Larry Johnson: The Bin Laden Video Nonsense

[cal04]

Sorry. If you're looking for some breathless analysis about another lame videotape, which allegedly contains the latest ramblings of the man behind the 9-11 attacks, this ain't it. It is meaningless bullshit. Why? Because the United States, and the Bush Administration in particular, is not serious about finding and eliminating Bin Laden.

Frankly it would not surprise me to learn that the person appearing as Bin Laden is someone else. What's with the beard dye? Is Bin Laden buying Grecian formula for facial hair? This video just does not make sense in either a strategic or tactical realm. It is simply a fuck you to the West.

Now let's go back to why I insist the Bush Administration is not serious about finding Bin Laden.

For starters there is no one in charge of the effort. I have continued to work with U.S. military units that have the terrorism mission. I know for a fact--I've seen the reports and briefings--that there is not a fully coordinated, integrated, comprehensive effort to find Bin Laden. The U.S. military is doing its thing, separate from the CIA, separate from FBI, and separate from DEA. No single entity or person is in charge of the effort. And some agencies that ought to be involved--DEA in particular--are not even at the table.

Then there is the problem of failing to work and play well with others. The CIA is particularly at fault. Six years after 9-11 the CIA is still pursuing its own tangents and persists in refusing to fully share intelligence with U.S. special operations forces. And there is no one at the White House tasked with the job of forcing cooperation and focus. One would think that Fran Townsend or her deputy, Juan Zarate, would be on top of this but they are not. They are asleep at the switch. Consequently the various agencies pursue their missions without any overarching direction while staying largely in their own lanes.

What is needed is a full up interagency task force that is empowered to call on and enlist any military, intelligence, or law enforcement asset believed necessary to accomplish the mission. But that is not being done and no one is asking George Bush, "why not?"

So four days shy of Bin Laden's masterful, visionary attack on the United States he apparently is still running around free and healthy. He has the time and comfort to dye his beard. And he's listening to the news and reading books.

Let's face it--Bin Laden is taking on an Elvis type persona. Maybe our best bet is for him to acquire a 40 lb. colon and pitch over dead. Someone order a gross of Krispy Kreme donuts and we will ship them to Pakistan.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/7/18525/01618

[eleny]

1. K&R for a priceless editorial

:kick:

[Canuckistanian]

2. Link to No Quarter blog post

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/09/07/the-bin-laden-video-nonsense/

I find myself reading his blog much more often these days. You want to know about the real security and intelligence issues?

Read Larry.

[Poiuyt]

3. Isn't Negroponte supposed to be in charge of all US intelligence?

[superkia]

4. Who would benefit from pointing out our governments negative points?

If this were done by the government in some way, you wouldn't think that they would put so many things in it that the American citizens are already pissed about? The media is covering the subject of course to pump the governments propaganda but they are all saying its ramblings and none of them are really going into the main points in it. I just cant see someone going into things like who he spoke to about the subject before and Bush and company hiding the real issue or talking about corporate America and the government cashing on the deaths while we pay for it? I cant figure out who else would be behind it, I think it is from the OBL camp myself. Call me crazy all you want. I have only seen posts mimicking the medias take on the video and I'm not big on believing those people.

OBL is old news and not needed anymore for the government, now the government is on an all out assault on " terror" supported by him and his boys whether it is or not! They really aren't out to attack terror, they are out to make money!

The video may be used or mentioned for a bit because of the date and timing but the actual subjects in the video will be swept under the rug.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Because they still think it works

irony and satire are your friends

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Or to put it in simpler terms

why the hell is he still sending love letters to the American Press instead of being six feet under?

Yes, it boils down to that!

[superkia]

7. Hell we never went after him.

Catch him quick and Americans would have had a person caught for 9/11 and wouldnt have continued to pump their fists and allow the atrosities to continue. Bush and his people were smart, leave it alone long enough to scare us with his propaganda and then switch from OBL to the war on terror which can have no end. Its what the military complex and the government have wished for all along, a war that never ends. Which equals money for them and their friends thats endless. Their children will never be dying in the occupations, there is no consequence for them.


We are already giving up our rights, they have no reason what so ever to put this video out and including with its material. As bad as things are for Bush and support for his war, if he had anything to do with it, it would have been something to inferiate us to get support again.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. We both know that

and there is this little story that sly herch wrote some years back about how our troops were ordered to stand down at Tora bora, while the ISS flew Al Qaida out

Which is even worst...

At times I wish one of our snipers decided to accidentally pull the damn trigger

;-)