Bush Administration Manipulates DNI McConnell As Top Intelligence Lobbyist
Bush Administration Manipulates DNI McConnell As Top Intelligence Lobbyist
The mission of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is to conduct its duties in a way that will “ensure the integrity of the intelligence system, our technology, our armed forces, and our government’s decision processes.”
But instead of being an independent voice with the best interests of the intelligence community, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell has allowed the Bush administration to put him in the “unusual role of intelligence community lobbyist.” The LA Times reports:
McConnell’s role as the Bush administration’s point person on espionage legislation is particularly unusual. U.S. intelligence chiefs have periodically been at the center of political storms over botched spy operations or pitched nomination fights. But they have traditionally been expected to remain insulated from policy issues, not to function as administration lobbyists on controversial pieces of legislation.
McConnell has repeatedly put out inaccuracies that do nothing but further the Bush administration’s agenda by fear-mongering. Some examples:
– Last September, McConnell tried to tie the capture of three Islamic militants accused of planning bomb attacks in Germany to the new expanded FISA law. However, one government official revealed that those intercepts were recovered last year under the old law, which required warrants. McConnell was later forced to admit that he had misled lawmakers.
– In an interview last August with the El Paso Times, McConnell claimed that Americans, particularly in Iraq, would “die” simply because of the debate over expanding Bush’s powers to wiretap American citizens without court oversight because terrorists would learn more about U.S. capabilities.
– In February, McConnell sent a letter to Congress stating that the country “is now more vulnerable to terrorist attack and other foreign threats” because lawmakers refused to renew the White House’s version of the Protect America Act, which included immunity for telecoms.
McConnell is not the first independent figure the Bush administration has been accused of turning into a mouthpiece. Last year, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) charged that the White House had been using Gen. David Petraeus as a prop to “purely make political statements.”
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Well this administration can’t insulate the DNI from policy issues because they don’t really have any. Their only policy is to grab power and use it in the most imperial fashion possible. As such, they don’t believe in real civil servants, they believe in republican loyalist lackeys. Period.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:41 amBushitCo motto: Let no department go unlobbied.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:46 amFile this one under “Duh”…
FUD, it’s what’s for dinner…
April 1st, 2008 at 11:46 amDon’t fret folks, republicans will demand accountablity from the executive branch sometime around the end of next January.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:51 amsounds like perjury to me!
time to show another traitor the door.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:51 amOnce the claimed WMD that Rumsfeld “knew” were there, and about which Cheney had “no doubt” and that Bush insisted not only existed but were a direct threat to the US, were proven to be NON-EXISTENT the Bush cabal then blamed the entire “failure” on the CIA and the intellgence community and NOT on the ideologically driven enclave led by Wolfowitz.
CLARIFICATION NEEDED:
a) “Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell has allowed the Bush administration to put him in the “unusual role of intelligence community lobbyist.”
b)But they have traditionally been expected to remain insulated from policy issues, not to function as administration lobbyists ”
a) would be incorrect. The DNI is not representing the intelligence cimmunity that is supposed to be rational and impartial.
b)is CORRECT. The DNI is manipulating his subordinates to confrom to the irrational and ideological desires of the Bush administration.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:54 amwe shouldn’t have an Intelligence Community” or that Bush “should be impeached and should go to jail.
Bush should go to jail. And he should be extradited to the Hague for crimes against humanity. On his orange suit he’ll have several inmate numbers, one for every country that issues a warrant for his arrest.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:57 amBush “should be impeached and should go to jail.”
This is exactly what a majority of the Senators should have been saying for years.
IMPEACH BUSH CHENEY
April 1st, 2008 at 11:59 amHague Trials ‘09
It is treason.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:00 pmHello TP’ers. Quick offtopic question: I was reading the thread about Pentabloggers, and I was wondering what the url is for Real Progressive’s “blog” tpwatch…I really just want to see what all the hilarity is about.
Thanks for the help.
On topic: More misleading (read: FLAT OUT LYING) and politicization of our government’s agencies…is it Jan. 20th 2009 yet?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:07 pm“Some Senators have said that Bush should be impeached and go to jail.” Actually, I suppose what McConnell should have said is that many American citizens have said that Bush should be impeached and go to jail.
Ah, but that would require our Director of National Intelligence to actually have intelligence, now wouldn’t it…
/snark
April 1st, 2008 at 12:07 pmhttp://www.thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com
Hey Trajan, kiss my socialist ass.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pmNo surprise here. The Bush Crime Family has made everyone in the government swear an oath to George Bush, not to the Constitution and “we the people”. Every department has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the RNC.
