I just finished reading Ron Suskind’s latest book “The One Percent Doctrine”
I would call it a must-read for those wanting some inside glimpses on many of the Bush Administration players and the background on a number of events and decisions. I’m going to break my notes and thoughts into different posts this week: today is Suskind and Bush, tomorrow will be Suskind and Cheney, followed by Suskind and Tenet and concluding with Suskind and Miscellaneous. Each post will focus on material in Suskind’s book about that individual.
Also, as disgusted with the behavior and actions perpetuated by the Bush-aholics as much as anyone, the book did remind me of the hundreds of decisions government officials have to make every week—life and death ones. It also vividly brought to life that there is a deadly enemy whose threats are real and that there are numerous CIA/FBI workers and others who have dedicated their lives–100-hour-plus workweeks–in trying to keep America and American safe. They are to be commended.
PART ONE – Let’s start with passages and information that struck me about George Bush
* “…Bush saw plenty of analysts. But he likes operators, the people, virtually all men, involved in the struggle, the face-to-face and hand-to-hand.” Bush more interested “in people who do things, the operators, rather than in people who just think things.” (Cogitator: this seems close to a child-like fetish, like preferring the blood-and-guts details over the hard slog of analysis)
* “Bush uses interpretative ability in briefings—the who and how are most important, not the what–he doesn’t need to know information” (Cogitator: such can work, although extremely scary for the role of president, if one is actually a topnotch interpreter and we all know how that has turned out)
* Cheney’s handiwork, the one percent doctrine (if there is a one per cent chance of a threat then it must be acted upon), — freed Bush to “rely on impulse and improvisation to a degree that was without precedent for a modern precedent.” (Cogitator: George Bush’s history of acting on feelings is a sorry and sad one)
* About the Lackawanna Six (terror suspects arrested in Buffalo) — the U.S. went to the FISA court for surveillance warrants. Bush asked FBI: can you guarantee me that these guys won’t do something? The response was: 99% sure we can make sure that these guys don’t do something–if they are planning to do something. Bush replied: “that’s not acceptable” (Cogitator: this is fear running rampant and typical Bush black/white thinking)
* “no one would dare say that the President made it clear to his most trusted lieutenants he did not want to be informed, especially when the information might undercut the confidence he has in certain swooping convictions.” (Cogitator: this is absolutely an unacceptable scenario for ANYONE running the last remaining super power, let alone ANY business or corporation head)
* “He (Bush) is very good at some things presidents are prized for and startingly deficient in others. No one in his innermost circle trusts that these imbalances would be well received by a knowledgeable public, especially at a time of crisis. So they are protective of him — astonishingly so — and forgiving.” (Cogitator: Suskind is employing too much camouflage here and should just spell EXACTLY what he means and why) + (this is again an UNACCEPTABLE personal constitution for the President of the United States)
* The CIA was in panic mode, other intelligence services, including those in the Middle East, were sounding alarms. The CIA sent a briefer on September 1, 2001, to meet with Bush, who was on vacation in Crawford. Bush listened to what the briefer outlined and said: “All right, you’ve covered your ass.” (Cogitator: he’s pissed if someone can’t tell him who, where and when as he has no capacity for even the barest of abstraction)
* in the Bush White House ‘assertion tends to overwhelm evidence’ and ‘claim triumphs fact’ (Cogitator: confirmation yet again)
* When bin Laden was holed up at Tora Bora, the CIA’s Hank Crumpton (he headed the CIA’s Afghan operation) urged General Tommy Franks to move at least some of the 1,200 troops he had at Kandahar to Tora Bora, 300 miles away. Crumpton then briefed Bush and found out the Pentagon had told Bush nothing about this. Cheney was in the room but remained silent. Crumpton said the Afghan forces were not up to the job, that they were ‘tired’ and ‘battered’ and were not invested in getting bin Laden. Pakistan Prime Minister Musharref’s said his army would cover south of Tora Bora, with Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld believing him. Musharref had his troops make a half-hearted effor and.bin Laden escaped. (Cogitator: Uncurious George strikes again, either not knowing or caring that HIS subordinates aren’t providing him with complete information)
