Napolitano & DHS Order Border Patrol Agents NOT To Wear Protective Face Masks (Video) …Update: DHS Denies Report

by Gateway Pundit | 9:57 pm, April 30, 2009

This is unbelievable!
JANET NAPOLITANO STRIKES AGAIN!
The Department of Homeland Security told border patrol agents they can not wear face masks to work for protection.

DHS Secretary Janet Napalitano is worried about the political aspects of how it may look to the general public!
Washington says the idea of seeing agents wear masks may spread more concern.

If the agents ignore the command they could be penalized:

Video via ABC 10 and Free Republic
From the video:
Janet Napolitano strikes again! Time to call for her resignation. Our Border patrol agents are NOT permitted to protect their health because DHS doesn’t like how it looks to the public and does not want commerce to be effected at the risk of American lives.

“We are now calling for Janet Napolitano’s immediate resignation!” William Gheen, President of ALIPAC.
Agents want to wear the N-95 respirator masks.

Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA) said he was going to take the issue up with the White House.

UPDATE: DHS on Thursday refuted reports that it had told agents at U.S. airports and border checkpoints that they could not wear masks to protect from exposure to swine flu.

Liberal Supreme Court Justice David Souter to Retire …Update: Failed Michigan Governor Mentioned As Replacement

by Gateway Pundit | 9:31 pm, April 30, 2009

Justice David Souter has told the White House that he will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the court’s term in June, a source familiar with his plans told the Associated Press on Thursday night.

Conservapedia has more on this liberal justice:

Souter was nominated for the Supreme Court in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush to succeed retiring Associate Justice William J. Brennan, often known as one of the Court’s two most liberal members (the other being Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, who would retire the following year). Thus, this vacancy represented a chance for the President Bush to shift the Court to the right, as his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, had tried to do. In nominating Souter, Bush had adopted what has come to be known as the “stealth strategy.” Souter had a very small “paper trail,” thus making him difficult to label as a conservative or a liberal. Some conservatives advising President Bush failed to realize that a stealth candidate may not withstand the intense pressure of the liberal media after confirmation, a mistake that may have been repeated in the ill-fated nomination of Harriet Miers about 15 years later.

Bush had received assurances that Souter would be a conservative from his Chief of Staff, John Sununu, who had appointed Souter to the New Hampshire Supreme Court years earlier. Thus, Bush hoped to disarm liberal Senators who might oppose an obviously conservative nominee, as they had done just three years earlier with Robert Bork. But almost immediately it was apparent to some conservatives that Souter was not pro-life, as he had served as a director on a hospital that performed abortions. Liberals seemed to know that they had won. Even though he was grilled to define his view on abortion, Souter didn’t take the bait and he was confirmed by a vote of 90-9 by the U.S. Senate, with several conservatives voting against him.

Souter went on to align himself firmly with the more liberal bloc on the Court, leading to conservative anger at President Bush for this calculated blunder.

More… Legal Insurrection explains how Specter’s defection will hauht dems on Souter’s replacement.

UPDATE: Failed Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is being mentioned as a possible replacement for the Far Left Souter. She was also mentioned as a possible replacement for Ginsburg.

GOP Ad Asks: “Do You Feel Safer?”

by Gateway Pundit | 7:44 pm, April 30, 2009

Do you feel safer today?
Do you believe Team Obama is doing all it can to protect you from the next “man-caused disaster?”

Republican Leader John Boehner and Intelligence Committee Ranking Republican Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) released a new ad today on the national security free fall in the last 100 days:

The Republican Leader Boehner reported:

The American people are growing increasingly concerned about the Administration’s strategy – or, more precisely, lack of strategy – when it comes to confronting and defeating the terrorist threat. In fact, according to a new Rasmussen poll, only 42 percent of Americans believe we are winning the war on terrorism. That’s a 20 point drop since February – a staggering decline in confidence as the Administration begins its second 100 days.

Why are Americans having such misgivings about the Administration’s approach to the threat of radical jihadists? House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Intelligence Committee Ranking Republican Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) today released a new web video highlighting some of the reasons – reasons underscored in a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this week. The poll showed that a majority of Americans oppose the Administration’s political decision to selectively release memos detailing advanced interrogation techniques used on terrorists and oppose the President’s plan to close a terrorist detention facility with no plan for what to do with the terrorists housed there

The Patriot Room has more on this terrific ad.

Related… The Obama administration officials for the second time have overridden objections of federal agencies and are moving quickly to release Chinese Uighur terrorists into the United States.
These Gitmo terrorists will likely receive welfare after they are released.
Do you feel safer?

Unreal! ABC Outs Waterboarding Architects– Release Names & Show Photos …Update: Outed in 2007

by Gateway Pundit | 6:07 pm, April 30, 2009

ABC outed former government officials who helped design Bush interrogation measures today. The two men reportedly designed the waterboard program and assured it to be safe.

ABC also posted their photos and reported where they work:

According to current and former government officials, the CIA’s secret waterboarding program was designed and assured to be safe by two well-paid psychologists now working out of an unmarked office building in Spokane, Washington.

Bruce Jessen and Jim Mitchell, former military officers, together founded Mitchell Jessen and Associates.

