Bush Appoints Loyalist Fran Townsend To ‘President’s Intelligence Advisory Board’
Bush Appoints Loyalist Fran Townsend To ‘President’s Intelligence Advisory Board’
On Friday, the White House issued an executive order revamping the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), “a nonpartisan body offering the President objective, expert advice on the conduct of U.S. foreign intelligence.”
Board members cannot be employees of the federal government, but the President is now stacking the board with former loyal Bushies. Yesterday, the White House announced it is appointing former Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend:
The President intends to appoint Fran Townsend, of New York, to be a Member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
In her former role, Townsend functioned as a mouthpiece for Bush’s misguided national security priorities. For example, she was a key player in broadening the administration’s surveillance powers and vocally supported “special methods” of interrogation.
Historically, the PIAB has provided a check on administration’s intelligence gathering. For example, it was the first government body to conclude that the infamous “16-word” statement on Saddam Hussein’s WMD in Bush’s 2003 State of the Union was “questionable.”
Last week’s executive order also guts the Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB), a sub-unit of the PIAB that “advises the President on the legality of foreign intelligence activities.” Bush transferred much of the IOB’s investigative powers to DNI Mike McConnell, a Bush appointee. Under the order, IOB members may include PIAB appointees like Townsend:
The IOB shall consist of not more than five members of the PIAB who are designated by the President from among members of the PIAB to serve on the IOB.
Ultimately, President Bush is ensuring that both boards will be of little effectiveness in scrutinizing the White House’s intelligence activities.
(HT: State Of The Division)
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OH MY GOD! At what point does this insanity end?
GIVE ME MY FU(KING COUNTRY BACK!
March 4th, 2008 at 5:24 pmWhy do the Bushies keep tossing up the word “nonpartisan?”
Does anyone buy that anymore?
BTW, Frances, bubby, eat something.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:26 pmAre they passing notes, or comparing fortune cookies? Or is Rove just looking at her cheat sheet?
March 4th, 2008 at 5:28 pmI can’t quite figure out which moral outrage is bigger ? Conflict of interest, stacking the deck ? etc.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pmWhat part of Checks and Balances doesn’t this moron get?
We’re sinking into a recession (if we’re not already there), engaged in a multi-trillion dollar war with no exit strategy, watching the dollar continue to decline against ALL major currencies, watching money that is supposed to go to things like port security and homeland security being siphoned off to Bush Cronies, totally destabilizing a middle eastern country under the guise of bringing democracy to them but only paying lip service to the entire concept of what democracy means, continuously lying to the American People (supposedly the people he is to represent) and then covering it up, and more intent on ‘winning’ then on being right.
And he just keeps stacking the deck in his favor like no one can see him.
And the scary part is… the one’s who are supposed to be standing on the hilltop saying “THIS MUST NOT BE”, continue to cower behind their desks, worrying more about ‘access’ than in exposing the truth.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:33 pmFran’s intelligence will be wielded on behalf of Bush and his buddies. However, she wasn’t smart enough to include the hospital with the largest number of patient deaths post Katrina in the White House “Lessons Learned” report. Did The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare send a thank you note? I’m waiting to see which Wall Street investment house lands those infamous risk management capabilities.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pmPresident’s Intelligence? Advisory Board…
I’ll give you some advice about the President’s intelligence: There isn’t any!
Get your free Pocket BARACK-itizer here.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pmRoves saying
“Do you want to try my G13″
Frans saying
No man I got some nepalese temple ball
March 4th, 2008 at 5:38 pmWhy do the Bushies keep tossing up the word “nonpartisan?â€
Does anyone buy that anymore?
BTW, Frances, bubby, eat something.
Comment by Zooey
Because they aren’t partisan in the normal sense of the word. It’s all about bush. period. He doesn’t care about republcan issues or needs any more than he cares about democractic party issues or needs.
And she can’t eat anything, rove got there first…
March 4th, 2008 at 5:40 pmThe man needs to keep the bubble from popping. Of course he’s going to sorround himself with doinks like her.
Hitler wasn’t alone in the bunker.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:42 pmCaption:
Rove startled as he read her note:
“Who seated me next to the fat ass?”
March 4th, 2008 at 5:46 pmThe allusion to the bunker mentality seems particularly appropriate, as does the oxymoron “Presidents’s intelligence”
Posted from the fatherland for what it’s worth.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:49 pmZooey, that’s bubbaleh. A bubby is your grandma. ;-)
March 4th, 2008 at 5:50 pmhey - who wants to play “really obvious 3-card monte”?
March 4th, 2008 at 5:51 pmZooey, that’s bubbaleh. A bubby is your grandma. ;-)
Comment by Ms_Joanne — March 4, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
So what’s your point…? ;)
March 4th, 2008 at 5:52 pmTaking this a step further.
Do we need a board to advise on the President’s intelligence. If this is so, then it singularly failed in it’s mission in 2000.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:54 pmHe’s up to something, get ready for another 911 real soon, because if you notice all the people he is arranging for his protection is leading to something, and it is going to be very soon, sometime before Nov you can bet on it.
