When Presidents Anger The CIA

Obama dumped on the CIA early after the attempt to bomb an airliner headed into Detroit. He also recently brought them unwanted and unnecessary attention when addressing the recent suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

When Presidents make the CIA angry, the CIA has a way of letting them know it.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was briefed in October on an assassination attempt by Al Qaeda that investigators now believe used the same underwear bombing technique as the Nigerian suspect who tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, U.S. intelligence and administration officials tell NEWSWEEK.

The briefing to Brennan was delivered at the White House by Muhammad bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia’s chief counterterrorism official. In late August, Nayef had survived an assassination attempt by an operative dispatched by the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda who was pretending to turn himself in. The operative had tried to kill the Saudi prince by detonating a bomb on his body, but stumbled on his way into the prince's palace and blew himself up.

Comments

[DaveinPhoenix]

Didn't these idiots in the WH and Congress (Pelosi) also piss off the CIA last year during the waterboarding (non-issue) ?

[Mike Myers]

Well I'm glad to learn that the Saudi bomber didn't have the bomb in his anus; otherwise Janet Incompetano would probably start having TSA agents do body cavity searches at US airports--selecting grannies and teen age girls first etc. Now all you will have to do is strip down and hand your skivvies over.

But I look at his Newsweek story--leaked from the CIA to undercut Obama, just as the CIA leaked to undercut Bush. Bad juju in each case. But what's fascinating is the line at the end saying that Obama was very much focused on the Yemen threat; earlier today other White House leakers said that the pre Christmas briefing did not mention Yemen at all--so naturally the Anointed One could not have known about a Yemen threat. These guys are lying out of all three sides of their mouth, plus their backsides to boot!

[Dymphna]

Dan--

I read the Newsweek story you linked to but I'm not getting the conclusion from it that you put in this premise:

"When Presidents make the CIA angry, the CIA has a way of letting them know it."

Yeah, I know. Dumb. But could you spell it out for us? I get it that the CIA and FBI aren't best friends, but isn't the original problem Gorelick's "wall" re info sharing?

This is really a house of mirrors for us out in Bubbaland.

[gus]

I think Napolitano is correct. We need to start giving rectal exams to all RETURNING VETS.
This Christmas Day bomber was an ISOLATED EXTREMIST. Move along, nothing to see here.
Oh did I tell you about the CRIPPPPPPPPPPLING poverty in Yemen. Discuss.

[gus]

Here is how it works. The LIBTARD PRETEND COMMANDER in CHIEF, gives HIS persons in charge marching orders.
Those in the field who risk their lives are required to follow those protocols. The LIFER LIBTARDS in cubicles love TOUCHY FEELY LIB NONSENSE. The guys in the field didn't get there VIA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. They will leak that facts. Count on it.

[Patricia Graham]

Did Obama really believe the CIA would lie down for him?

Narcissism can really blind you to reality.

[Dan Riehl]

"But could you spell it out for us?"

Obama and crew made the intel agency look bad with a statement on the Afghanistan attack. Spies don't want pity from pols, they;d rather they didn;t mention them before that. And the WH also allowed the CIA to be the fall guy by feeding into the CIA knew meme.

So, the intl community helps get it out there that a WH guy knew about the underwear bombing technique before we saw it over Detroit. Playing the blame game with the intel community is almost always a losing proposition because they know most everything, including where the bodies are buried. They gave Bush fits because they didn't like some of his appointments. Obama is working himself into a similar corner.

[Dallas]

I ended up here from a google search and cannot believe the echo chamber effect. You guys all tell each other how incompetent and ineffective the Obama administration is. From the outside you all come across as uninformed and bitter, without really understanding the politics at all. Face it, the conservatives had their chance for eight years and failed miserably. Take your medicine and pay attention, instead of whining.

[southdakotaboy]

Dallas your a koolaid drinking fool. Obama is incompetent as usual the left was expecting the people on the right to help him and the left no matter how stupid their plans were. To be truthfull this is what has always happened before. I mean people on the right would just keep their mouthes shut and plod along trying to make thing work out for the best.

Well after 8 years of the left stabing us in the back every chance you guys got we finally wised up. We are done helping you people on the left. Many of us don't even really consider you fellow Americans any more. So every time you guys stumble we are going to be there to kick you while your down. Paybacks are a b@tch aren't they.

[MGA]

Looks like after the underwear bomber (undie-bomber?) we may have to give up using the word "briefed" to describe being given details...

