Category: News

Bush and the Saudis.  A letter to the editor in today's WSJ ($) makes a very good point: 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudis, and Osama bin Laden is a Saudi. Islamic fundamentalism began in Wahabbist schools in Saudi Arabia. There is an absolute connection between Iran and Syria and terrorists. Each… Continue reading Bush and the Saudis

Pre-9/11 Files Show Warnings Were More Dire and Persistent. Hearings and reports make clear that an al Qaeda threat had been communicated to the highest levels of the government. By David Johnston and Jim Dwyer. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Nafta Tribunals Stir U.S. Worries. Any Canadian or Mexican business that contends it has been treated unjustly by the American judicial system can ask the tribunal to review the judgment. By Adam Liptak. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

NYT.  Wow.  The White House is looking at a director of national intelligence…  The reason this is a hot issue:  intelligence is at the heart of the war on terrorism.  It stands on its head the old formula for addressing threats which was 10% intelligence and 90% operations.  Operational dominance pervades all aspects of the… Continue reading NYT

Zinni on the offensive: For years Zinni said he cautioned U.S. officials that an Iraq without Saddam Hussein would likely be more dangerous to U.S. interests than one with him because of the ethnic and religious clashes that would be unleashed. “I think that some heads should roll over Iraq,” Zinni said. “I think the… Continue reading Zinni

Reuters:  Global energy usage to jump 54% by 2025. Expected oil need to jump from ~81 m barrels a day to 121 m barrels.  My question:  where are we going to get that oil given the sharp drop in production from the aging super giant fields? One answer:  OPEC is expected to be the major… Continue reading Reuters

Two generals on NPR's Morning Edition agree that the entire US military is already deployed in Iraq. They say it's the smallest US military since 1939. We still don't have a good explanation for why we're there. The generals agree we could declare victory. We came looking for WMDs. None found. Mission accomplished. [Scripting News]

Tenet says full reform years away. The nation's intelligence agencies are working toward reform but will not reach the full capability to conduct the spying and covert operations needed to combat Al Qaeda and other terrorist threats for five years, Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet warned the 9/11 Commission yesterday. [Boston Globe — Front… Continue reading Tenet says full reform years away

Saudi and American Elites Find Friends in High Places. Craig Unger's book successfully details the intertwined ascent of the Bush family and the Saudi elite but fails to provide persuasive evidence implicating their ties in the terror attacks of 9/11. By Charles A. Kupchan. [New York Times: Books]

Palm Beach Post – Palm Beach,FL,USA – Privacy advocates decry FBI's request to wiretap Internet. An FBI proposal to make it easier to wiretap high-speed Internet communications is drawing criticism from businesses and privacy experts, who fear it could stifle technological innovation and allow too much monitoring of online conversations. The FBI already has the… Continue reading Privacy advocates decry FBI's request to wiretap Internet