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Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He was an Army infantry/intelligence officer and then a CIA analyst for 27 years, and is now on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). His website is raymondmcgovern.com
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Obama's Super-Bowl Fumble on Iran
In a televised interview before the Super Bowl, President Obama had the chance to send a clear signal to Israel not to launch a preemptive war against Iran but instead offered ambiguous remarks that Israeli hard-liners might read as a partial green light.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Divining the Truth about Iran (2 comments)
Like before the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. news media is flooding Americans with alarmist accounts about Iran's alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. Even when U.S. officials suggest nuance and caution, the media ignores the signals
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 US/Israel: Iran NOT Building Nukes (8 comments)
Recent comments by U.S and Israeli military leaders indicate that the intelligence services of the two countries agree that Iran has not decided to build a nuclear bomb, a crack in the Western narrative that the U.S. press corps won't accept.
Thursday, January 19, 2012 Obama Stands Up to Israel, Tamps Down Iran War Threats (24 comments)
For months, Israeli hardliners and their neocon allies in the United States have been beating the war drums over Iran. But apparent resistance to war from President Obama has brought a softening of rhetoric in Israel
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 A Betrayal of the Founders (5 comments)
Though voicing "serious reservations" about encroachments on civil liberties in a military authorization bill, President Obama signed the law anyway to avoid a nasty veto fight with Congress. But courage, not timidity, is what's needed at such moments.
Friday, December 30, 2011 Urging Obama to Stop Rush to Iran War (9 comments)
A torrent of war propaganda against Iran is flooding the American political scene as U.S. neocons and Israeli hardliners see an opening for another war in the Middle East, a momentum that ex-CIA analysts Ray McGovern and Elizabeth Murray urge President Obama to stop.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Pvt. Manning and Imperative of Truth (3 comments)
The prosecution of Pvt. Bradley Manning for inconvenient truth-telling is more proof of how hypocritical Official Washington is, especially when Manning's case is compared to how Bush administration officials walked despite clear evidence that they sanctioned torture and other war crimes.
Saturday, December 3, 2011 Are Americans in Line for Gitmo? (11 comments)
Though the 9/11 attacks occurred more than a decade ago, Congress continues to exploit them to pass evermore draconian laws on "terrorism," with the Senate now empowering the military to arrest people on U.S. soil and hold them without trial, a serious threat to American liberties.
Friday, November 25, 2011 Ask the Candidates Real Questions -- Like These (15 comments)
During recent presidential debates, moderators have asked mostly predictable questions and--except for some notable gaffes---have elicited mostly talking-point answers. It's time for citizens to put politicians on the spot with some more pointed questions.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Whistleblowers Honored on Nov. 21 (2 comments)
In recent decades, information -- the lifeblood of democracy -- has often been cut off from the American body politic on "national security" grounds or because insiders feel it wouldn't be "good for the country." To counter that benighted view, a group of ex-U.S. intelligence officials honors brave whistleblowers, this year Thomas Drake and Jesselyn Radack.
Sunday, October 23, 2011 Switching Focus From Iraq To Iran (5 comments)
President Barack Obama's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is a blow to the neocons who had long dreamed of permanent military bases. But the neocons are now trying to spin the Iraq disaster into another excuse to confront Iran
Saturday, October 22, 2011 Falling For New Neocon Propaganda (5 comments)
One not-so-funny fact about Washington is that nearly all the news media stars who fell for neoconservative falsehoods about Iraq are still around to fall for new ones on Iran, even some like Richard Cohen who briefly regretted his earlier gullibility.
Thursday, October 13, 2011 Petraeus' CIA Fuels Iran Murder Plot (6 comments)
The public record shows that former Gen. Petraeus has long been eager to please the neoconservatives in Washington and their friends in Israel by creating "intelligence" to portray Iran and other target countries in the worst light. There has been close to zero real evidence coming from the main source of information -- the Justice Department, which has long since forfeited much claim to credibility.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Freedom Plaza Protesters Settle In (1 comments)
On Day Four of our "occupation" in DC, hundreds of military personnel, veterans and families against war marched at noon Sunday from Freedom Plaza to the White House to ask President Barack Obama, "Where's Our Beer Summit?" The Secret Service would not forward our petition, but rather gave us a telephone number to call.
