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2005-07-11 Home Front: WoT

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Posted by Dan Darling 2005-07-11 12:25|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "If the U.S. hadn't captured him in Afghanistan, if he'd simply returned home to the U.S. after his secret training and indoctrination, his knowledge of Arabic and Middle East travel may have made him an attractive candidate for U.S. intelligence"

so where did you get your knowledge of Arabic, John, you studied at the University of Michigan?

Er, no, I picked it up in the region.

Oh? Where, in Egypt? Lebanon? Or did you work in KSA, like so many?

Well, er, no, I learned my Arabic in Afghanistan, theres a big arab community there, you know?

Seriously, I hope our vetting for CIA types actually includes checking on foreign travel, and accounting for where people were, etc.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-07-11 14:14|| 2005-07-11 14:14|| Front Page Top

#2 Actually, LH, I think Lindh learned Arabic domestically and went to Yemen to work on his accent. Apparently the dialect there is closer to what Mo' spoke.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-07-11 14:28|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-07-11 14:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Why LH! That would be profiling!

Wasn't there some arabic translators in the FBI who celebrated 9/11?

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-07-11 14:48|| 2005-07-11 14:48|| Front Page Top

#4 Wasn't there some arabic translators in the FBI who celebrated 9/11?

Dunno about that, but there were some who were/are members of the organizations they were tasked with monitoring. They reportedly sanitized the translations they produced.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-07-11 14:50|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-07-11 14:50|| Front Page Top

#5 Naturally. Remember the stories about the translators cheering 9/11? I'm glad to see the CIA is on top of this, at least.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-11 14:51|| 2005-07-11 14:51|| Front Page Top

#6 "Why LH! That would be profiling!"

Where did I say they should only carefully vette arabs or muslims? :)

Im not saying somebody might not successfully infiltrate (which is why you need careful internal security on your own people, need to know and all that) but I think the fears in the above post are a tad overblown - some of this would come in routine vetting, I would think.

I mean the guy gives Jose Padilla as an example for crying out loud - a former gang member!!!! I mean I hope the CIA isnt scraping bottom of the barrel THAT badly!! Now maybe as an FBI informant Padilla would make sense - but you dont give an informant top secret material, do you?

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-07-11 15:10|| 2005-07-11 15:10|| Front Page Top

#7 Of course, the other thing that makes the entire article overheated is that it overlooks what entry-level intel analysts do and have access to.

Achmed: What have you learned about the infidels in the CIA, Omar?

Omar: They love Powerpoint presentations!

Posted by Dreadnought 2005-07-11 15:22|| 2005-07-11 15:22|| Front Page Top

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