Both men declined to speak to ABC News citing non-disclosure agreements with the CIA. But sources say Jessen and Mitchell together designed and implemented the CIA’s interrogation program.

You can bet the loons on the Left are already planning their attacks on these two “well-paid” psychologists.

Last night Barack Obama claimed that waterboarding was torture. The president also inaccurately used Great Britain during World War II as an example of a country that did not torture. Obama did not say whether he will demand that our military stop using this “torture” technique during SERE training.

The Bush Administration used the technique on 3 top level Al-Qaeda terrorists.
Using enhanced interrogation techniques on 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed disrupted “dozens” of planned al-Qaida attacks and saved hundreds and thousands of lives.

UPDATE: The Far-Left Anti-American website Democracy Now actually outed these two officials in 2007. The article also compares the interrogation program to the SERE program that our own soldiers go through. The two psychologists were affiliated with the SERE training program. Far Left Bush-hating Senator Carl Levin was also investigating these two officials back in 2007.

And to no one’s surprise… The New York Times also outed the psychologists back in 2006.

Dems Hate Crimes Bill Protects Pedophiles But Not Veterans Or Grandmas

by Gateway Pundit | 5:43 pm, April 30, 2009

Democratic House members passed HR 1913 this week.
The new hate crimes legislation protects pedophiles but democrats refused to add veterans and grandmothers to the legislation.

The House passed the bill 249 to 175 with 231 democrats voting for the legislation.
Earned Media reported:

H.R. 1913 (Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009) is not about stopping crime but is designed to give “actual or perceived” sexual preference or “gender identity” (which is still classified as a mental disorder) the same legal status as race. The DSM IVR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders) lists more than 30 “sexual orientations” and “Gender Identity Disorders,” including pedophilia. The hate crimes bill does not limit “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” and, thus, includes all these disorders and fetishes. The use of “actual or perceived” includes those with disorders or deviant sexual preferences and those who do not have such disorders or fetishes, so long as it is alleged that the person charged allegedly “thought” the other person had such disorder or fetish…

Mathew Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “Sexual orientation and gender identity include pedophilia and every imaginable deviant fetish. Cross-dressers and pedophiles find refuge in this so-called hate crimes bill, while veterans and grandmas are left to fend for themselves. Obviously, this bill is not about the prevention of crime but is all about pushing a radical sexual anarchy. This bill will crush free speech and trample free exercise of religion.”

Here is more information on the bill.

White House Aide’s Family Has Swine Flu

by Gateway Pundit | 5:14 pm, April 30, 2009

A White House security staffer came down with flu-like symptoms after traveling to Mexico with the president. His family showed they’re also infected with the swine flu.

On Sunday it was reported that the museum director who greeted Obama died from the swine flu.

Felipe Solis, the director of the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, greeted Barack Obama at the museum for dinner with dignitaries during Obama’s apology tour.
Solis died the next day from pneumonia.
Later the Mexican health boss Jose Cordova, however, said Mr Solis was already ill and his death was unrelated to swine flu.

The Politico reported:

The White House has issued a health advisory outlining “protective measures” for anyone who traveled on President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico after a member of the U.S. delegation came down with flu-like symptoms – and tests on his family showed they’re probably infected with the swine flu.

The individual – an advance security staffer for Energy Secretary Steven Chu –appears to have spread the flu to his wife, son and nephew. All three have tested probable for swine flu, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

Gibbs, who did not name the security aide, said he did not work closely with Obama, didn’t fly on Air Force One and is back at work at the Energy Department.

But the staffer was at a working dinner Obama attended with Mexican officials April 16. The aide “was asked specifically if he ever came within six feet of the president, and the answer to that was ‘No,’ ” Gibbs said.

More… The White House was warned by a biosurveillance firm about a serious influenza outbreak in Mexico a full two weeks before the World Health Organization offered its first official warning about a public health emergency of global concern on April 24th.

John Stewert Skeward by Cliff May

by Mr. Bob | 11:45 am, April 30, 2009

#gop #tcot #torture

The Read of the day and all you ever wanted to know about the good people at the CIA and why Stewart is just another brain dead mouthpiece for the left.

Here are some excerpts but you must read the whole thing, seeing Stewart getting handed his snarky hat is always a good thing.

Look, we know this: Khalid Sheikh Mohamed was captured. He said: “I want a lawyer.” He didn’t get one — I know some people think he deserved one, but he’s not a criminal defendant or an honorable prisoner of war. The Geneva Convention does not cover him — even Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder has said that.

Now maybe you think asking him again and adding pretty please with a cherry on top would have produced results in time. The intelligence officials didn’t think that. They went to the Justice Department and said: “What can we do? How far can we go to save lives?” And they got the information they needed — and we haven’t had another attack on American soil since.

