The quickest way to let you all know of a breaking news story is to post a new article that hopefully everyone will see.

Richard Wolffe, an analyst on MSNBC, reported tonight that his White House sources have told him that the President and his security team are investigating the possibility that the “breakdown” in our intelligence on the “underwear bomber” was deliberate! I reiterate that this is only reported by Mr. Wolffe at this point, and that nothing has been proven.

That being said, if this story does pan out to be true, it will be one of the most disturbing stories of our times.

There could be multiple reasons why the information about Abdulmutallab was not passed to the proper agencies which would have prohibited him for boarding that plane in Amsterdam for the United States. It could be a simple “failure to communicate”; it could have been “lost in the shuffle” of an overwhelming amount of data coming in from all over the globe; it could have been some kind of inadvertent clerical error or omission from some list. But the most disturbing scenario is that it could have been either for “turf wars” between agencies like the FBI and the CIA….or it could have been for political reasons!

It was reported last year that the former vice president’s loyal associates still hold their jobs in the CIA, and that Mr. Cheney talked with some of them on a regular basis, even after he left office. With the heated political rhetoric by Mr. Cheney, it takes no stretch of the imagination that he would have his own warped agenda in wanting the President to look as bad as possible, especially on the subject of fighting terrorism. He has repeatedly come out with outrageous charges, attempting to cut the legs out from under the President on any and every issue…but especially our battle against religious extremists. He has released another statement as late as today to Politico with more of the same.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions before the facts are known. But if this lapse in intelligence is due to some sick, deliberate attempt to defeat the President, I cannot guarantee that I can keep my anger in check. To think that any professional CIA agent would risk the lives of 300 American citizens on that airplane for a political vendetta is unfathomable…almost surreal!

If this is a matter of “turf wars” between agencies, it is just as serious. Lives were risked for the sake of somebody holding all the cards and gamesmanship! Unacceptable…totally unacceptable! Heads should roll!

The President is to meet tomorrow at the White House with all parties involved. Let us hope that he and his staff can get to the bottom of this, and then to work towards keeping all Americans safe from the threat of terrorism without the usual partisanship of the right. This, after all, is not in any way a partisan issue. This is about the safety of all of us.

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Emerald1943
Born and bred a Southern lady. Degree in nursing and 20 years of classical piano. Two grown children and two gorgeous grandkids. Also two Shih Tzu doggies, the light of my life! Buddhist. A life-long card-carrying, flaming, hard-core, opinionated, liberal/progressive Democrat...and proud of it! Favorite quotation: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Sinclair Lewis

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choicelady
Member

I once had a reason to work with the FBI on a major case. This was just a few years before Bush. It was an exemplar of multi-jurisdictional cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies coming together to solve a major crime. Then came Bush and Ashcroft. Within two months, the local and state guys were frozen out of the information pool. Fortunately, they caught the perp before that happened, but it was a shock to those of us civilians who’d had decent relationships with all involved. We were frozen out, too, and we had information all parties could have used.

For Obama to try to piece back the links for inter-agency cooperation(as I understand he is ordering done today) is superb, but I wonder how much damage can be undone. I slightly know Panetta, whom I believe to be one of the Good Guys, and I watch in absolute horror as he defends the status quo. What IS going on here?

And then, I wonder how much those tied to Cheney, Rummy, and The Family control in the departmental levels that make the probability of intelligence “failure” that much greater. These people’s turf wars or deliberate intent scare the bejeezus out of me. (Bejeezus – an entirely technical term, you know…)

kesmarn
Admin

c’lady, thanks, as always for your extremely valuable input! I have to ask a question (as always):
If you had to define relatively briefly, what the game plan for the Family and their allies actually is, what would it be?
Is their goal to turn the U.S. into a Capitalism-driven nation with Christianity as a de facto state religion? Do they even aspire to something bigger like U.S. world domination?

Any insights would be much appreciated.

choicelady
Member

Hi kesmarn – big question we all need to ponder. First the Family are not what you see on TV. They are not, as far as I can tell, true “end times” Christians who believe Christ will come again any day now, if only the world is rid of, well, people on the Planet and our ilk.Those folks are merely tolerated since the Family members don’t really believe a lot of that.