Friday, October 7, 2011 The Moral Imperative of "Activism" (2 comments)
How I look forward to descending on our own "Tahrir Square" at Freedom Plaza in Washington starting on Oct. 6. In the final analysis we will be confronting the "upper crust," which my Irish grandmother described as "a bunch of crumbs held together by a lot of dough."
Monday, October 3, 2011 Israel's Window to Bomb Iran (1 comments)
Israeli leaders continue to pound the drum about taking out Iran's nuclear program -- and some hardliners may want to strike soon, fearing the window of opportunity will close if President Barack Obama wins reelection and is less susceptible to political pressures.
Saturday, September 10, 2011 Bird-Dogging Torturers in NYC (3 comments)
As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 nears, many ex-Bush administration officials who approved torture in the "war on terror" and botched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are back in the spotlight taking bows from appreciative audiences in tightly controlled settings.
Monday, August 29, 2011 The Rise of Another CIA Yes Man (4 comments)
The gross manipulation of CIA analysis under George W. Bush pushed a new generation of "yes men" into the agency's top ranks. Now one of those aspiring bureaucrats will be Gen. David Petraeus's right-hand man
Saturday, August 20, 2011 Lemmingly, We Roll Along (18 comments)
When soldiers die, the politicians who sent them to their deaths typically use euphemisms and circumlocutions -- like "lost," "fallen," or "ultimate sacrifice." On one level, the avoidance of blunt language can be seen as a sign of respect, but on another, it is just one more evasion of responsibility for the snuffing out of young lives.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Did Tenet Hide Key Info on 9/11? (3 comments)
Former White House director for counterterrorism Richard Clarke has accused former CIA Director George Tenet of denying him and others access to intelligence that could have thwarted the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Did Tenet Hide Key Info on 9/11? (14 comments)
Former White House director for counterterrorism Richard Clarke has accused former CIA Director George Tenet of denying him and others access to intelligence that could have thwarted the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11.
Monday, August 8, 2011 They Died in Vain; Deal With It (15 comments)
Troops returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan know better. It must be particularly hard for them to hear the lies about "progress," and then be ridiculed and marginalized for having PTSD.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 Obama on the Backs of the Poor (8 comments)
The outcome of the debt-ceiling battle has left many disillusioned Democrats and progressives now certain that it's foolhardy to expect Obama to behave any differently, even though he continues to promise a vigorous debate on the proper role of government in American society but then never delivers.
Saturday, July 23, 2011 Ray McGovern to Gov. Brown on Prisons (2 comments)
In recent weeks, prisoners in California's over-crowded prison system have been on hunger strikes demanding more humane treatment. This crisis has prompted me, a Jesuit-schooled, former CIA analyst, to write an open letter --- an appeal for justice --- to California Gov. Jerry Brown, who also received Jesuit training.
Saturday, July 16, 2011 Neocons Fume Over US Boat to Gaza (2 comments)
At the behest of Tel Aviv and Washington, Greek authorities stopped a small flotilla from sailing to Gaza in a challenge to Israel's four-year blockade of the narrow strip of land and its 1.6 million people. Now, apologists for Israel's right-wing Likud government are heaping scorn on the passengers.
Friday, July 8, 2011 Gaza and a Liturgy for Justice (2 comments)
The more aware I became of the particular courage it takes to weather the inevitable charges of being "self-hating Jews" -- even from one's family and close friends -- the more respect I gained for my Jewish co-travelers, many of whom gave adroit but unflinching leadership to the entire enterprise.
Saturday, July 2, 2011 A July Fourth Shame on the Founders (13 comments)
A group of American humanitarians and activists are still trying to make their way to Gaza in protest of the harsh Israeli embargo on the 1.6 million Palestinians confined there. However, an attempt to set sail from Athens on Friday was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard, apparently at the behest of Washington and Tel Aviv.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 Gaza and Thoughts of a Starving Ireland
Phil McGovern, the letter carrier. It struck me that, in carrying letters of support to Gaza, I am trying to be faithful not only to a faith tradition with the inescapable mandate that we "Do Justice," but also to the Post Office and letter-carrier tradition that I inherited from my grandfathers.