The current administration appears to have ruled out any coercive techniques: No sleep deprivation — not even for a night. No loud music — it drives the terrorists crazy! So it’s torture! Better to let the attack proceed. The victims and their families surely will understand.We basically have three weapons against terrorists: capture them, interrogate them, kill them. But there’s no point in capturing if you can’t effectively interrogate, so that leaves just killing. How do you justify that? How do you say, “Yes, you can hit that terrorist with a Predator missile but you can’t make him listen to Slim Shady”? READ THE ENTIRE THING

McInnis voicemail raises serious questions early in campaign

by RMR | 11:25 am, April 30, 2009

CompleteColorado.com has gotten a hold of a voicemail message left by Scott McInnis to an unspecified recipient. The voicemail is troubling and could have serious implications for McInnis’ campaign as Scott McInnis apparently mentions Sean Tonner, a Republican operative and head of consulting firm Phase Line Strategies, as operating a 527 organization. Complete Colorado reports:

Moments into the message, McInnis describes people who have joined the "team," specifically mentioning Sean Tonner. McInnis also mentions that Tonner is running a "527." The mention of Tonner being on the team and also running a 527 could be problematic. It is illegal for a candidate committee to coordinate with a 527 "issues" committee.

Futhermore, towards the middle of the message, McInnis mentions that "we’ve been out in the field, we’ve done extensive polling." If true, McInnis might need to show what funds were used to perform said polling.

In 2006, Bill Ritter was able to benefit as Republicans Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez were caught up in allegations of illegal coordination with 527 groups. Having an audio recording of Scott McInnis implicating himself and Tonner could prove crippling to the McInnis for Governor campaign.

Tonner and Phase Line Strategies are involved in a number of Republican campaigns including the Ken Buck for Senate campaign, with Phase Line’s Littleton office address listed as Buck’s campaign office on his Articles of Incorporation with the Colorado Secretary of State.

Scott McInnis’ Responses to “Serious Questions” Less Than Satisfactory

by Ben | 10:39 am, April 30, 2009

Complete Colorado has the scoop on one likely Republican candidate for governor’s foot-in-mouth problem when it comes to voice mail messages. Did Scott McInnis’ remarks reveal something illegal or unethical? Jessica Fender reports that it’s technically not.
But McInnis’ responses are concerning:

McInnis, who verified that he left the message, points out he’s not officially announced [...]

Save Capitalism – and buy a T-shirt

by Mr. Bob | 8:34 am, April 30, 2009

#gop #tcot #socialism #communism #capitalism #hhrs
See all the versions of the sOcialism T-shirts at Redbubble. I don’t blog for the money but what the heck buy one anyway…they have a powerful message but if the people who see you wearing it graduated from public school you may have to educate them on the definition of socialism, Communism and capitalism.

Journalists Told to Quit Lying Or Face a Whipping

by Gateway Pundit | 7:20 am, April 30, 2009

No More Spin.

Journalists in the Swat region of Pakistan were ordered by the Taliban to quit lying or face sharia punishment.
The Daily Times reported:

Swat Taliban have announced that they will ‘reform’ the banking system and journalism in the areas they control, shifting the focus from barbers and CD shops, Dunya News reported. Talking to the TV channel, Taliban spokesman Haji Muslim Khan said Taliban’s next target would be the banking system “where un-Islamic affairs are being carried out”. He said the Taliban would penalise the media with the sharia punishment for telling lies. The Taliban would take action against the people “who are trying to conceal facts by publishing and broadcasting false reports”.

Now I may not agree with the Taliban on everything but I do see some merit in this movement.

Rob De Witt adds:

Sigh…if only. Say what you will about the Taliban, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and again.

Change!… Pakistani College Bans Jeans & Tight Dresses After Terror Threat

by Gateway Pundit | 7:10 am, April 30, 2009

Terrorists score another win in Pakistan.
A Pakistani college banned jeans and tight dresses after terrorists threatened the school.
The Daily Times reported:

The Kinnaird College (KC) administration has banned the students from wearing jeans or other tight dresses in the wake of possible terrorist threats. The college has imposed a strict dress code that only allows students to wear Eastern dresses such as shalwar qameez or loose trousers. Dupatas have been made mandatory. KC Vice Principal Nikhat Khan told Daily Times the measures were in line with a government notification, and had no connection with rumours about burqa-clad women issuing warnings to students. She said jeans and tight dresses were banned on college premises since years but the new principal was unaware of the ban and girls were using this to their advantage. Students reported an atmosphere of fear after the introduction of rules that barred students from wearing dresses of their choice.

Fear-mongerer Joe Biden Tells Family: “Stay Off Planes & Subways”

by Gateway Pundit | 6:17 am, April 30, 2009

Spreading fear…
Joe Biden sets off a panic- Tells his family to avoid trains and planes:

The AP reported: Joe Biden said Thursday he advised his family to stay off airplanes and subways because of the new swine flu, a remark that forced the vice president’s office to backtrack and prompted one airline official to complain about “fear-mongering.” (April 30)

The White House quickly put released a clarifying press release:

The White House quickly arranged for Biden to make this statement through a spokesperson.

“On the Today Show this morning, the vice president was asked what he would tell a family member who was considering air travel to Mexico this week. The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. As the president said just last night, every American should take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you’re sick and keep your children home from school if they’re sick.”

The press release said that Biden gave his family the same advice he gave all Americans– not to travel if you are sick.

Of course, this is not true.
Biden was not talking about sick family members. He was talking about healthy family members using public transportation.
It was a nice try though.