Bush/Cheney
March 4th, 2008 at 5:54 pmHague Trials ‘09
Ultimately, President Bush is assuring that both boards …
no, nothing “assuring” about that.
pretty sure you meant “INsuring”… not?
March 4th, 2008 at 5:55 pmSo what’s your point…? ;)
Comment by Zooey — March 4, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
March 4th, 2008 at 5:57 pmNo point, bubbaleh.
He’s up to something, get ready for another 911 real soon, because if you notice all the people he is arranging for his protection is leading to something, and it is going to be very soon, sometime before Nov you can bet on it.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Comment by Buckie Boy — March 4, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Buckie, I soooooo fear what you say is true on the first….and pray it is true on the last.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:58 pmKaty, actually, I think its ENsuring. :-)
March 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pmNo point, bubbaleh.
Comment by Ms_Joanne — March 4, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
She could look like my grandma — she’s probably decayed enough to look like that now… :-D
March 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pmI certainly hope that President Obama will be able to go in there and clean house. I would like to see him fire everyone who has been appointed by Bush. If he allows any of these vipers to stay in their jobs, they will try to find a way to sabotage him.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pmThe President intends to appoint Fran Townsend, of New York, to be a Member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
Along with three bricks and a retarded slug………….
March 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm… *sniff* …
i don’t think were gonna make it, folks…
it looks really bad…
somebody, please, tell me i’m crying for no reason… please…
March 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pmBTW, Frances, bubby, eat something.
Comment by Zooey — March 4, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
Yeah, she should eat sh*t.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:06 pmToday’s GOP.
For a party that supposedly hates government, they can’t stuff enough hacks into every nook and cranny of the federal government.
-GSD
March 4th, 2008 at 6:07 pmShayne *SMACK
And good on ya!
March 4th, 2008 at 6:08 pmZooey, that’s bubbaleh. A bubby is your grandma. ;-)
Comment by Ms_Joanne — March 4, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
So what’s your point…? ;)
Comment by Zooey — March 4, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
Oy.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:09 pmYeah, she should eat sh*t.
Comment by Shayne — March 4, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
I was thinking “all you can eat buffet,” but shit does come under the heading of “something.” :-D
March 4th, 2008 at 6:10 pmsomebody, please, tell me i’m crying for no reason… please…
Comment by katy — March 4, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
We’ll take it back — by force, if necessary.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:11 pm25 *passing Katy a tissue*
I’m with you, kiddo. I hate these people. I’m so sick of this crap I could just scream.
…Some more. *sigh*
March 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pmSo who in the world would is the least bit surprised. Remember, this is the guy who will have a “no public allowed” presidential library!
March 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pmFor a party that supposedly hates government, they can’t stuff enough hacks into every nook and cranny of the federal government.
Comment by GSD — March 4, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Why shouldn’t they all get rich as long as they’re tearing down the place?
March 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pmI will tell you exactly who I am getting more and more angry at: CONGRESS!!.
We all know that President Bush has been breaking laws and rigging the system, but with each new outrage, I am getting more angry at the ONLY BRANCH of government that can pro actively monitor, investigate, and hold accountable. I expect this from Bush (doesn’t mean I like it or accept it), but those that have the power and responsibility of protecting the values and ideals of this country are failing at their duties.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:20 pmThis reminds me of an old Rocky and Bullwinkle skit.
Two obvious spies come up to Rocky and Bullwinkle. They ask them who they are and where they’re from. Rocky and Bullwinkle respond. Rocky then asks them where they’re from to which they respond, “Army intelligence, so what do you think of that?” To which Rocky responds, “That sounds like a contradiction in terms to me.”
March 4th, 2008 at 6:23 pmThere is some precedent for this…
“While repeating the earlier stories, the later sources of Suetonius and Cassius Dio add additional tales of insanity. They accuse Caligula of incest with his sisters, Agrippina, Drusilla and Julia Livilla, and say he prostituted them to other men. They claim he sent troops on illogical military exercises. They also allege he made the palace into a literal brothel. Perhaps most famous, they say that Caligula tried to make his horse, Incitatus, a consul and a priest.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula
March 4th, 2008 at 6:26 pmI suspect this is fallout from the last NIE.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:26 pmPresident’s Intelligence? Advisory Board…
I’ll give you some advice about the President’s intelligence: There isn’t any!
Get your free Pocket BARACK-itizer here.
Comment by Mark @ News Corpse
Mr Mark, your web sight is right nice. Everybody should check out News Corpse
March 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pmThis doesn’t sound like a guy who plans to vacate the premises in ten months - sounds more like someone who’s consolidating his claim on power for the foreseeable future. He’s gotten away with every other assault on our country for the past 7 years, what can stop him now?
March 4th, 2008 at 6:39 pmThe traitor Bush-Bin Laden and his gang of criminals show complete disdain for the American people.
