Declassified Intel Trends

[Hap]

Originally posted by Skuzzy

Our board seems to be getting ripe with this method of posting for some reason. People, if you want to discuss something, the DISCUSS it, let's stop with the simple cut and paste operations berift of any substance from the thread starter.

[Gunslinger]

I love how the NYT left this part out of their article:

We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere.

The Iraq conflict has become the “cause celebre” for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

What I really want to see from this administration is for them to catch and prosecute who ever is leaking all of this to the media.  It is a complete breach of national security.

I actually like it when President Bush gets a little fired up for a change.  From a news conference this morning:

BUSH: We weren't in Iraq when they blew up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

My judgment is, if we weren't in Iraq, they'd find some other excuse, because they have ambitions. They kill in order to achieve their objectives.

You know, in the past, Osama bin Laden used Somalia as an excuse for people to join his jihadist movement.

BUSH: In the past, they used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was a convenient way to try to recruit people to their jihadist movement.

They've used all kinds of excuses.

This government is going to do whatever it takes to protect this homeland. We're not going to let their excuses stop us from staying on the offense.

The best way to protect America is to defeat these killers overseas so we do not have to face them here at home.

We're not going to let lies and propaganda by the enemy dictate how we win this war.

Now, you know what's interesting about the NIE? It was an intelligence report done last April. As I understand, the conclusions -- the evidence on the conclusions reached was stopped being gathered on February -- at the end of February.

BUSH: And here we are coming down the stretch in an election campaign and it's on the front page of your newspapers. Isn't that interesting? Somebody's taken it upon themselves to leak classified information for political purposes.

I talked to John Negroponte today, the DNI. You know, I think it's a bad habit for our government to declassify every time there's a leak, because it means it's going to be hard to get good product out of our analysts. Those of you who've been around here long enough know what I'm talking about.

But once again there's a leak out of our government, coming right down the stretch in this campaign in order to create confusion in the minds of the American people.

BUSH: In my judgment, that's why they leaked it.

And so we're going to -- I told the DNI to declassify this document. You can read it for yourself. It will stop all the speculation, all the politics about somebody saying something about Iraq; you know, somebody trying to confuse the American people about the nature of this enemy.

And so John Negroponte, the DNI, is going to declassify the document as quickly as possible -- declassify the key judgments for you to read yourself.

And he'll do so in such a way that we'll be able to protect sources and methods of -- that our intelligence community uses.

And then everybody can draw their own conclusions about what the report says.

Thank you.

[Hap]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
What I really want to see from this administration is for them to catch and prosecute who ever is leaking all of this to the media.  It is a complete breach of national security.

Gun, does the above rise to the level of "secret" in your opinion?

Regards,

hap

p.s. You are so correct about the Times.

[john9001]

yada yada yada, there will be only one winner in this war, the enemy has committed to your destruction, the war is yours to lose.

[AWMac]

Anything you hear or read about concerning Intel is well over 6 Months to 8 Months old.

Mac

[LePaul]

The irony with the leakers is...

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they have spent $1.44 million so far investigating the 2003 leak of a CIA operative's identity.

Yet if someone leaks classified info about the NSA Phone Tap Program, or this recent report that can spun anti-Bush...where's the outrage claiming we need to find the source of THOSE leaks?

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Hap
Gun, does the above rise to the level of "secret" in your opinion?

Regards,

hap

p.s. You are so correct about the Times.

It's not so much the information itself they try to protect but the sourcing of it.  EDIT:  Keeping a source of intel secret is just as important as the information itself.  Some information can "out" the source of it just by the data or intel it contains.  Keep in mind this is a declassified report so that means analysts have gone over it and blacked out the parts the don't want in there.  

Either way, in my job secrets are just that....secret.  It doesn't matter if it's the stock number to the toilet seat they us on Air Force 1, if it's classified and you leak it out you are violating a major trust that the govt, and American public puts in you as a public servent.

[Hap]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
if it's classified and you leak it out you are violating a major trust that the govt, and American public puts in you as a public servent.

Agreed!  

A tributary: who are Bush's "plumbers?"  I don't know.

Regards,

hap

[Pei]

It wasn't leaked it was de-classified.

[Fishu]

Originally posted by Gunslinger
What I really want to see from this administration is for them to catch and prosecute who ever is leaking all of this to the media.  It is a complete breach of national security.

Me too, I'd like to see G.W. Bush in jail, he's committed many other crimes before leaking this document.

[Yeager]

I'd like to see G.W. Bush in jail, he's committed many other crimes
====
Take your evidence to the Attorney General of the United States and press charges, or are you just spouting off at the verb hole ?

[Ripsnort]

Yeager:
"He's a crook! He's a liar! The interweb told me so!"

[lukster]

Originally posted by Yeager
I'd like to see G.W. Bush in jail, he's committed many other crimes
====
Take your evidence to the Attorney General of the United States and press charges, or are you just spouting off at the verb hole ?

I think it's the second part.

[Debonair]

Originally posted by Fishu
Me too, I'd like to see G.W. Bush in jail, he's committed many other crimes before leaking this document.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Pei
It wasn't leaked it was de-classified.

It was both.....It was leaked to the NYT, and then to silence critics it was de-classified.  Try and keep up please.