Dutch Queen Ambushed During Parade– 4 Dead (Video)

by Gateway Pundit | 5:29 am, April 30, 2009

Four people were killed when a car slammed into a crowd of people watching the Queen’s Day Parade in The Netherlands.

Witnesses said that the black Suzuki Swift appeared to deliberately target an open bus carrying Queen Beatrix and her family:

Four people were killed and 12 wounded when a car careered into a crowd of people watching the Dutch royal family riding past in an open-top bus. The man driving the car was said to be a white male in his twenties and had to be cut out of his car before he was arrested.

The Royal Family was riding in an open-top bus and were shocked by the car attack. (RNW)

The incident took place Thursday in the town of Apeldoorn during celebrations for Queen’s Day, an annual holiday in the Netherlands.

Queen Beatrix was in the bus with her family when the black hatchback zoomed past and slammed into the spectators.

Geenstilj is posting updates on the situation.

There are more photos from the attack here and here.

UPDATE: The Times Online reported: A 38-year-old Dutchman, who was driving a black hatchback, has been arrested on suspicion of carrying out an attack on the Royal Family.

Bloomberg added: Ludo Goossens, the public prosecutor, said, “We have reason to believe that this was a deliberate act.”

UPDATE 2: Photos of the killer are here.

Klein Verzet has more on the story including this:

The culprit has a name: Karst Tates, a recently layed-off ex-employee of a private security firm. He lived alone in an apartment in Huissen. Neighbours describe him as a normal, if somewhat private, person. In the few moments of consciousness right after the crash he has stated he was making an attempt at the royal family.

Hat Tip David W.

Obama Fox High School Town Hall: Tea Party Fun Outside… Inside? Not So Much

by Gateway Pundit | 4:58 am, April 30, 2009

While President Frumpy-Frump was mocking the uncouth “Tea Bag” protesters yesterday inside the Fox High School gymnasium, there were a couple of hundred fired up protesters outside slamming his irresponsible spending.

We had a blast!
Our excitement was contagious:

Mark Polege sent these great shots from the protest yesterday…

Local radio host Dana Loesch was a Tea Party protesting machine.

Thanks Mark!

Reason Magazine offers this sage advice: Take pity on the left as it grapples with the tea party revolt.

Glenn Reynolds has more on the tea party stages of denial.
Remember- It’s a process.

Previously:
HUNDREDS OF TEA PARTY PROTESTERS Greet Obama In St. Louis (Video Added)

Stratfor on “A Chilling Effect on U.S. Counterterrorism”

by Rossputin | 2:45 am, April 30, 2009

Thanks to Stratfor for this interesting discussion of counter-terrorism, sparked in part by the (unconscionable) release of the (not) “torture memos” by the Obama Administration.”

A Chilling Effect on U.S. Counterterrorism

April 29, 2009

By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been carefully watching the fallout from the Obama administration’s decision to release four classified memos from former President George W. Bush’s administration that authorized “enhanced interrogation techniques.” In a visit to CIA headquarters last week, President Barack Obama promised not to prosecute agency personnel who carried out such interrogations, since they were following lawful orders. Critics of the techniques, such as Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., have called for the formation of a “truth commission” to investigate the matter, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., has called on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to launch a criminal inquiry into the matter.

Realistically, those most likely to face investigation and prosecution are those who wrote the memos, rather than the low-level field personnel who acted in good faith based upon the guidance the memos provided. Despite this fact and Obama’s reassurances, our contacts in the intelligence community report that the release of the memos has had a discernible “chilling effect” on those in the clandestine service who work on counterterrorism issues.

In some ways, the debate over the morality of such interrogation techniques — something we do not take a position on and will not be discussing here — has distracted many observers from examining the impact that the release of these memos is having on the ability of the U.S. government to fulfill its counterterrorism mission. And this impact has little to do with the ability to use torture to interrogate terrorist suspects.

Politics and moral arguments aside, the end effect of the memos’ release is that people who have put their lives on the line in U.S. counterterrorism efforts are now uncertain of whether they should be making that sacrifice. Many of these people are now questioning whether the administration that happens to be in power at any given time will recognize the fact that they were carrying out lawful orders under a previous administration. It is hard to retain officers and attract quality recruits in this kind of environment. It has become safer to work in programs other than counterterrorism.

The memos’ release will not have a catastrophic effect on U.S. counterterrorism efforts. Indeed, most of the information in the memos was leaked to the press years ago and has long been public knowledge. However, when the release of the memos is examined in a wider context, and combined with a few other dynamics, it appears that the U.S. counterterrorism community is quietly slipping back into an atmosphere of risk-aversion and malaise — an atmosphere not dissimilar to that described by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) as a contributing factor to the intelligence failures that led to the 9/11 attacks.

Cycles Within Cycles

In March we wrote about the cycle of counterterrorism funding and discussed indications that the United States is entering a period of reduced counterterrorism funding. This decrease in funding not only will affect defensive counterterrorism initiatives like embassy security and countersurveillance programs, but also will impact offensive programs such as the number of CIA personnel dedicated to the counterterrorism role.