In an April 17, 2002 Washington Post article about bin Laden and Tora Bora, Rumsfeld, in a press conference, disputed the above assertion saying he did not “know of any evidence (about bin Laden or the need for American troops).’ (Cogitator: Rumsfeld caught tinkering with the truth again)
* Bush boxed in the CIA with his multiple ‘captured the #2 al-Queda man’ statements–the CIA couldn’t produce the un-produceable and the need for political propaganda racheted up the pressure on the organization. (Cogitator: this, again, is unacceptable behavior especially so when national security is involved)
* Bush 41 was seen by his son as pro Arab, especially towardst the Saudis
* Bush 43 is viewed as anti Arab and he railed against his father’s Middle Eastern alliances and his mistakes
(Cogitator: the son HAS to be different than his father or he isn’t his own person)
* On April 9, 2002 Bush said: “The other day, we hauled in a guy named Abu Zubaydah. He’s one of the top operatives plotting and planning death and destruction on the United States.” The CIA knew this to be a lie. When Bush was told this, he said to George Tenet: “I said he was important. You’re not going to let me lose face on this, are you?” Tenet replied: “No sir, Mr. President.” (Cogitator; another prime example of the use of political propaganda triumphing over reality)
* Dan Coleman, who created the FBI OSB unit on reading Abu Zubaydah’s (captured Al-Queda member) diary “This guy is insame, certifiable, split personality” Zubaydah was more of a travel agent handling logisitics for the wives and children of Al Queda members and certainly not a #2 al-Queda guy.
* Bush asked in reference about Abu Zubaydah’s treatment: “Do some of those harsh methods really work?” (Cogitator: example #84572 of having the wrong individual as President of United States–all he has to do is ask the Israelis about torture)
* On 9/11/03 Bush and Cheney ordered Mukhtar al-Baki arrested despite some FBI and CIA resistance. The FBI knew the guy was in Bahrain for his wedding, others interpreted this term (wedding) as a code word for something bad.
* On 9/10/03 Bush had ordered that a terror alert issued in the United States.
* On 9/12/03, Bush addresses the United Nations on Iraq
(Cogitator: propaganda at work yet again)
* Bush wasn’t able to say (what he wanted to) in 2003 State of the Union speech that there was a pre 9/11 connection between Al-Queda and Saddam but he did include the Saddam/uranium/Niger/aluminum tubes so-called connection when everyone knew no proof existed. (Cogitator: character, or the absence of, counts when someone is faced with telling the truth or not)
* Bush, though, has a more transanctional view of loyalty…”it’s more along the lines of people proving their loyalty by doing whatever you tell them to do.” (Cogitator: a shining example of George Bush, the Christian, treading the same path as his favorite politcal philosopher, Jesus–NOT)
* About Bush’s management style: “a way, he would often quip, to push people to do things they didn’t think they were capable. (Cogitator: this can be a plus but not if it’s involving compelling staff to lie or cheat)
* Jeb Bush is quoted about his brother: “He truly enjoys getting people to knuckle under.” (Cogitator: this is a perverse disposition, truly employing and loving the bully pulpit
___________
Cogitator: Add James Risen’s “State of War,” “Cobra II” by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor, “State of Denial” by Bob Woodward and now “Tempting Faith” by David Kuo to the mix and a poisonous, incriminating broth of Mayberry Machiavellian-ism, incompetence, willed ignorance, sadism, childish fantasy and the most relativistic of morality boils over, making the White House and Pentagon little more than cesspools.
George Bush is simply the most woeful choice for President of the United States in over 100 years, void in the intrinsic personal character and fundamental human qualities imperative to carrying out the duties of the most powerful position on this earth. Being “startingly deficient” and needing “astonishingly protective” cover makes him the quintessential, yet real-life, Chauncey Gardiner of our time.