Sunday, June 26, 2011 Spirits of Justice Going to Gaza (11 comments)
And so, all aboard "The Audacity of Hope." And what grand company I find myself in: Justice friends, old -- like Ann Wright, Medea Benjamin, Ken Mayers, Robert Naiman and Kathy Kelly -- and new -- like Alice Walker, Paki Wieland, Gale Courey Toensing, and dozens of others.
Saturday, June 18, 2011 Gaza: Cradle of Killing -- Americans Too (14 comments)
As we embark on "The Audacity of Hope" and its humanitarian mission to Gaza, we can expect no help from the likes of Petraeus, senior NSC officials or, for that matter, President Barack Obama, who last year maintained a studied silence when Israeli forces killed nine passengers and wounded fifty in stopping a similar international flotilla.
Monday, June 6, 2011 Gen. Keane Keen on Attacking Iran (3 comments)
The possibility of an attack on Iran seems to be on the front burner again, thanks to neoconservatives like Keane. In Washington in the not-too-distant past, we used to call such aficionados of pre-emptive war "the crazies"; many have since become the capital's opinion leaders.
Friday, May 20, 2011 Obama, Tell Netanyahu -- Don't Mess With Flotilla to Gaza (8 comments)
McGovern to Obama: "Before meeting with Netanyahu, have a look at what Isaiah says about "proclaiming liberty to captives and release to prisoners" and how Jesus of Nazareth repeats that, word for word, eight centuries later. Please give that some serious thought, and be prepared to put justice above politics."
Thursday, May 5, 2011 What Has Bin Laden's Killing Wrought? (4 comments)
While there is the possibility that the United States might finally begin to wind down a near-decade-long war in Afghanistan, there is the countervailing prospect of the United States consolidating an official policy of assassination and violence as the way to impose Washington's will on the Muslim world.
Thursday, April 28, 2011 Petraeus: Can He Tell It Straight? (2 comments)
the kind of intelligence analysis that, at times, could challenge the military, why is he giving the CIA job to a general with a huge incentive to gild the lily regarding the "progress" made under his command?
Saturday, April 23, 2011 Surprise, Surprise! Iraq War Was About Oil (12 comments)
One can understand, without condoning it, that many Americans have become comfortable with the notion we are somehow exceptional, and thus entitled to more than our proportionate share of the world's natural resources. The FCM are a very huge help in persuading Americans that it is okay to ignore the suffering and devastation inflicted abroad; we have to protect our "way of life" from those who are just plain "jealous."
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Military Tribunal May Keep 9/11 Motives Hidden (13 comments)
The Obama administration's decision to use a military tribunal rather than a federal criminal court to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others means the real motives behind the 9/11 attacks may remain obscure.
Monday, March 28, 2011 Obama Muddling Thru Afghan War, But Not Clearly (2 comments)
wo years after President Obama sank his feet deeper into the Big Muddy of Afghanistan, it's still not clear what the open-ended conflict is all about or who is really in charge. Clearly, adult supervision is lacking. It may be time to put out vacancy notices to solicit some help from grown-ups.
Saturday, March 5, 2011 Pvt Manning: Is Army Aping Mafia? (2 comments)
How better to demonstrate to other soldiers the punishment that one should expect -- being locked away in a tiny cell with minimal human contact for a half century or more -- should s/he be tempted to follow Manning's example. How better to divert attention from the damning substance of the WikiLeaks documents, and to focus attention instead on the supposed sins of releasing classified material.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 How to Read Gates's Shift on the Wars (4 comments)
Gates has announced he will retire in the coming months. By abandoning his post on the bridge of the sinking pro-war ship now, Gates will let the next secretary of defense take the blame when the U.S. does not "prevail" in Afghanistan. Gates can point to his echoing of MacArthur's warning.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 The Push of Conscience and Secretary Clinton (14 comments)
At each such turning point, Secretary Clinton predictably sides with the hard-line Israeli position and shows remarkably little sympathy for the Palestinians or any other group that finds itself in Israel's way.