Beyond funding, however, there is another historical cycle of booms and busts that can be seen in the conduct of American clandestine intelligence activities. There are clearly discernible periods when clandestine activities are deemed very important and are widely employed. These periods are inevitably followed by a time of investigations, reductions in clandestine activities and a tightening of control and oversight over such activities.

After the widespread employment of clandestine activities in the Vietnam War era, the Church Committee was convened in 1975 to review (and ultimately restrict) such operations. Former President Ronald Reagan’s appointment of Bill Casey as director of the CIA ushered in a new era of growth as the United States became heavily engaged in clandestine activities in Afghanistan and Central America. Then, the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair in 1986 led to a period of hearings and controls.

There was a slight uptick in clandestine activities under the presidency of George H.W. Bush, but the fall of the Soviet Union led to another bust cycle for the intelligence community. By the mid-1990s, the number of CIA stations and bases was dramatically reduced (and virtually eliminated in much of Africa) for budgetary considerations. Then there was the case of Jennifer Harbury, a Harvard-educated lawyer who used little-known provisions in Texas common law to marry a dead Guatemalan guerrilla commander and gain legal standing as his widow. After it was uncovered that a CIA source was involved in the guerrilla commander’s execution, CIA stations in Latin America were gutted for political reasons. The Harbury case also led to the Torricelli Amendment, a law that made recruiting unsavory people, such as those with ties to death squads and terrorist groups, illegal without special approval. This bust cycle was well documented by both the Crowe Commission, which investigated the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, and the 9/11 Commission.

After the 9/11 attacks, the pendulum swung radically to the permissive side and clandestine activity was rapidly and dramatically increased as the U.S. sought to close the intelligence gap and quickly develop intelligence on al Qaeda’s capability and plans. Developments over the past two years clearly indicate that the United States is once again entering an intelligence bust cycle, a period that will be marked by hearings, increased controls and a general decrease in clandestine activity.

Institutional Culture

It is also very important to realize that the counterterrorism community is just one small part of the larger intelligence community that is affected by this ebb and flow of covert activity. In fact, as noted above, the counterterrorism component of intelligence efforts has its own boom-and-bust cycle that is based on major attacks. Soon after a major attack, interest in counterterrorism spikes dramatically, but as time passes without a major attack, interest lags. Other than during the peak times of this cycle, counterterrorism is considered an ancillary program that is sometimes seen as an interesting side tour of duty, but more widely seen as being outside the mainstream career path — risky and not particularly career-enhancing. This assessment is reinforced by such events as the recent release of the memos.

At the CIA, being a counterterrorism specialist in the clandestine service means that you will most likely spend much of your life in places line Sanaa, Islamabad and Kabul instead of Vienna, Paris or London. This means that, in addition to hurting your chances for career advancement, your job also is quite dangerous, provides relatively poor living conditions for your family and offers the possibility of contracting serious diseases.

While being declared persona non grata and getting kicked out of a country as part of an intelligence spat is considered almost a badge of honor at the CIA, the threat of being arrested and indicted for participating in the rendition of a terrorist suspect from an allied country like Italy is not. Equally unappealing is being sued in civil court by a terrorist suspect or facing the possibility of prosecution after a change of government in the United States. Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of CIA case officers who are choosing to carry personal liability insurance because they do not trust the agency and the U.S. government to look out for their best interests.

Now, there are officers who are willing to endure hardship and who do not really care much about career advancement, but for those officers there is another hazard — frustration. Aggressive officers dedicated to the counterterrorism mission quickly learn that many of the people in the food chain above them are concerned about their careers, and these superiors often take measures to rein in their less-mainstream subordinates. Additionally, due to the restrictions brought about by laws and regulations like the Torricelli Amendment, case officers working counterterrorism are often tightly bound by myriad legal restrictions.

Unlike in television shows like “24,” it is not uncommon in the real world for a meeting called to plan a counterterrorism operation to feature more CIA lawyers than case officers or analysts. These staff lawyers are intricately involved in the operational decisions made at headquarters, and legal issues often trump operational considerations. The need to obtain legal approval often delays decisions long enough for a critical window of operational opportunity to be slammed shut. This restrictive legal environment goes back many years in the CIA and is not a new fixture brought in by the Obama administration. There was a sense of urgency that served to trump the lawyers to some extent after 9/11, but the lawyers never went away and have reasserted themselves firmly over the past several years.

Of course, the CIA is not the only agency with a culture that is less than supportive of the counterterrorism mission. Although the prevention of terrorist attacks in the United States is currently the FBI’s No. 1 priority on paper, the counterterrorism mission remains the bureau�s redheaded stepchild. The FBI is struggling to find agents willing to serve in the counterterrorism sections of field offices, resident agencies (smaller offices that report to a field office) and joint terrorism task forces.

While the CIA was very much built on the legacy of Wild Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services, the FBI was founded by J. Edgar Hoover, a conservative and risk-averse administrator who served as FBI director from 1935-1972. Even today, Hoover’s influence is clearly evident in the FBI’s bureaucratic nature. FBI special agents are unable to do much at all, such as open an investigation, without a supervisor’s approval, and supervisors are reluctant to approve anything too adventurous because of the impact it might have on their chance for promotion. Unlike many other law enforcement agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI rarely uses its own special agents in an undercover capacity to penetrate criminal organizations. That practice is seen as being too risky; they prefer to use confidential informants rather than undercover operatives.

