Friday, January 14, 2005

FUBAR

I am slightly swamped at work today, and I don't have time to comment more substantively about a very serious report put out by the CIA's National Intelligence Council. The thrust of the study discusses the dynamic by which Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground, recruitment center, and networking hub of the next generation of jihadist terrorists. As al-Qaeda fades away, Iraq is spawning the raw materials, recruits, expertise, radicalized ideology and connections necessary to reinvigorate the movement and create myriad diffuse terrorist organizations that could wreak havoc in all corners of the globe over the next decade and beyond.

I'm waiting for someone on the Right to charge that this is George Tenet's "Leftist CIA" (isn't that an oxymoron by the way?) trying to sabotage Bush's reelection bid (Norm P.). Of course the election is over, and Tenet's CIA is now under the auspices of Porter Goss. Maybe now we can agree to look at the information and not the messenger? Time is of the essence after all.

The findings of this report confirm the main reason why I opposed the invasion of Iraq, and it is the one thing I hoped I was categorically wrong about (and continue to hope - though it is beginning to look grim). This is a nightmare scenario, but perhaps Praktike said it best with the title of his post on
Liberals Against Terrorism. FCC decency laws forbid me from repeating it verbatim (Mr. Powell monitors TIA like a hawk), but I think it's safe to say Praktike isn't happy. Please check out his must read compilation of sources and analysis which provides a comprehensive view of the problem. He has relieved me of my duties today through his hard work.

Also,
Tim Dunlop is on the case as always (he provided the link to the actual report). He kindly wades through the report to extract some important passages worthy of closer inspection.

The
Glittering Eye chimes in with some commentary and a reiteration of a pledge that I think would be helpful to some on the Left since, like it or not, we are all a party to this mess and must try to be a part of the solution. The stakes are simply monumentally high.

From the Right, Marc Schulman at
American Future dissects some other equally important aspects of the CIA report that have been overshadowed somewhat by the revelations on terrorism.




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