Monday, February 14, 2011 Mourning Iraqi Wives, Children on Valentine's Day (3 comments)
As we celebrate this year's Valentine's Day and other holidays that stress love and peace, let's keep in mind that more painful anniversaries must also be marked; they must be witnessed to; attention must be paid to the plight of "small" people still further diminished by the euphemism "collateral damage."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 America's Stay-at-Home Ex-President (4 comments)
Bush and his high command could decide whether "humane" treatment would be granted or not. If they saw a "military necessity" for, say, waterboarding somebody 183 times, then they could so order. There is no way to square this circle. Bush's memorandum violated international law, creating the giant loophole through which Rumsfeld and Tenet drove the Mack truck of torture.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Torture at 'Justice': Better Not to Ask (4 comments)
All that is required is a mind-trick to convince ourselves that Jesus did not really mean to say what he said, that he did not really mean to do what he did in exposing the evils of empire. Sadly, help is at hand. It is easy to find a pastor preaching a domesticated Jesus -- an ahistorical Jesus far more interested in "piety" than justice.
Monday, January 3, 2011 Obama Should Read WikiLeaks on Afghanistan (3 comments)
"Perhaps President Barack Obama should give himself a waiver on the ban prohibiting U.S. government employees from downloading classified cables released by WikiLeaks, so he can get a better grasp on the futility of his Afghan War strategy," says former CIA analyst, Ray McGovern.
Monday, December 20, 2010 Witness at the White House Fence (6 comments)
if the making of peace today means prison, that's where we need to be. It is time to accept our responsibility to do ALL we can to stop the violence of wars waged in our name. Now it's our turn to ponder those questions.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 'Giant' Holbrooke Failed on Afghan War (2 comments)
There will be many more dead and wounded in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the time you read this. Sadly, Holbrooke is one of the Establishment "giants" responsible. The esteemed Holbrooke, who died from a ruptured aorta at the age of 69, has already garnered much praise and attention. Do those to be killed and wounded today in "Af-Pak" -- many much closer to the beginning of their lives -- also merit some mention?
Monday, December 13, 2010 What's Behind the War on WikiLeaks (10 comments)
The corporate-and-government-dominated media appears apprehensive over the challenge that WikiLeaks presents. Perhaps deep down they know, as Dickens put it, "There is nothing so strong " as the simple truth."
Friday, December 3, 2010 NYT Still Stalking Bête Noire Iran
Even to this old-timer, it was shocking the way the Times, and the Post, used the WikiLeaks cables for their campaign for "regime change" in Iran.
Monday, November 22, 2010 U.S. Intelligence Thwarted Attack on Iran (4 comments)
A draft NIE update on Iran's nuclear program, completed earlier this year, is dead in its tracks, apparently because anti-Iran hawks inside the Obama administration are afraid it will leak. It is said to repeat pretty much the same conclusions as the NIE from 2007. That, in 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program."
Monday, November 8, 2010 Bush Boasts About Waterboarding (16 comments)
George W. Bush is now peddling his book. In it, he brags that he gave the CIA authorization to waterboard Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Waterboarding has always been considered torture, so we now have a former president whose book includes self-incrimination under international and U.S. law. (And, alas, a current President too scared to do anything about it.)
Monday, October 25, 2010 Wikileaks' Julian Assange Honored at London Press Conference (2 comments)
You are not likely to learn this from "mainstream media,' but WikiLeaks and its leader Julian Assange have received the 2010 Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence award for their resourcefulness in making available secret U.S. military documents on the Iraq and Afghan wars.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 Obama-Men: Innocents Abroad; Politicos at Home
Before reading through Woodward's book, the excerpts already published had left doubts in my mind that the Obama White House could be host to such an amateurish decision-process-without-real-process. I had seen a lot of White House fecklessness in my 30 years in intelligence analysis, but it was, frankly, hard to believe that it could be so bad this time.
Saturday, September 25, 2010 Petraeus Cons Obama on Afghan War (24 comments)
The contempt felt by Gen. Petraeus,towards Obama comes through clearly in Bob Woodward's new book.