The FBI is also strongly tied to its roots in law enforcement and criminal investigation, and special agents who work major theft, public corruption or white-collar crime cases tend to receive more recognition — and advance more quickly — than their counterterrorism counterparts.

FBI special agents also see a considerable downside to working counterterrorism cases because of the potential for such cases to blow up in their faces if they make a mistake — such as in the New York field office’s highly publicized mishandling of the informant whom they had inserted into the group that later conducted the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It is much safer, and far more rewarding from a career perspective, to work bank robberies or serve in the FBI’s Inspection Division.

After the 9/11 attacks — and the corresponding spike in the importance of counterterrorism operations — many of the resources of the CIA and FBI were focused on al Qaeda and terrorism, to the detriment of programs such as foreign counterintelligence. However, the more time that has passed since 9/11 without another major attack, the more the organizational culture of the U.S government has returned to normal. Once again, counterterrorism efforts are seen as being ancillary duties rather than the organizations’ driving mission. (The clash between organizational culture and the counterterrorism mission is by no means confined to the CIA and FBI. Fred’s book “Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent” provides a detailed examination of some of the bureaucratic and cultural challenges we faced while serving in the Counterterrorism Investigations Division of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.)

Liaison Services

One of the least well known, and perhaps most important, sources of intelligence in the counterterrorism field is the information that is obtained as a result of close relationships with allied intelligence agencies — often referred to as information obtained through “liaison channels.”

Like FBI agents, most CIA officers are well-educated, middle-aged white guys. This means they are better suited to use the cover of an American businessmen or diplomat than to pretend to be a young Muslim trying to join al Qaeda or Hezbollah. Like their counterparts in the FBI, CIA officers have far more success using informants than they do working undercover inside terrorist groups.

Services like the Jordanian General Intelligence Department, the Saudi Mabahith or the Yemeni National Security Agency not only can recruit sources, but also are far more successful in using young Muslim officers to penetrate terrorist groups. In addition to their source networks and penetration operations, many of these liaison services are not at all squeamish about using extremely enhanced interrogation techniques — this is the reason many of the terrorism suspects who were the subject of rendition operations ended up in such locations. Obviously, whenever the CIA is dealing with a liaison service, the political interests and objectives of the service must be considered — as should the possibility that the liaison service is fabricating the intelligence in question for whatever reason. Still, in the end, the CIA historically has received a significant amount of important intelligence (perhaps even most of its intelligence) via liaison channels.

Another concern that arises from the call for a truth commission is the impact a commission investigation could have on the liaison services that have helped the United States in its counterterrorism efforts since 9/11. Countries that hosted CIA detention facilities or were involved in the rendition or interrogation of terrorist suspects may find themselves exposed publicly or even held up for some sort of sanction by the U.S. Congress. Such activities could have a real impact on the amount of cooperation and information the CIA receives from these intelligence services.

Conclusion

As we’ve previously noted, it was a lack of intelligence that helped fuel the fear that led the Bush administration to authorize enhanced interrogation techniques. Ironically, the current investigation into those techniques and other practices (such as renditions) may very well lead to significant gaps in terrorism-related intelligence from both internal and liaison sources — again, not primarily because of the prohibition of torture, but because of larger implications.

When these implications are combined with the long-standing institutional aversion of U.S. government agencies toward counterterrorism, and with the difficulty of finding and retaining good people willing to serve in counterterrorism roles, the U.S. counterterrorism community may soon be facing challenges even more daunting than those posed by its already difficult mission.

Link to Original post at Rossputin.com.

Blanked Again… Dems Get No GOP Votes On Another Record Spending Bill

by Gateway Pundit | 10:55 pm, April 29, 2009

Dems Pass Record Spending Bill… Without One Single GOP Vote!

Once again, NOT ONE SINGLE REPUBLICAN in the US House of Representatives voted for the latest record spending bill, the 3.4 trillion dollars budget for 2010, that passed today:

Democrats lost 17 votes to the GOP.

Likewise, NOT ONE SINGLE REPUBLICAN voted for the this record and irresponsible spending bill in the US Senate.

Despite a recession and soaring budget deficits, Democrats overwhelmingly endorsed Obama’s request for hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending. The legislation will also allow democrats to use a powerful procedural tool known as reconciliation to advance the Obama’s plan for socialized healthcare without fear of a Republican filibuster.

Obama and the Dems have made their bed.
They own it now:

Let them lie in it.

President Thin-Skin won’t like this one bit.

Previously:
House Dems Pass Generational Theft Act Without a Single GOP Vote
House Dems Pass Historic Obama Budget Without Single GOP Vote
President Cry Baby Whines That Republicans Won’t Vote For His Record Spending Bills (Video)

Obama “Saved or Created” 150,000 Jobs This Year… Lost 2,046,000

by Gateway Pundit | 8:19 pm, April 29, 2009

“I especially want to thank Leader Reid, Speaker Pelosi, all of the members of Congress who worked so quickly and effectively to make this blueprint a reality.

This budget builds on the steps we’ve taken over the last 100 days to move this economy from recession to recovery and ultimately to prosperity.

