Article

2003-04-09 Iraq

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Posted by Steve 2003-04-09 08:53 am|| || Front Page|| [8 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A "sleepy, dusty town" of 100,000? That doesn't quite jive with me...

Posted by Dar 2003-04-09 09:39:44|| 2003-04-09 09:39:44|| Front Page Top

#2 Does anybody know where the British are getting their Intel from? The French? If they know that he escaped before we did, we need to get some better intel. If the CIA gets "Out-Intelled" in this war by the Brits and the Russians, It should be a reminder of how badly neglected our CIA is. I'm not saying that the Brits or the Russians have been historically anyhting but good with Intel, I'm just saying that the CIA needs to be better than them. Especially the backstabbing Russians.

Posted by Mike N. 2003-04-09 10:00:18|| 2003-04-09 10:00:18|| Front Page Top

#3 Didn't the CIA go to the dogs in the 1990s by relying too little on human-intelligence and too much on technological intelligence like satellites?

I imagine it takes time to reestablish good spy rings, where as the British may still have good long-established informants.

Posted by A 2003-04-09 12:19:13|| 2003-04-09 12:19:13|| Front Page Top

#4 The Brits and Russian intelligence services never had to deal with the Church committee and Admiral Stansfield Turner. Only to be further ripped apart when Iran/Contra fell apart ten years later. Let's not forget that 8 years of Clintonian neglect and that Tenet is a Clinton appointee.

Posted by Douglas De Bono 2003-04-09 12:19:34|| [www.douglasdebono.com] 2003-04-09 12:19:34|| Front Page Top

#5 If there was any town that deserved a world war 2 style carpet bombing Tikrit is it.

Posted by Yank 2003-04-09 14:05:07|| 2003-04-09 14:05:07|| Front Page Top

#6 Technical stuff like satellites generally belongs ot the NRO and the NSA. Our problem is the inverse - we de-emphasized HUMINT for too long (its much harder than SIGINT, and less reliable as well), but now thats the most effective stuff against terror organizations. HUMINT means you have to deal with some slimy characters, and people have to make judegement calls on whether someone is lying or not, and the risk they are willing to personally assume.

Unfortunately, the fingerpointing, poll-driven policy and the disingenuous nature of the US Administrations during the 1990's (Clinton, and to a lesser extent the elder Bush) precluded any real ability to develop good HUMINT.

Posted by OldSpook 2003-04-09 17:34:44|| 2003-04-09 17:34:44|| Front Page Top

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