Osama and the CIA

RealClearPolitics has a synopsis of Tim Russert's interview of Michael Scheuer on Meet the Press Sunday. Scheuer you may recall is the CIA official who authored the book Imperial Hubris writing under his nom de plume Annonymous. RCP seems particularly annoyed with Scheuer's choice of words describing Osama bin Laden, calling him at various times, "a remarkable man" "a great man" and an "admirable man."

Base10 caught some of the interview, but is not so annoyed by Scheuer's choice of words but by his attitude. Let me get this straight, you people over at Langley seem to think you know better than the rest of us. You base this on the CIA's ability to predict major world events like the fall of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the fall of the Shaw of Iran or the greatest attack against civilians on US soil. Oh wait, you missed all of those those things didn't you. As a matter of fact, the CIA has a pretty awful track record calling significant events like this.

But CIA analysts are the "experts" that think the US should continue its policy of suppport for dictatorial Arab states. This made sense in the Cold War, but is a kind of a stupid notion now. And apparently the CIA is willing to attack when a visionary President tries to shock them out of their institutional complacency. Someday a democratic Middle East will exist and look back on its founding. They will not be thanking the CIA.
- posted by Base10 @ 1:11 PM