We began by passing a Recovery Act that has already saved or created over 150,000 jobs and provided a tax cut to 95 percent of all working families.”

President Barack Obama
100 Day Press Conference
April 29, 2009

During his 100 Day Press Conference Barack Obama bragged that his administration had created or saved 150,000 jobs.

The US economy lost 598,000 jobs in January.
The US economy lost 706,000 jobs in February.
The US economy lost 742,000 jobs in March.

So, in other words Team Obama has lost 2,046,000 jobs and only created or saved 150,000 jobs.
Woo-Hoo!
It looks like Team Obama has some work to do.

UPDATE: The AP actually looked at this and other Obama lies from last night.

Barack Obama at 100 Day Presser: “Waterboarding Is Torture”

by Gateway Pundit | 6:49 pm, April 29, 2009

ABC Reporter Jake Tapper asked President Obama tonight if the previous administration used torture:

President Obama answered: We could have gotten this information in other ways.
…How exactly?… And, how does he know this?

Obama did not answer the question directly about the Bush Administration.
He used Great Britain in World War II as an example of a country that did not torture.

Maybe he forgot about these German prisoners at Bad Nenndorf, near Hanover:

For almost 60 years, the evidence of Britain’s clandestine torture programme in postwar Germany has lain hidden in the government’s files. Harrowing photographs of young men who had survived being systematically starved, as well as beaten, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme cold, were considered too shocking to be seen.

Obama then declared that, “Waterboarding is torture.”
The Bush Administration used the technique on 3 top level Al-Qaeda terrorists.
However, Obama did not say whether he will demand that our military stop using this “torture” technique during SERE training.

More… Bill O’Reilly corrected the president on British interrogation: “The British use very intense interrogation techniques on terrorists.”

President Obama’s 100 Daze Press Conference

by Gateway Pundit | 6:05 pm, April 29, 2009

President Thin-Skin is holding his 100 Day Press Conference tonight.
It’s a stunner.
The president likely boasts the worst economic record for any new president in history.

The president said something about bringing down the budget deficit?

How exactly is quadrupling the deficit bringing down the deficit?

Barack Obama claimed that he created or saved 150,000 jobs from his legislation.
Over a million jobs have been lost since he took office so it looks like he has some work to do.

Gross domestic product decreased at an annual rate of 6.1% in the first three months of 2009- a historic low for a new president. Wednesday’s headline data were worse than expected, as analysts had predicted a 4.7% contraction.

Jake Tapper: Do you think the previous administration sanctioned torture?
President Obama: We could have gotten this information in other ways.
(How exactly?)
He won’t answer the question and uses Great Britain in WW II as an example of a country that did not torture.
Maybe he forgot about these German prisoners at Bad Nenndorf, near Hanover:

For almost 60 years, the evidence of Britain’s clandestine torture programme in postwar Germany has lain hidden in the government’s files. Harrowing photographs of young men who had survived being systematically starved, as well as beaten, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme cold, were considered too shocking to be seen.

Obama said he believes waterboarding is torture.
Will he demand that our military stop using this technique then?

Democrats change the rules and leave the constitution behind them

by Mr. Bob | 3:53 pm, April 29, 2009

#redco #tcot #hhrs
update; HB1229 is dead, Democrats fail in attempt to subvert founding fathers read about it at Mount Virtus. …whew!

DENVER — Colorado Senate Republicans have tried but failed to kill a bill to change the way the state’s electoral college votes are cast. House Bill 1299 was at the top of the list of measures up for their first full vote in the Senate this morning. Republican Sen. Mike Kopp of Littleton moved to lay over the bill until May 25 — long after the lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn — but that motion failed on a voice vote.

Under the bill, Colorado’s nine electoral votes would go to the candidate who receives the most votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Full story

In other words, Colorado Democrats apparently want Colorado to have NO INDEPENDENT SAY in the presidential election. You know this could really backfire on them, but I prefer the constitution thank you very much. If all states did this then New York and California would decide for the rest of the country…that perhaps is what they really want.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

It is not too late, call your representatives.

HUNDREDS OF TEA PARTY PROTESTERS Greet Obama In St. Louis (Video Added)

by Gateway Pundit | 3:17 pm, April 29, 2009

HUNDREDS OF TEA PARTY PROTESTERS GREET OBAMA IN ST. LOUIS!

The St. Louis Tea Party Coalition protested Barack Obama in Arnold, Missouri today.

Local 97.1 FM radio host Dana Loesch fired up the crowd outside Fox High School in St. Louis.

Here’s some video from today’s Tea Party Protest in Arnold, Missouri:

Dana Loesch from 97.1 Talk FM and Jim Hoft from Gateway Pundit Blog led the cheering crowd during Obama’s visit to St. Louis to celebrate his first 100 days of destruction.

We had 10,000 protesters at the Tax Day Tea Party Protest in St. Louis.
A few hundred of those protesters made it down to Arnold today.

There were about 15 Obama union supporters outside the school and a van with a Teamster’s sticker selling Obama T-shirts and pins.

I took a crack at the megaphone for a while this afternoon.

Obama supporters were selling desecrated US flags outside the high school.

