In a recent interview (Monday afternoon, 12-20) with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, she threw a softball question to the national DNI (Director of National Intelligence), Gen James Clapper, regarding recent arrests, in London, of twelve terror suspects.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
(mid-interview:)
SAWYER: But we wondered. How did they stay in control with so much information coming in every day?
For instance, the afternoon of our interview, the day’s news had been filled with the terror arrests– twelve people in London just that morning.
But when we asked the Director of Intelligence:
SAWYER to CLAPPER: London — how serious is it, any implication that it was coming here? Any of the things that they have seen were coming here?
[PAUSE, Clapper looks puzzled, stumped]
SAWYER: Dr. Clapper?
Chief Counterterrorism Advisor JOHN BRENNAN: You read the arrests of the 12 individuals by the British this morning.
CLAPPER: Oh.
BRENNAN: This is something that the British informed us about early this morning that it was taking place.
[SAWYER: Later in the interview, I came back to the director — did he really not know?]
SAWYER: I was a little surprised you didn’t know about London, Director Clapper.
CLAPPER: Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t.
See the video here:
From ABCNews.com:
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was caught off guard Monday by a question on the widely-covered arrest of 12 men in an alleged terror plot in London. Today, Clapper’s spokeswoman admits that it was because he had not been briefed on the arrests.
Clapper’s office had declined to say whether he knew about the specific disrupted plot but issued a statement calling Sawyer’s question “ambiguous.” Today, his office appears to have changed their position.
Because, after all, the “indians” know that current administrative policy is predicated only but upon idealistic philosophy, ignorance and inexperience.
I have connections with the “indians” on a local, state and federal level because I am still in law enforcement and I have a federal background.
It is the “chiefs” who cannot seem to get their collective acts together. And that, to anyone in a LE bureaucracy, is no surprise — particularly federally.
As Big Sis, Janet Napolitano said: they’re “on it” 24/7, 364 days a year — to prevent “man-caused disasters.” Not terrorism. God forbid – [Sorry for the use of God].
From Der Spiegel:
SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?
Napolitano: Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word “terrorism,” I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.
Unfortunately, Napolitano does not insist that her department works the entire year. There is apparently one day off. But, on the other hand, they will likely — being Leftists — clearly identify that one sole day. Yes?
— Yes, our intelligence apparatus, in DC, is apparently that broken.
BZ
Double face palm.
On a unhappy note, if they had asked these frauds who the domestic enemy was, they would be able to fully articulate that.
It is 11:58. Do you know where your country is??
Toaster:
No. I do NOT know where my country is.
How sorry is that?
BZ
They are all too busy overseeing the committees, studying the implementation of the proposals, to consider rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
(and getting their GS-15)
Ya know, I remember, a long time ago, when you could say, “I work in the Intelligence community” and say it with pride…
No longer…
All I can imagine is the liberpuke outrage if this type of idiocy had happened while GWB was in office…. FIRE HIM would be on every station every liberpuke blog every media outlet across the globe..Now? Crickets are chirping..
Sorta makes you feel all warm and fuzzy…
Right.
Good grief.
cjh
Ugh.
This administration is beyond incompetent.
But, on the other hand, we need to clamp down on the internet because, honestly, we can’t have more of the truth getting out, can we?
BZ
I want to know which single day is so important that Napolitano’s tropps get to take off for it. Is it Hugo Chavez day? Or maybe the anniversary of the first publication of “The Motorcycle Diaries”?
Perhaps they all take off for Stalin’s birthday? Just trying to figure out which one…there’s so many…
Too bad Bush didn’t know anything about the attacks on 911 IN AMERICA….even though he was told!
The DNI was never a good idea, anyone in the community would have told you that… which I did over the past few years.
This extra layer gives no additional ‘oversight’, creates more bureaucracy and turf wars, decreases responsiveness and accountability. The DNI was an awful idea to start with and really needs to go…
AJ: you couldn’t be more correct. I enjoyed the days when the DCI was the Head Cheese. A little more manageable, I’d guess. Your opinion?
BZ
The DCI was just for the CIA, by and large… we all had ad hoc working groups in the IC prior to the DNI and those were semi-formalized. That works better than an iron structure imposed from above because it has some adaptability.
I was on a number of ‘what needs to be done’ panels at a lower level and always pushed for decentralizing the IC and making it accountable to get jobs done and sharing INTEL across agencies via a secure environment. Needless to say those things I pushed for in the 1990’s were not done… now we get something far, far worse: the illusion of safety while we are made less safe.