of the “surge” strategy, IED casualties are at their highest levels over the past few months. The terrorists are fighting the most advanced army on earth with spare explosives and $10 worth of parts from the hardware store.
The new MRAP vehicles and door-to-door raids are great, but how about fixing IEDs before they even become a problem?
Well, Uncle Sam tried to do exactly that in 2004. The CIA believed that there may only be 11 manufacturers assembling IEDs. They knew that if they sabotaged the bomb-making process, say with booby-trapped detonators designed to blow up the guy making the bomb, they could seriously cripple the IED threat.
But wait – there’s lawyers. The CIA General Counsel said that the CIA lacked the authority to make it happen. Who has the authority? Someone does. What are they afraid of?
Since the beginning of 2005, 1277 of our finest Americans have lost their lives to IED attacks. Thousands more have been wounded. Whoever has the authority seriously dropped the ball. If we are at war, and militant Islam seems to think we are, it is time to start acting like it.
©COPYRIGHT 2007 UNTO THE BREACH MEDIA
In: Military · Tagged with: CIA, IED, terrorism, The Surge
