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2004-07-09 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by Dan Darling 2004-07-09 9:24:33 PM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 If you want to get good HUMINT, you are going to have to build up a network. That will take time. You will also have to be willing to get your hands dirty. We are collectively too PC to do it right now. Thanks to the LLL congressmen who put politics above the security of this nation.

Posted by Alaska Paul in Fairbanks 2004-07-09 12:41:06 AM|| 2004-07-09 12:41:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Read the report - and search the internet for what has happened to the CIA since the late 1980's.

The CIA has had its nuts in a vice since the early to mid 1990's when its HUMINT sections were virtually disassembled by budget cuts and well-meaning but stupid laws regarding dealing with "criminal" elements in what we call "Indian Country". Technical stuff came to the forefront because it coudl be done without "messy" human interactions, unsavory characters, and much lower political risks. Problem is our enemy requires much more HUMINT oriented measures to counter.

This goes back to a naivte and stupidity of the dis-assembly of the "Black Chamber" (the first US cryptologic group - who were quite proficient in codebreaking and wiretapping) because some pogue Secretary of State declared that "Gentelmen do not read each other's mail". This put the US behind the 8-ball and nearly cost us the war with Pearl Harbor - we only just recovered in time to set up the gamble at Midway by breaking the Japanese codes.

We did that to ourselves again, this time in the HUMINT field in the early-mid 1990's, and have not bothered to try to repair it until 9/11 showed just how badly Congress/Clinton had screwed up.

In the former Baathist/Sammist Iraq, or in places like Somolia, Afghanistan or Iran or North Korea, by definition anyone not ideologically driven (who would come to us anyways) will have to be gought off - and by nature those sorts are seldom clean of criminal conduct in their nation. But laws and budgets precluded us from fielding an effective fore - or even putting adequate number of analysts and resources.

And this report is a capper - it shows just how bad the CIA has been - and how they bled off talent due to budget cuts, leaving them with they best they coudl afford, instead of the very best and brightest.

It will take 5 years to even get a semblance of what we need, and 8-10 years to get an effective and operative capability in key nations and regions. And it will take budget money -something Congress seems unwilling to supply. Seems they'd rather dump it into pork projects for bases we don't need (undoubtably another "Robert Byrd" building or 2 in W.Va).

As for the Dem trying to make this another "Bash Bush" vehicle, thats all too typical - they caused the problems we are now facing with their irresponsible cuts a decade ago that are jsut now becoming evident - and instead of offering up an apology - or a solution, the immediately try to play politics and smear other for political gain.

The Democrat Pary had become despicalbe - they have put personal political power gains ahead of the good of the nation. The bastards.

Posted by OldSpook 2004-07-09 2:47:43 AM|| 2004-07-09 2:47:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Sorry Oldspook, but the bloodletting really began with Stansfield Turner and the dismissal of hundreds of field men. (We didn't have a single CIA man in Afghanistan when the Russians invaded in December 1989.) He and Carter were convinced of the over-riding importance of technical intelligence. And, by the way, they didn't listen to their people when the Shah was poised to fall.

Posted by Tancred 2004-07-09 10:01:02 AM|| 2004-07-09 10:01:02 AM|| Front Page Top

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