[Porkov]

I presume that people who work for the CIA and FBI and NSA take the same sort of oath that members of the military take - to uphold the Constitution and to obey the lawful orders of their superiors. This was all pretty cut and dried for me when I was in the military and Kennedy and Johnson were President.

What do you get when the President is a Constitutional Law academic who takes the sophisticated deconstructionist view that the Constitution really doesn't mean anything, so it can mean whatever he chooses? Are his minions bound to abide by what is convenient for the boss, or are they to take his example and rely on their own perceptions and conclusions?

Because ultimately the oath makes you responsible to the Constitution, not to the President.

[OregonBoy]

You nailed it 'Dakota. Hey Dallas, Let us update your chant for you:

"The whole world (wide, web) is watching!"

[Koblog]

Sadly, I think Obama is correct:

based on what is happening, the CIA, FBI, Army PC leadership, TSA, HLS, IRS, USPS, HUA, NEA and every other government bureaucracy are systemic failures.

The insanity is that Obama's and Congress's answer to these systemic failures is more systems.

Healthcare and the Cap and Tax bureaucracies will be even more corrupt, more political, more expensive and even bigger failures.

Obama should consolidate all government bureaucracies into one single organization that's based on the one thing they can do well... and call it the CYA.

[Fe]

I am not convinced the bomb was not in his anal cavity and detonated via cell phone as previously reported, or that there will not be attempts made this way. When I see just how often and varied (and longstanding) the prison population uses this method to conceal contraband, it is something I am surprised was never on any DHS radar to begin with. There is even the Utube video of jihadists demonstrating its use. Profiling is the only answer, along with stopping muslim immigration and visas.

[Jeremy]

Mike,

IIRC, the bomber *did* have the bomb in his anus.

http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/saudi-suicide-bomber-hid-ied-his-anal-cavity

[drjohn]

If there was no British press none of this would be in the press.

[drjohn]

"without really understanding the politics at all."

Ah, Dallas, you hit the nail on the head.

This is all politics to Obama. None of it is national security. He views everything through the prism of his own political survival and that of his agenda. Actual national security is secondary.

All that bowing and scraping for the last year really paid off, didn't it?

[Tom Smith]

"Playing the blame game with the intel community is almost always a losing proposition because they know most everything, including where the bodies are buried."

Gee whiz. They know everything and they couldn't stop it.

As much as I would like to support the CIA, the CIA didn't do anything even though they possibly can or is it something else?

[Barb]

remember too that at Obama's behest Eric Holder is actively seeking to prosecute CIA operatives and agents that the administration believes "tortured" individuals in custody, so there's no lovefest there, despite putting grossly unqualified democrat hack Leon Panetta in charge in the mistaken hope that he'd somehow be able to bring the agency into "line". Hard to understand how the U.S. Constitution applies to terrorists captured overseas, but hey, CIA operatives trying to keep us safe are clearly a greater danger to the U.S. than Black Panther thugs weilding clubs at voting precints on election day. For right or for wrong, pissing off the CIA has NEVER been a good idea. Trying to throw operatives who risk their lives under a prosecutorial bus to satisfy some lefty political IOU's is pathetic. To think Obama will escape this undamaged is absurd.

[mark l.]

"based on what is happening, the CIA, FBI, Army PC leadership, TSA, HLS, IRS, USPS, HUA, NEA and every other government bureaucracy are systemic failures."

when they started dhs, it was budgeted 40 billion a year(current budget is 52 billion). it was a joke to believe that the only way to cut thru beuracratic red tape, was to create a cabinet level sorter of red tape.

the dream was that one entity would be held responsible, and if it were still a conservative govt, that might have held true.

the ease of obscuring this failure resides in naming the agencies in the crowd, who could have done something.

total investment since homeland security was put into place?

start nov 2002...7 years at 40 billion...380 billion.

is there anyone who thinks they got 380 billion dollars worth out of them?

[Reaganite Republican]

Obama, Pelosi, and Holder seem to have forgot something: the CIA KILLS people… it’s in their job description.

Do they really think these killers will repeatedly take-one-for-the-team… when the team captain is a lying, incompetent, arrogant nebbish who has basically told them they need to kiss his ring? -please

Dear Leader's going to have to find out that although he's the most powerful man in the world for the time being... there are other power bases in this country, and they've been dealing with politicians forever-

[mark l.]

one other small point about dhs...
52 billion/225k employees=231k per employee.