Obama... lacks the courage of his convictions. Teaching law or speed-reading a teleprompter does not a president make. 800 years ago, Thomas Aquinas observed that courage is the precondition of all virtue. ie., you can be smart and well intentioned as all get-out; but you cannot be a real leader if you have no guts.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 What Obama Won't Say Tonight (4 comments)
Instead of simply caving in to complaints from Cheney about my "dithering"-" and giving Petraeus and McChrystal nearly all the troops they asked for -" I should have applied the full resources of the U.S. intelligence community to get a handle on the real prospects for Afghanistan.
Friday, August 27, 2010 Obama Boxed In by Generals on Afghanistan (3 comments)
The next two years are far more likely to witness a Donnybrook between the Pentagon and White House, as the security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate and Petraeus -- now commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, with his vaunted reputation riding on success -- inevitably demands more troops.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 Can WikiLeaks Help Save Lives? (6 comments)
Unless one is to believe, contrary to all indications, that Petraeus is not all that bright, one has to assume he knows that the Afghanistan expedition is a folly beyond repair.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Memorandum for: The President, Subject: WAR WITH IRAN (49 comments)
We write to alert you to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month, that Israeli leaders expect you to give unstinting support, include committing US troops and weapons. This can be stopped, but only if you move quickly to pre-empt an Israeli attack by publicly condemning such a move before it happens.
Monday, July 26, 2010 Afghan War Leaks Expose Costly, Deceitful March of Folly (6 comments)
The brutality and fecklessness of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan have been laid bare in an indisputable way just days before the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on whether to throw $33.5 billion more into the Afghan quagmire, when that money is badly needed at home.
On Sunday, the Web site Wikileaks posted 75,000 reports written mostly by U.S. forces in Afghanistan during a six-year period from January 2004
Friday, July 23, 2010 For Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone, a Terror Topping (1 comments)
A recent exposé in the Washington Post shows that if you have a security clearance and are comfortable being part of a lucrative "self-licking ice cream cone" -" a process that offers few if any benefits while perpetuating its own existence -" then the "war on terror" is definitely for you!
Sunday, July 18, 2010 Iranian Scientist Would Not Play Curveball (5 comments)
Useful insights often must be seen through a glass darkly. But some can be pulled through the smoke and mirrors shrouding the wanderings of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri, who is now back home in Iran after 14 months in the U.S. as guest of the CIA.
Friday, June 25, 2010 Obama Misses the Afghan Exit Ramp (11 comments)
Has it occurred to President Barack Obama that Gen. Stanley McChrystal might actually have wanted to be fired -- and thus rescued from the current March of Folly in Afghanistan, a mess much of his own making?
McChrystal leaves behind a long trail of broken promises and unfulfilled expectations.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 Obama and Insubordination: Is He Truman or Mr. Milquetoast? (14 comments)
McChrystal, however inadvertently, has given the President the unexpected opportunity to change course and leave behind the fool's errand called Afghanistan. But the general has also thrown down the gauntlet.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Obama's Timidity and Deaths at Sea (6 comments)
A chief lesson to learn from President Barack Obama's recent unwillingness to stand up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Lobby is that such timidity can get peoople killed. Also discusses legal considerations
Saturday, May 22, 2010 Dirty Linen Gets Intel Chief Fired (1 comments)
Former CIA analyst, Ray McGovern, weighs in on the firing of U.S. Intel Chief, Dennis Blair. "An incompetent manager? Seems so. But Blair also demonstrated a strain of integrity. And that can often be the kiss of death in Official Washington," writes McGovern.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 US/Israel Challenged on Iran (3 comments)
There is every reason to believe that Israel will search deep into its toolbox for a way to sabotage the agreement, but it isn't clear that the usual diplomatic tools will work at this stage, and even Israel might deem the covert action ones too risky. There remains the possibility that Israel will go for broke and launch a preemptive military strike at Iran's nuclear facilities.
Thursday, May 6, 2010 Loose Lips on Iran Can Sink America (2 comments)
Recently I have been looking on in disbelief as some of the same Democrats (and media personalities) who helped grease the skids for the unnecessary, unprovoked attack on Iraq, are doing a reprise -- changing the script from Iraq to Iran.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 Iran a Threat? I Mean, Really? (22 comments)
Netanyahu may not be impressed -" or deterred -" by anything short of a public pronouncement from Obama that the U.S. will not support Israel if it provokes war with Iran. The more Obama avoids such blunt language, the more Netanyahu is likely to view Obama as a weakling who can be played politically.
