The President's Visit to Afghanistan

No word on what the President was able to eat during his visit. The U.S. war on American corporate food franchises rages on in Afghanistan. Oh and al Qaeda and the Taliban are still out there too.

Obama and the DNI II

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC. Blair held meetings with Pakistani-Americans as the United States expands its drone attacks on militants in the South Asian nation, his office said Wednesday. (AFP/Getty Images/Mark Wilson)

We previously blogged about a DNI press release where he referred to suicide bombings as "new tactics." Today's testimony topped that gaf when he recommended to senators that the AQAP Christmas airline bomber should have been interrogated by a unit that has yet to form as opposed to the FBI.


Intel Chief Dennis Blair’s Embarrassing Walk-Back
“My remarks today before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs have been misconstrued,” Blair said in a statement just emailed to reporters. “The FBI interrogated Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab when they took him into custody. They received important intelligence at that time, drawing on the FBI’s expertise in interrogation that will be available in the HIG once it is fully operational.”


 Intel Chief's Comments Infuriate Obama Officials
Obama administration officials were flabbergasted Wednesday when Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis Blair testified that an alleged Qaeda operative who tried to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day should have been questioned by a special interrogation unit that doesn't exist, rather than the FBI.


Intelligence Chief Slams Handling of Christmas-Bomb Case
The nation's intelligence chief said the man accused of trying to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day should have been questioned by a special interrogation team instead of being handled as an ordinary criminal suspect.


U.S. team should have questioned Nigerian: spy chief
The top U.S. intelligence officer said on Wednesday that a group set up to interrogate terrorism suspects should have been used when a Nigerian man was arrested in Detroit on suspicion of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner.


More cluelessness in the Obama administration?
Not only did Blair, Napolitano and Leiter go AWOL on civilian prosecution, they turn out apparently to be under-informed about the status of the HIG. It's not yet operational and couldn't have been called in, even if that had been a good idea. Blair issued a retraction.


Intel chief concedes errors in Christmas bomb case
The nation's intelligence chief on Wednesday conceded missteps in the government's handling of the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt, but his comments about the failure to use a special federal interrogation team may have amounted to a misstep of his own.


Right now, it is a very close race between Napolitano and Blair as to which one will resign first.

Obama and the DNI

Barack Obama lashed out at systemic intelligence failures over an attempted attack on a US jet amid reports that Washington was planning reprisal strikes against targets in Yemen. (AFP/Jewel Samad)


I was going through the President's speech on the Christmas attack attempt. Needless to say, it was a bit confusing.

First, I'm directing that our intelligence community immediately begin assigning specific responsibility for investigating all leads on high-priority threats so that these leads are pursued and acted upon aggressively — not just most of the time, but all of the time. We must follow the leads that we get. And we must pursue them until plots are disrupted. And that mean assigning clear lines of responsibility.

Second, I'm directing that intelligence reports, especially those involving potential threats to the United States, be distributed more rapidly and more widely. We can't sit on information that could protect the American people.

Third, I'm directing that we strengthen the analytical process, how our analysis — how our analysts process and integrate the intelligence that they receive. My Director of National Intelligence, Denny Blair, will take the lead in improving our day-to-day efforts. My Intelligence Advisory Board will examine the longer-term challenge of sifting through vast universes of intelligence and data in our Information Age.

First, other people will be blamed for failures even though the president stated in the same speech,

Moreover, I am less interested in passing out blame than I am in learning from and correcting these mistakes to make us safer. For ultimately, the buck stops with me.

Second, the CIA can only pass information and does not make policy recommendations. This is one of the reasons I have previously stated there is no such thing as an intelligence failure. From the CIA website,

It is important to know that CIA analysts only report the information and do not make policy recommendations — making policy is left to agencies such as the State Department and Department of Defense. These policymakers use the information that CIA provides to help them formulate US policy toward other countries. It is also important to know that CIA is not a law enforcement organization. That is the job of the FBI; however, the CIA and the FBI cooperate on a number of issues, such as counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

Third comes from the DNI Dennis Blair's official response:

The Intelligence Community has made considerable progress in developing collection and analysis capabilities and improving collaboration, but we need to strengthen our ability to stop new tactics such as the efforts of individual suicide terrorists. The threat has evolved, and we need to anticipate new kinds of attacks and improve our ability to stay ahead of them and protect America.

