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Ear to the Ground

CIA Director Is a Downer When He Makes Sense

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Posted on Jun 27, 2010
U.S. Army / Sgt. Joseph Rivera Rebolledo

CIA Director Leon Panetta estimates that there are currently fewer than 100 al-Qaida fighters—that’s one for every thousand or so U.S. soldiers—left in Afghanistan. Outgoing intelligence director James Jones has used the same figure.

But in a logical shell game reminiscent of the Bush administration’s selling of the war in Iraq—you know, to get rid of al-Qaida, I mean weapons of mass destruction, I mean Saddam Hussein, I mean to have democratic elections, I mean to stabilize the country so the Iraqi army and police can take over, but we’ll keep bases and troops there more or less indefinitely—Panetta says the Taliban are giving our troops a hell of a time.

So, just to recap, we went into Afghanistan to get rid of those al-Qaida bastards who took down our World Trade Center. Now there are fewer than a hundred left, but we’re still there because their hosts continue to dislike us. And doing something about that is worth the life of every teenage kid we can suit up and drop off over there.

Any more good news? Panetta says it’s been years since we had any idea where Bin Laden is. Oh, and we continue to make deals with the mercenary dingbats formerly known as Blackwater because, despite a track record of killings and flying into mountains, they underbid everyone else, Panetta says.

A great president once said, “You fool me, ye can’t get fooled again.” Words to live by.  —PZS

NPR:

On a separate issue, Panetta said that the CIA had no choice but to hire the company once known as Blackwater for $100 million to provide security in Afghanistan.

Panetta said the company, now known as Xe Services, underbid others by $26 million and that a CIA review concluded that the contractor had cleaned up its act.

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By ofersince72, June 28, 2010 at 5:35 pm Link to this comment

Felicity said

“We remind me of that proverbial
Chicken_Running_Around_With_Its_Head_Cut_Off,
but hey, anything to keep the
Military/Industrial Complex Happy…...................

we have finally graduated to TOTAL war economy…..

Report this
anaman51's avatar

By anaman51, June 28, 2010 at 11:24 am Link to this comment

Wow. Sure is a good thing that we’ve got the C.I.A. around to tell us the truth. They’ve been so openly forthcoming in the past, you know.

Report this
Misfiteye's avatar

By Misfiteye, June 28, 2010 at 10:47 am Link to this comment

Ahh Football! 
Now there’s something you can believe in.

McArthur Sports prints memorabilia for the Super Bowl a month ahead of the game.

They not only know the winning team, but the final score as well.

Reality in America is a totally manufactured commodity.

Report this

By samosamo, June 28, 2010 at 9:30 am Link to this comment

****************


By felicity, June 28 at 2:07 pm

Seems you may have taken the bait and ran. If we were to bomb
the people who engineered the attack of 9/11, we would be
bombing washington d.c., langley, the pentagon, fbi, fred
silverstein, the bush crime family. As a matter of fact we sure
wouldn’t have to leave this country to ‘bomb’ the people who
engineered and carried out the attack. The only outside country
we would possibly bomb would be izrael.

Report this

By felicity, June 28, 2010 at 9:07 am Link to this comment

Bin Laden was kicked out of Saudi Arabia.  He fled to the Sudan and was subsequently kicked out.  Whence he fled to Afghanistan and apparently isn’t there anymore - probably fled to Pakistan because the Afghanis kicked him out. 

Isn’t he the guy who engineered 9/11?  Obviously we have to bomb, invade and occupy Pakistan.  The Taliban?  Forget them. Beyond time we ‘did’ Lebanon.  Hamas has got to go.  And then there’s Iran, which is according to rumor funding Hamas.  And don’t forget Syria - rumored to also be harboring Hamas. 

We remind me of that proverbial chicken-running-around-with-its-head-cut-off - but hey, anything to keep the military/industrial complex happy.

Report this

By Gilbert, June 28, 2010 at 8:39 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I believe the CIA director. Less than a 100 Al Quaida
are in Agfhanistan.

Then what are we doing in Afghanistan? Are we afraid
of our own shadows. This is insane.

Report this

By samosamo, June 28, 2010 at 8:09 am Link to this comment

****************

 

Ahh, shucks, just another bit of the insane american
imperialism. Just as ‘america needs blackwater’ is just the samo
repetition of the samo thing that defines the insanity of this
country and those supposed leaders or people in charge. And
still the people just stand around and stare while waiting for the
upcoming football season.

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