He is saying I do whatever I want whenever I want and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.
And the mass of spineless jellyfish that Americans have become will just sit there and take it.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:47 pmThe character of the American people is lightyears away from where it was in 1776.
just to check in… sam seder is in for rachel maddow right now and
that has cheered me up a bit…
listening and watching on the SAMMY CAM
March 4th, 2008 at 6:50 pmhttp://samsedershow.com/
He’s up to something, get ready for another 911 real soon, because if you notice all the people he is arranging for his protection is leading to something, and it is going to be very soon, sometime before Nov you can bet on it.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Comment by Buckie Boy — March 4, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Wouldn’t surprise me a bit, actually it would surprise me if it didn’t happen. No one believes the fearmongering anymore so they have to get that power back. Creating fear among Americans has been the only success that Bush has had, so watch your back folks.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:53 pmthis kind of thing is expected from the bush admin….unfortunately, he must feel that his “presidency” is not ending any time soon; so, the upcoming “election” may not be what we are expecting at all; we should start to pack food away, and make sure our personal firearms are freshly cleaned….I don’t trust these jackasses any further than I can throw them….i am afraid another 911 is on the horizon, somewhere near november….everbody needs to watch the horizon from now on; we may end up living through what the tv show Jericho is showing on each of it’s episodes.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pmAlong with three bricks and a retarded slug………….
Comment by MCMetal
You beat me to it, still, I’ll give a shot and nominate the remaining 4 board members.
A folded thumb, forefinger, ring, and pinky.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:39 pmPresident’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), “a nonpartisan body offering the President objective, expert advice on the conduct of U.S. foreign intelligence.â€
The same nonpartisan body that offered expert advice for going to Iraq for hunting WMD?
March 4th, 2008 at 7:40 pmRaise your hand if you think this megalomaniac will leave office voluntarily. I don’t see many hands. I agree, something is up, and it will not be pretty for our country. Anyone seen Cheney lately? These people crave power, and don’t think for one minute they give a crap about this country or the people in it. He is stacking the deck, and the rest of us had better start figuring out what we need to do to stop this travesty. The news people are frankly too stupid to have a clue. So……it will be up to us. This country is sinking, and sinking fast.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:51 pm… we may end up living through what the tv show Jericho is showing …
Comment by kevin42 @ 7:29 pm
just like so much else, i have to wonder if these things are out there
to de-sensitize the populace… “eh, it’s no big deal - they do it on tv…”
…
this is bad… and it’s real…
March 4th, 2008 at 8:22 pmTownsend had served in President Bill Clinton’s Justice Department.
Things that make you go huhmmm.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:39 pmWaayy, OT : anybody out there from Ohio?
if so, what is it that makes it such a bizarre voting state? i’m born and raised in the Midwest, and can not for the life of me figure out how or why Ohio and Michigan are so perennially contrary in their voting habits. seriously, Buckeyes, WTF!?
March 4th, 2008 at 8:59 pmChicken coup, meet fox.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:39 pmRaise your hand if you think this megalomaniac will leave office voluntarily. I don’t see many hands. I agree, something is up, and it will not be pretty for our country. Anyone seen Cheney lately? These people crave power, and don’t think for one minute they give a crap about this country or the people in it. He is stacking the deck, and the rest of us had better start figuring out what we need to do to stop this travesty. The news people are frankly too stupid to have a clue. So……it will be up to us. This country is sinking, and sinking fast.
Comment by EDLEE — March 4, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
Got firearms?
March 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pmI guess KKKarl and Franny are holding up their “Get Out of Jail Free” cards.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:01 amHey George-If your looking for expert,objective avice on how to conduct the affairs of the nation, start looking at the Costitution and The Bill of Rights.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:36 amThe robust report promised by Bush after Katrina was but a bust:
http://www.cnn.com/ 2005/ POLITICS/ 09/ 20/ katrina.townsend/ index.html
Appointing the author to the Intelligence Committee proves Bush wanted a sorry investigation into Katrina’s aftermath. They omitted dozens of LifeCare patient deaths in that new Carlyle Group affiliate. It doesn’t pass the smell test. I smell a PEU, private equity underwriter.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:44 amPut a fork in it , main stream journalism is DEAD, DOA . The ONLY place to get reliable news is the internet and you better believe , they will do EVERYTHING they can to ” CONTROL the MESSAGE ” CNN hires Generals , Colonels , CIA operatives , military PSYOPS during the late 90’s were hired as ” interns” as exposed by ABE VREIS , dutch journalist ; Tony Snow and now Townsend , Rove on Fox and not to mention all the CFR members on cable (Council on Foreign Relations Cabal ), that get to spew their propaganda , it’s over . If they are THIS blatant with their propaganda , this out front with who they hire , it tells a couple of things . They don’t GIVE a DAMN what we think and they have an agenda to control the message . It won’t change .
May 4th, 2008 at 5:25 pm