More… One more image:

Adam took this at the protest today.

By the way… Dana and her children were flipped off by Obama supporters who were leaving the event today.

Dana Loesch has more photos on her website.
Bob McCarty was also at the protest and has video of Obama’s First 100 Daze.
Reboot Congress has more photos and video.

After First 100 Days… Republicans Top Democrats in Congressional Ballot

by Gateway Pundit | 3:13 pm, April 29, 2009

After the First 100 Daze of Destruction…
Republicans now top Democrats in the Congressional Ballot for only the second time in 5 years.
Rasmussen reported:

For just the second time in more than five years of daily or weekly tracking, Republicans now lead Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 41% would vote for their district’s Republican candidate while 38% would choose the Democrat. Thirty-one percent (31%) of conservative Democrats said they would vote for their district’s Republican candidate.

Overall, the GOP gained two points this week, while the Democrats lost a point in support.

Another Photo Op For AirForce One Causes Panic

by Mr. Bob | 2:10 pm, April 29, 2009

#tcot #gop #hhrs #obama

Beautifully Retouched Government Transparency

by Eileen | 2:04 pm, April 29, 2009

Showing just how much he means to make this a transparent government, our very own President B. has authorized a Flickr stream of the day-to-day at the White House.
See the back of Shelly’s dress!
See the cheese and crackers destined to be a Commander in Chief snack!
See the not-at-all posed photos of Barack staring importantly into [...]

President Thin-Skin Pokes At Tea Bag Protesters

by Gateway Pundit | 12:10 pm, April 29, 2009

Obama took a jab at the Tea Bag protesters today in St. Louis.

President Thin-Skin tries to defend quadrupling the US deficit in his first year while attacking the “tea bag” protesters… He fails:

Obama also got a few lies in- “Giving taxcuts to the wealthy. We tried that formula for 8 years. It did not work.”
Actually, everyone got a taxcut with Bush and it did work. The deficit dropped 4 of the 8 years even with 9-11, Katrina, the Clinton Recession, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It wasn’t until the democratic-created mortgage crisis that the economy tanked.
But, keep on talking, Mr. President. It’s not like the media is going to correct you.

Politico reported:

Asked about fiscal discipline and entitlements reform, Obama seemed to be repressing a smile as he jabbed critics of his spending plans.

“Those of you who are watching certain news channels on which I’m not very popular, and you see folks waving tea bags around, Obama said, “let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we are going to stabilize Social Security.”

“But,” Obama continued, “let’s not play games and pretend that the reason [for the deficit] is because of the Recovery Act.”

Well… Evidently all of those tea bags he’s getting in the mail are getting on his nerves.

By the way… There were hundreds of those tea party protesters outside Fox High School today protesting his irresponsible spending.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

by jccaldara | 11:38 am, April 29, 2009

What the heck’s been going on here at the Independence Institute you ask? Well, I’m here to tell you.
***Linda Gorman has been putting the hammer down, writing articles debunking and debating all sorts of nutty lefty ideas. Here’s one on Medicaid myths in the Denver Post, along with one on the nannyist cell-phone [...]

Wednesday Wrap-Up

by jccaldara | 11:38 am, April 29, 2009

Follow up on Baca’s arrest and my letter to the editor

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 11:35 am, April 29, 2009

The Denver Post printed my letter concerning the arrest of Ricardo Baca. You can find it here.

(The letter was originally posted right here on BlueCarp.)

Some of the comments below the letters are interesting. I love the opportunity to discuss libertarian ideas with everyone.

One person asked me several questions. Here they are, with my responses:

“Why do we have laws, if they are not enforced?”

We, as a society, have to make choices. Ideally, we would enforce every law on the books to the letter and every law would be just. We don’t live in an ideal world. The Denver Police had to make a choice about how to handle a warrant. In my opinion, they chose poorly and wasted our tax money on a relatively unimportant issue. I sincerely hope they have better things to do with their limited resources and money.

“Does Mr. Baca deserve special treatment when he breaks our laws? If so, why?”

He deserves no special treatment. In my opinion, the Denver Police could have and should have handled this situation differently, no matter who the person sought was.

“Does Mr. Baca need to turn his life around, and become more of an adult (i.e. accept responsibility)?”

Absolutely. Mr. Baca, whatever he choses to do with his life, is not using my tax dollars. The Denver Police are. To me, that is a HUGE and important distinction.

“Why did the Denver Post waste time and money printing his column?”

I can not answer that. But the Post is a private company spending private money and using private resources. How they utilize their resources is none of my concern. I can voluntarily read their paper or not.

The Denver Police, however, give me no such option. I have no choice but to pay for their services, and I very much appreciate the hard work and great service they generally provide. However, when they waste public money and public resources, it is our duty to call them out on it. That’s what I have attempted to do.

Michael Riley’s “100 Days” Obama Paean Could Use a Little Perspective

by Ben | 8:19 am, April 29, 2009

As Barack Obama nears 100 days in office, major newspapers take notice. Yet what a difference a turn of the phrase makes.
First, Michael Riley leads off his “Potent voice of change” on the front page of today’s Denver Post:
One hundred days into his administration — forced by events and prodded by his own driving leadership [...]

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