New tactics? If Dennis Blair believes suicide attacks are a new tactic, the first step in improving U.S. intelligence should be to appoint a new DNI.

October 29th Morning Readbook

President Barack Obama (C) participates in the dignified transfer of U.S. Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, October 29, 2009. Griffin is one of 18 U.S. personnel who died Monday in Afghanistan and returned to the U.S. on board an Air Force C-17 military transport plane. REUTERS/Jim Young

Obama seeks study on local leaders for troop decision
President Obama has asked senior officials for a province-by-province analysis of Afghanistan to determine which regions are being managed effectively by local leaders and which require international help, information that his advisers say will guide his decision on how many additional U.S. troops to send to the battle.


Pakistan bomb toll hits 105 during Clinton visit
Northwest Pakistan plunged into mourning on Thursday after one of the bloodiest attacks in the nation killed 105 people, eclipsing a peace mission by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


For Every Iraqi Party, an Army of Its Own
SUNDAY’S coordinated suicide bombings in Baghdad, which killed more than 150 people, were a brutal reminder of how far Iraq still has to go in terms of security. While things are far better than a few years ago, one huge task remains: getting the public to trust the Iraqi security forces.


Analysis: Iraq not ready to face al Qaeda
The bombs that ripped through Baghdad on Sunday immediately brought more bloodshed -- and bode only of the promise of more to come.


Pervasive Corruption Rattles Iraq’s Fragile State
As Iraqi officials work to assign blame for the deadly attacks on the heart of the government on Sunday, concern is rising that a greater security threat may come from within the system in the form of corruption, from the top leadership of ministries down to soldiers who man checkpoints.


The latest news from Al Jazeera.

Nouri & Barack

Brookings Institute has a great blog posting on yesterday's bombings in Baghdad.

Of note:

None of this is good news for President Obama. He cannot pull American troops out of Iraq only to have the place collapse back into civil war and he has stated that he will not do so. For that reason, he can't refuse a request from PM Maliki to return the U.S. troops to Baghdad. But doing so will make it very difficult to stick to the 19-month troop drawdown he unveiled in February, and which may be necessary if he chooses to greatly increase American forces in Afghanistan. The president needs the Iraqis to be able to provide for their own security, thus allowing the drawdown. To use a diplomatic term of understatement, returning American troops to Iraqi cities, or even just Baghdad, would be "unhelpful" to that goal.

What is interesting about this scenario is that breaking the withdrawal timeline will not only impact the transfer of equipment and troops to Afghanistan, Muqtada al Sadr will likely re-mobilize his militia. Just last Friday, Muqtada al Sadr demanded a "speedy withdrawal" of U.S. forces from Iraq. It looks like the worst case scenario is beginning to take form.

Obama's War

October 12th Morning Readbook

29 dead in Pakistan Swat Valley blast


Overcoming our failed strategy in Afghanistan


Pakistan to talk to U.S. over aid bill


31 killed as Pakistan jets bomb Taliban: official


Clinton says Afghanistan's Karzai needs to change


Afghanistan: UN-backed fraud panel member resigns


Weapons failed US troops during Afghan firefight


Advancing Marines test new Afghan war doctrine


Bombings Outside Iraq Reconciliation Meeting Kill 23


Opposition Grows to Iraqi Election Plan
Lawmakers to Decide on 'Closed List' Ballot for January Poll Showing Candidates' Affiliations, Rather Than Individual Names


French al-Qaeda suspect 'alluded to attacks', magistrate claims
A physicist arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Islamist fighters while working for the world’s largest nuclear research institute reportedly made references to terrorist attacks in emails intercepted by US intelligence services.


Taliban cannot be split from al-Qaeda, Obama warned


Local, foreign terrorists prepare to face army in Waziristan