The Family is Christian in name only – the “Jesus plus nothing” mantra is really like a branding (meaning with a hot iron) to force compliance and subservience. Beyond that, they are dedicated to a world run by their own kind, UNDER their own direction.

They were founded in direct opposition to labor organizing. They created a mythic Biblical story that the original disciples were “businessmen” as if that made any sense. However, it justifies a total hierarchy of the wealthy, IF business leaders are willing to bow to the Family’s dominance. Over the years, the Family has attracted some of the nation’s largest corporate players. This in turn allows them to support some of the world’s worst tyrants, just so long as said tyrants defer to the Family’s supremacy.

So yes, in the long and short run, the view of The Family is a world of men (women are subservient, too) who claim Christ but don’t need to bother with the teachings or directions of Christ, and who are wealthy, powerful, and willing to defer to the Family leadership. The rest of us are to be supressed in all ways. We are to follow, period.

They have no problem with anyone who’s had a homosexual relationship. They have a HUGE problem with anyone who asserts GLBT people are equal in the eyes of God and have civil rights. That, not the acts, is the unforgiveable sin.

They have no problem with bloodletting in the name of US corporate imperialism, just so the final victory comes to them in natural riches, dominance of the colonial power by them, and so they can spread their control everywhere. Enslaved people? No problem. They will send missionaries to bring them to Jesus.

Other than expanding their own power, they really have no apparent agenda. But, then, if you ultimately control everything – no democracy or free press, no labor unions or uppity women, no liberation movements or pressure for equality from the poor, well, what else could you want?

People such as Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, Paul and Rob Schenck, are lower-tier folks who help the oppressed soothe this inequality with quickie salvation.

So – the rich get richer and more powerful, and the poor get salvation. Period.

I think these people are truly, truly dangerous. And while the End Times people are real nut cases with their own consequences to the world, these people are massively worse because they have real power already. I fear for our President because I think they can and may have eradicated opponents who stand for real people and not for them. I really, REALLY hope I’m wrong.

SueInCa
Member

Suharto in Indonesia, Alexander Wiley Sen on Foreign relations – Guatamala dictator(cn’t remember his name), Siad in Somalia, Mervyn Hart – Manufactures Assoc(US) whose aim was disenfranchisement of the poor who he considered unfit for voting, the Famiy’s support of ex Nazis to run their operations in post war Germany, supposedly religious. It is quite a history, although not particularly an endearing one.

KQµårk 死神
Member

The head of the company has to preserve the status quo to a great deal or they will go rogue on him and subvert him. The CIA is like no other organization that way.

javaz
Member

This does not surprise me.
Sadly, we will never know the truth.

abby4ever
Guest

‘Morning, javaz.

javaz
Member

Morning, Abby!

abby4ever
Guest

Hi javaz. I have just surfaced from lots of reading…for the big vote. Lots and lots of articles.

It’s quiet here this time of day, I am baking bread here in the kitchen and keeping one eye on that, one eye on the thickening snowclouds outside, and one on my pc…but wait, I dont have three eyes.

No wonder I am having problems!

choicelady
Member

Well, there you go, Abby – that explains everything. I thought it was just me. We also all need three hands – there is always a shortage. Of course if we’d had three, we’d never have invented tools, so maybe it’s just as well. Good luck with the snow, and I hope the bread turned out great. The PC you seem to be handling just fine.

Khirad
Member

Might I suggest, Brit Hume style, the benefits of opening up your third eye, something which only the Hindu faith offers?

whatsthatsound
Member

Funny!

However,
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ”
– Matthew 6:22, is thought by many to be a reference to the third eye.

abby4ever
Guest

Thank God you’re here.

:]

whatsthatsound
Member

Hi there, Abby!

abby4ever
Guest

Emerald! What a fine (but startling, especially when you read it just waking up) article. A necessary one, too: this needs to be explored… to the deepest depths. I am still digesting it, but for now, this. You say:

“… the most disturbing scenario is that it could have been either for

Khirad
Member

“What Obama is up against”

That was a great article, and sounds about right. Another reason why we’d have a hard time prosecuting Bush era crimes – many are still there.

