CIA Wants Obama to ‘Have Its Back’ When Things Go Wrong

[babylonsister]

Hmmm. Blank check?


CIA Wants Obama to ‘Have Its Back’ When Things Go Wrong
By Jeff Stein, CQ Staff


Let’s say that on Jan. 21 a massive car bomb meant for Osama bin Laden goes off in a Pakistani village, killing 120 local citizens but missing the elusive al Qaeda leader, who was riding in another vehicle.

In an elaborate press conference, the president of Pakistan blames the CIA. On an easel next to him is a three-by-five foot photo of the CIA’s station chief in Islamabad, who is sent packing.

President Obama, in office for mere hours, finds out that the CIA did, in fact, plant the bomb, based on what it thought was solid intelligence that bin Laden was in the car.

How will the new president react?

That’s much on the mind of intelligence officials awaiting the Jan. 20, 2009, inauguration of Obama, a short-time U.S. senator with no discernable record and little demonstrated interest, so far, in intelligence issues.

“I was with a group of intelligence officers today,” Roger Cressey, a counterterrorism official in the Clinton White House, said on MSNBC Thursday night, “and I think the most important thing for the president to say is, ‘We’ve got your back.’ That ‘we want you to take risks — risks that conform with our law and our values as a country.’

“What the intelligence community is afraid of more than anything is the game of ‘Gotcha,’” Cressey said. “Which is, if they make a mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, the White House doesn’t support them, they’re left out to dry, and Congress crushes them. And then you get into that risk-averse mentality, which we saw for awhile. So that is what they want. They want support, so they know that the president is going to be behind them. But also that he’s going to lead them.”

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=hsnews-000002984384

[Stinky The Clown]

1. I get a clear sense that he's "have their backs"

[babylonsister]

4. Probably, as long as they don't act on their own and

blow people up 'by mistake'. No one deserves a blank check; Obama needs to pick his head shed guys carefully.

[Kazak]

2. How bout not detinating a bomb mere hours after inauguration?

Or maybe, cluing him in a bit first? I don't think he'd be happy if he found out about it after the fact.

[zbdent]

3. If it's to start off Obama's presidency (on orders of Bush) with a true

monumental fuck-up, why should he cover THEIR asses? Aside from them killing him off if he doesn't ...

[peacetalksforall]

5. Remember Waco. Remember Bay of Pigs. With each. a pre-conceived

plan under the leadership of the previous Presient was already in the works. The FBI and CIA did not get blamed when they went wrong - they and the right wing press got set up to blame the new Presidents and, in the case of Waco, they went after the Atty General.

To start, Obama can tell the powers to be in these agencies that he wants bin Laden alive (if he is still alive) or an idenfiable body if something goes wrong. He can make them tell him if bin Laden is already dead. He can stipulate no car bombs or cluster bombs. He can then say whether or not he will be at the backs of the CIA.

He can also, sooner or later, allow a criminal trial to get started as part of ending the war to bring our soldier kids home and establish normal relations.

The biggest threat to the world is and has been the corporations and barons who want the earth resources. The Party that has done the most for them has been the Republicans.

Do they wait eight more years?

The question about at the backs is worthy, the setting is Hollywood or a set-up question.

It makes a person remember that a real threat to our country is a segment of our own CIA and other dozen intelligence services.

WILL THEY BE AT OBAMA'S BACK OR NOT?

[kenny blankenship]

6. HEY Sometimes we kill the wrong village-what we want to know from you, the new Commander in Chief is

are you gonna be a total dick about it or what?

[tibbiit]

7. bush spent 7 years blaming them for

Osama Bin Laden. How did they vote in 2004?
Did they think Bush had their back?

tib

[MidwestTransplant]

8. If they supposedly know which car he is in they could follow it until its clear of dense civilian

population. I think Obama should definitely have the CIAs back but it doesn't mean they should be able to act irresponsibly. If that was the only way, then I guess it was the only way but they should try to limit loss of innocent life and I am sure they would. Pakistan would meltdown if we killed 120 of their civilians and that would be much worse than missing Osama.