Noted Without Further Comment

by publius

N'er Right Feith is writing a book (via the Post):

Feith continually denounces the CIA, accusing it of producing poor intelligence, intruding on the formulation of policy, and then using leaks to the media to defend itself and attack its bureaucratic opponents.

Comments

[Incertus (Brian)]

It's hard to be amazed at these people anymore.

[Ugh]

We deserve these people.

[Ugh]

And Feith's criticism of CIA is rich. Tenet couldn't have sucked Bush's cnck any harder than he did. But because CIA was skeptical of Chalabi, their well laid plans went to sh!t.

[rob!]

any chance while on his book tour, Feith can be kidnapped, tied to a bed frame, and hit in the stomach by bars of soap wrapped in towels by the family members of every killed or wounded US soldier or Iraqi citizen?

[Ugh]

any chance while on his book tour, Feith can be kidnapped, tied to a bed frame, and hit in the stomach by bars of soap wrapped in towels by the family members of every killed or wounded US soldier or Iraqi citizen?

You're letting him off lightly.

[Steve LaBonne]

"I have to deal with the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."
-Gen. Tommy Franks

[Bill]

It is clear to me now after reading the review. The reasons democracy is not blooming in Iraq among the everyday moms and dads are:

1. Powell;
2. The CIA;
3. Franks;
4. Bremer;
5. Rice;
6. Armitage;
7. President Bush;
8. The lack of an Iraqi Interim Authority;
9. The occupation;
10. The mishandling of the political transition; and
11. Bad intelligence.

“But it worked after World War II.”

Willful ignorance.

[DaveC]

Didn't Richard Clarke write a book? And appear for two full hour on 60 minutes?

He more or less blamed the Bush admin for 9/11 , theoretically because if he was in charge 9/11 wouldn't have happened. There was the whole spectacle of the 9/11 hearings with him taking the oath, versus Condi under oath.

Clarke got the big book deal, too. Never mind that he hadn't nabbed OBL while in the Clinton admin, nor while in the Bush admin. Hey why isn't he an apologist for the phone companies noe? He was really into electronic surveillance and counter terrorism against those who would hack out phone systems and computers.

You see, a lot of people like to gripe and say "Well, if only I was in charge", etc., after the fact. And they also want to criticize and even prosecute the very people who are trying to protect our national security. After the fact. After the danger looks less imminent.

All the time, people say "the CIA / Military / etc" are no better than Nazis" or Tenet sucked Bush's dick, or Karl Rove did this to take over the world. I don't think so, and frankly I think that the next Democrat candidate would be crippled regarding national security because they would be beholden to interests that want to see America fail, or at least weakened, because those interest groups truly and sincerely believe that the United States is evil. (and that the U.N. is wise and benevolent :)

Now the bombers of the Times Square recruiting center may not represent the Democratic Party. And maybe not the the protesters at recruiting center in Berkeley, but they are part of the constiuency. And I suspect, quite an influential part.

I'd say that Clarke was pretty much allowed to say his say about things. Why not Feith? It's because the message must be that Republicans and Bush are purely evil, as well as all members of the admin, except for some critics like Clarke.

[Steve LaBonne]

Of course he can say his thing. And then he can be laughed at for being the moron that he is. Just as I'm laughing at you right now.

[Nell]

Ahem, rob! and Ugh: If you're anti-torture, then "jokes" about torturing Doug Feith aren't very funny.

Scorn, mockery, disdain, shunning, condemnation, derisive laughter, hounding his public appearances...

[Phil]

Hmm. Last dude I know of who bombed a US government building was a Republican, Timothy McVeigh. And I'll bet dollars to donuts that this person turns out to be a right-winger, too.But DaveC appears to have information nobody else is privy to. Maybe we can waterboard it out of him.

[Ugh]

Ahem, rob! and Ugh: If you're anti-torture, then "jokes" about torturing Doug Feith

I think rob!'s suggested treatment let's Feith off lightly when compared to a jury trial for his crimes. Just to clarify.

[Chris]

Shorter Doug Feith: "Now, granted everything the CIA said about there being no WMD's was correct and all of my influence created outright lies, I still have major criticisms of how the CIA intelligence sloppily acquired their factually correct data."

And Dave, I believe the gist of Richard Clarke's work was "Just as the Clinton Administration was leaving office we had confirmation that bin Laden was responsible for the Cole bombing. We told the Bush administration about that and had pamphlets on how to stop him and the risks he posed, and the Bush administration ignored it all till 9/11 whacked them in the face."

[John Thullen]

Dave C., my friend:

You are sinking into territory occupied only by Erick Erickson of Redstate, who had a little self-made poll up the other day asking people to vote on whether or not the Times Square bomber was an Obama or Clinton voter.

I know what Erickson is doing, the bitter little cracker thug, whose children should be taken by Social Services and reeducated in human behavior. Unfortunately, the state he lives in permits white trash to raise their children unencumbered by dentistry and corrective lenses, not to mention birth control and evolution.

What are you doing?

"You see, a lot of people like to gripe and say 'Well, if only I was in charge,' etc, after the fact."

You don't say.

I say let's put a stop to it, and I can then skip reading the morning papers, all periodicals, and the Internet itself will go poof, with the exception of porn, though much of that could be improved after the fact, too.

In fact, let's shut down the entire enterprise called America, because it was founded on that exact gripe by a bunch of uptight, seasick complainers, sustained by that same malcontented gripe, and daily refreshed by the same boring, accursed whining.

"I'd say that Clarke was pretty much allowed his say about things."

Yes, but because he is a public figure, awful things were said and written about him by the usual suspects. He's fair game.

Feith is in fact "allowed" to say whatever he wants, in a book with a substantial advance, I expect, and a promotional tour. He's a public figure, so anything can be said about him, and he'll have to deal with it.

No one can shut him up, but I can tell him to shut up, after the fact, no less, because as it happens you would have probably run things better. ;)

[Mike Schilling]

Now the bombers of the Times Square recruiting center may not represent the Democratic Party. And maybe not the the protesters at recruiting center in Berkeley, but they are part of the constituency. And I suspect, quite an influential part.

Is this suspicion based on anything, you know, factual?

[steve]

Dave C Lifelong Republican here (until recently) and ex-military. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq have both been very poorly managed until recently. You will find very few officers who have actually fought in either place who have positive feelings about Feith. You will find some senior officers (politicians really at the upper levels) who may give him some support to at least cover themselves. His ideas nearly all run opposite to current COIN strategy.

Go read any military blog and see who has more credibility, Powell or Feith. The decision to go to iraq may still be defensible. The first 4 years of its conduct is not and Feith is a primary bad actor.

Steve

[russell]

Now the bombers of the Times Square recruiting center may not represent the Democratic Party.

DaveC finds a nut.

Thanks -

[Anderson]

Bill, you could simplify your list by ascribing our failure in Iraq simply to "the set of people, places, and things that are not Douglas Feith."

--DaveC, either you don't have a clue who Feith is and what he's said and done ... in which case you're commenting in ignorance ... or you *do* know ... in which case you're treating us like gullible morons.

Whichever it is, cut it out, okay? Thanks, love and kisses, bye.

[CharleyCarp]

Russell, I just clicked on the link for your user-name. Most excellent.

[russell]

Russell, I just clicked on the link for your user-name. Most excellent

Thanks!

That's Essex Bay, in Cape Ann MA. Essex is the next town over from Gloucester.

It pretty much looks just like that. Stay away during greenhead season.

Thanks -