Friday, April 16, 2010 Lie to Congress; Get Fourth Star (9 comments)
What has happened to the Army's senior officer corps is lamentable in the extreme. Taguba is right. And, with McChrystal and other star-studded generals being card-carrying members of what Taguba calls "the Mafia," the implications are far-reaching indeed.
Monday, March 15, 2010 Yoo Besmirches Legacy of Jefferson (2 comments)
Initially I was shocked at the thought of the University of Virginia welcoming former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo to the "Academical Village" founded by Thomas Jefferson.
There was something very wrong about that picture. Was it not Mr. Jefferson who condemned tyrannical acts--including ones that fell far short of waterboarding--in the Declaration of Independence?
Friday, March 12, 2010 Taboo Thwarts Candor on Israel/Iran (5 comments)
Participants at an otherwise informative discussion on "Iran at a Crossroads" at the Senate on Wednesday seemed at pains to barricade the doors against the proverbial elephant being admitted into the room -- in this case, Israel.
Saturday, March 6, 2010 Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran (12 comments)
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came home with sweaty palms from his mid-February visit to Israel. He has been worrying aloud that Israel will mousetrap the U.S. into war with Iran.
This is of particular concern because Mullen has had considerable experience in putting the brakes on such Israeli plans in the past. This time, he appears convinced that the Israeli leaders did not take his warnings...
Friday, February 26, 2010 Iran Captures a 'Good' Terrorist
The Iranian government is celebrating the capture of Abdolmalek Rigi, the leader of a violent group called Jundullah (Arabic for Soldiers of God), which Tehran says is a terrorist organization supported by the United States, Great Britain and Israel.
Monday, February 22, 2010 New Grist for Hype on Iran
Here we go again. A report issued Thursday by the new Director General of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano, has injected new adrenalin into those arguing that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, writes Ray McGovern.
Thursday, January 28, 2010 President Put Politics First on Afghanistan (1 comments)
Nothing highlights President Obama's abject surrender to Gen. David Petraeus on the "way forward" in Afghanistan than two cables U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry sent to Washington on Nov. 6 and 9, 2009, the texts of which were released Tuesday by the New York Times.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Answering Helen Thomas on Why They Want to Harm Us (3 comments)
Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas broke through the terrorism boilerplate by asking why, Ray McGovern says.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Counterterrorism In Shambles; Why? (11 comments)
there is no getting around the necessity to address the root causes of terrorism or, in the vernacular, "why they hate us."
If we don't go beyond self-exculpatory sloganeering in attempting to answer that key question, any "counter terrorism apparatus" is doomed to failure. Honest appraisals can tread on delicate territory, but any intelligence agency worth its salt must be willing/able to address it.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Counter Terrorism in shambles: Why?
The recent incident of the so called underwear bomber highlights the lack of competence in counter terrorism leadership.
This article by Ray McGovern and Coleen Rowley appeared in today's truthout.org op-ed.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 Are Presidents Afraid of the CIA? (15 comments)
A document from Harry Truman's library sheds light on tensions between the White House and CIA, writes Ray McGovern.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Break the CIA in Two (4 comments)
Ray McGovern writes, "After the CIA-led fiasco at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961, President John Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds." I can understand his anger, but a thousand is probably too many."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 Obama: Profile in Courage, or Cave-In? (24 comments)
The choice, in my view, is between courage and cowardice cloaked as politics of the possible. Let me guess what you're thinking—“But that's asking too much of the young President; “cowardice” is too strong a word; Obama cannot possibly face down the entire military establishment.”
John Kennedy did. So the question is whether Barack Obama is “no Jack Kennedy,” or whether he will summon the courage to stand up to
Friday, November 20, 2009 McChrystal to Obama: Fogh You; McChrystal Testing the Limits (15 comments)
It's hard to know if the Obama-led ongoing consultation on Afghanistan is for real, or just a charade. I seem to be in the minority comprised of those who tend to give the President the benefit of the doubt. This decision is a BIG one.
What is abundantly clear is the extreme pressure he is under, mostly from the senior military, some of whom (Petraeus) have political ambitions of their own.