Allen Dulles, by the way, lord… what crap didn’t he get us into?

nellie
Member

Truthout ran this article a while ago. I think it’s relevant to what has happened:

What Obama is up against

(Sorry, Em! I decided to move the link to it’s own post. 🙂 )

nellie
Member

test

Khirad
Member

How do you get it to open in a new tab, by the way?

nellie
Member

<a=”http://www.link.com/” target=”_blank”>Link Name</a>

It’s the target=”_blank” that opens the new tab.

escribacat
Member

You can do CTRL-Click to open the link in a new tab.

escribacat
Member

Wow. What a chilling column that is. Quite believable too. So who is more destructive — Islamic jihadists looking for a fight or the Cheney operatives trying to bring down the administration from within?

bito
Member

Least we forget the whole “Pelosi Lied” dust-up, it was revealed during those hearings how the WH via Cheney controlled and lied to congress and the public about the intelligence. They broke laws and lied on the reports that were supposed to be the checks on the executive. Such a warped belief of what/why this republic was formed.
I swear Cheney and Rummy must have some really dirty hands and pictures/files on many “intelligence principles.”

Khirad
Member

Any other person, and I would say it was myopic to highlight a similar intelligence failure made under my admin’s watch, but Cheney is never phased by his hypocrisy. Still, what on earth is Cheney’s game – not keeping his trap shut? It gives credence to it. If not directed by him, that he still has buddies in the intelligence community who tip him off on such things, so that he can exploit it politically (this itself would be a scandal). I dunno, I’m with KQuark on this, but Cheney was also friends with Scooter. You can’t put it past him, especially if he really does believe Obama’s a threat so much as to manufacture the point. But, I’m cognizant I’ve walked into woo-woo territory and am going to step back to take a broader survey of the situation.

In any case, for all those who say we should forget the Bush years and this is all Obama now, Cheney sure does that selective amnesia line of ‘reasoning’ a disservice.

jan4insight
Guest

Olbermann made a comment directed to Cheney tonight; worth watching:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#34694994

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

SueInCa
Member

I read this story(posted below) and I thought it might be a bit off, but it bothered me enough that I kept the bookmark. It speaks, in a way, to the comments by Richard Wolfe. Scary stuff.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9951

jan4insight
Guest

WOW!

nellie
Member

And that’s in Veterans Today — not exactly a tin foil hat publication.

SueInCa
Member

I did not think so, but I had never heard of them till I read the article.

nellie
Member

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist — but this looked suspicious from the get go. What with Cheney constantly saying “we’re going to get hit, we’re going to get hit” and Republicans praying for it every day. What a sick group of sociopaths. How did we ever let them get into our government.

bito
Member

I wouldn’t put it past Cheney. He is a scary mother… He would be cut down to size if the MSM did some fact checking when he spews out “thoughts.” What can be done about his CIA contacts, I don’t know.

tb92
Member
tb92

I almost hope this is true. It would be the incentive we need to finally make some real changes. Getting Cheney’s followers out of the government would make me feel much safer.

SueInCa
Member

I could not agree more. I swear if I saw the creep on the street, I would stick my foot out and just watch him fall.

KQµårk 死神
Member

One breakdown you described IS treason and the other while serious is a systematic failure like we’ve seen before too many times.

I doubt and hope it’s not the former for the country’s sake.

kesmarn
Admin

Oh, Em! I can only hope that this is a false rumor. It would be too utterly depressing to think that anyone could stoop that low. I’ll keep an eye out for further updates on this one. Thanks for posting!

jan4insight
Guest

Quite frankly, I would not put it past them (Cheney et al.). But then I still think that 9/11 was, at least partially, an inside job.

jan4insight
Guest

Thanks for posting this, Emerald ~ You’re right; if this really turns out to a deliberate, political move – prepare for the chit to hit the fan. And while we must be careful about speculation, it wouldn’t be a surprise to any of us, knowing that Cheney’s moles are still there in many layers of the current admin.

That said, I also give high marks to Richard Wolffe on his reporting and acumen. Did he state this on tonight’s Countdown? I see from their website that he’s a guest tonight. I’m for sure going to watch it, after I get my lazy arse off the couch & fix some me some supper ~