Monday, November 16, 2009 Shining Light on Roots of Terrorism (17 comments)
Media commentary on the upcoming 9/11 trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has raised concern that state secrets may be divulged, including details about how the Bush administration used torture to extract evidence about al-Qaeda.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Heeding George Kennan's Wise Advice
It is yet to be known how many Americans will die in Afghanistan if President Obama follows the advice of his generals – much as President Johnson did – and escalates.
Can we not learn from history?
Friday, October 30, 2009 Kipling Haunts Obama's Afghan War
You may be in a position to help give the President the wherewithal to resist pressure to escalate the war in Afghanistan
Sunday, September 27, 2009 CIA Torturers Running Scared (2 comments)
For the CIA supervisors and operatives who were responsible for torture, the chickens are coming home to roost. That is, if President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder mean it when they say no one is above the law — and if they have the courage to stand up to brazen intimidation ~ Ray McGovern
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Torture: the Fault is Not in Our Stars (4 comments)
Unlike many of my progressive friends, for me the current administration's behavior on torture is a glass half full. In my view, the real scandal is how very few have taken a sip.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 Help for Obama Speech Wednesday Evening (6 comments)
The President, I believe, can use all the input he can get. My draft includes suggestions about how to save billions for healthcare reform by putting a timely end to wasteful spending on the feckless foreign adventures launched by his predecessor. Here is my unsolicited draft. I no longer have access to the White House. If you do, please pass this along.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 Afghanistan for Dummies (6 comments)
I'm going to ask for my money back. I've seen this Afghanistan movie before. The first time, Vietnam was in the title.
As in an early scene from the Vietnam version, U.S. military officials are surprised to discover that the insurgents in Afghanistan are stronger than previously realized.
Sunday, August 30, 2009 Media Ape Goebbels in Defending CIA Abuses (2 comments)
It seems coverage of the Bush administration's “war on terror” has been put back on track by the editors of the Washington Post and their “sources,” who appear determined to highlight the supposed successes of waterboarding and other forms of torture. In the last few days the Post has markedly increased its effort to “catapult the propaganda” (to borrow a phrase from former President George W. Bush).
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Closing In on the Torturers (5 comments)
Ray McGovern asks: Do you think the wardens will let George Tenet wear his Presidential Medal of Freedom over the orange coverall?
Friday, August 21, 2009 Unwritten Death Contract Awarded to Blackwater (5 comments)
Hats off to Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times for ferreting out what it was that sent CIA Director Leon Panetta scurrying over to Congress in late June.
Friday, August 14, 2009 Pundits Trying to Help Cheney Avoid Jail (15 comments)
The stenographers of the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) are missing the most obvious explanation for former Vice President Dick Cheney's widely reported "disappointment"- with former President George W. Bush on the issue of pardons - self-interest.
Saturday, August 1, 2009 “Christians” Wink at Torture (10 comments)
Anyone harboring doubts that the institutional Church is riding shotgun for the system, even regarding heinous sin like torture, should be chastened by the results of a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
Friday, July 24, 2009 Recalling the Downing Street Minutes (5 comments)
The minutes observed quite bluntly that "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
Thursday, July 23, 2009 Dallas: Into the Belly of the Beast (6 comments)
Ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern reports on his attempt to bring some accountability to George W. Bush's new home front.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 Cheney Sweats Out the Summer (14 comments)
His situation has grown pathetic. Aside from the man himself, it has fallen almost solely to faithful daughter Liz to defend her dad and to start a political backfire to keep him out of prison. She is to be admired for her faithfulness. In the process, though, she has unwittingly given much away.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Is Texas Harboring Torture Decider? (9 comments)
Seldom does a crime scene have so clear a smoking gun. A two-page presidential memorandum of Feb. 7, 2002, leaves no room for uncertainty regarding the "decider" on torture. His broad-stroke signature made torture official policy.
This should come as no surprise. You see, the Feb. 7, 2002, memorandum has been posted on the Web since June 22, 2004, when then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales mistakenly released it...
Thursday, June 25, 2009 Torture eats away at the soul of this nation (8 comments)
Something evil has seeped into the soul of our nation. Those many years when we looked the other way, choosing to ignore the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody, eroded our morality.