I feel sorry for President Obama. He is going to have a very difficult time weeding out the nest of vipers Bush is leaving behind.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pmManipulate the data, manipulate the director. Same sh**, different “d”.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:11 pmFor all the right wingers who wondered why we progressives were so passionate about the politicization of every office in the Administration, here is the just desserts…
We now have the Director of National Intelligence who is more concerned with making sure that he parrots the political talking points than he is with making sure that he has intelligence data.
Is this making America safer?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:11 pmActually, Bush SHOULD be impeached, tried and then sent to jail. If Pelosi wasn’t obstructing impeachment, he would be by now.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:12 pmFeingold calls McConnoll a liar…..we need more of this. It is past time to call these people of their daily dose of lies…..it’s not that hard to do…..
April 1st, 2008 at 12:14 pmhttp://www.thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com
That site is hilarious. It is so sophomoric it gave me a good laugh. I am a little disappointed though. None of my posts have rated being copied onto their site. Oh well, I guess I need to work harder.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pmYou expect a guy with a combover that bad to have integrity? “Fool me once…” Admit it, you’re bald AND a liar.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:20 pmMcWars Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Hey Trajan, kiss my socialist ass.
————-
McWars - that site is hysterical! As in omigod and funny-as-hell! Who is Trajan and who funds this misinformation site?
A quote from the McConnell post on that extremely silly web site:
‘The target of their attack Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell. The reason, he wants to improve our intelligence capacity to spy on Islamic Terrorists.’
This person who runs that site is either disingenuous or stupid!
McConnell doesn’t care that much about listening in on “terrorists” as far as I can tell. He just wants to continue the privatization of intelligence gathering. He wants his old employer to get lots of money from intelligence gathering contracts!
McConnell knows exactly what he’s saying and what he’s doing. And it has very little to do with catching “terrorists”.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:20 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
That site is hilarious. It is so sophomoric it gave me a good laugh. I am a little disappointed though. None of my posts have rated being copied onto their site. Oh well, I guess I need to work harder.
It’s P-brain site, so it will be ridiculous.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:23 pmI mean P is the same guy who posted that Saudis are not Muslim, because they are our friends ( *snort* )
Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Wayne Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Yeah, that boy has some serious psychological issues. But since I’m liberal, and proud of it, I sincerely hope that he gets the professional help he so desperately needs.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:25 pmmary Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
McWars - that site is hysterical! As in omigod and funny-as-hell! Who is Trajan and who funds this misinformation site?
Hello, Mary. Trajan has posted here numerous times. The troll typically accuses us of wanting our Islamic thirst quenched, stacks its sentences, and is prone to ending every one of them with exclamation points.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:32 pmGreat sentiment Wayne……I couldn’t agree more.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:32 pmAnd wordpress pages, Mary, I think those are entirely free.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:34 pmMost of Bush’s appointees see it primarily as their job to sell the President’s policies to the American people rather than acting independently for the American people.
The President is always responsible for setting the overarching agenda for the administration, but usually each cabinet member is expected to exercise their own judgement, to disagree with the President when necessary, to make their department run as best possible without micro-managing from above.
In this administration, our first MBA President shows that he learned very little at business school. He installs “yes men” in every position ensuring that he never gets unfiltered advice, but simply lives in an echo chamber. Those who issue dissenting view are fired. He allows some subordinates like Cheney complete autonomy with zero oversight. While micromanaging other subordinates so that they lose all credibility within their own organizations.
Worst President ever.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:36 pmMcConnell has repeatedly put out inaccuracies that do nothing but further the Bush administration’s agenda by fear-mongering.
Really? What a surprise.
Couldn’t see that on coming…
April 1st, 2008 at 12:40 pmwow…
just wow…
Just returned from a little adventure in twilight zone of comedy land (i.e. thinkprogresswatch). Spelling errors, missing words, atrocious grammar, every story on TP taken in the order it appears on TP and then just reprinted there with “poetic truths of high school journal keepers” being “shouted” while these idiots “fall over and lay down” “too drunk to do the show.” (A little Sonic Youth reference there, for some reason). I mean, it’s just unbelievable. Do these people actually take themselves seriously? It must be hard to do so when EVERY “story” on your “blog” has exactly ZEROcomments (at least on the front page, which is all I could look at before my skull felt like it might explode).
I also love all the unproven/unqualified judgement statements such as:
“Think Progress celebrates the recent fighting and is thrill to see deaths and choas in Iraq. As I have pointed out, TP supports the Iranina backed Mahdi Army! So the sickos at TP celebrate the deaths of civilians at the hands of Jihadists! TP is really sick!”
No where does the “author” explain or show any poster at TP “celebrating.” And I can only assume this jackass is using his (admitted recently too, f–king hilarious, RP ADMITS THAT HE AND PT are FRIENDS/A DUO!) or his buddies posts under the moniker progressive thinker etc. in praise of Sadr and the Madhi army et al as “evidence” that liberals support them…
“Think Progress puppet, Teheran Keith!”
Man, I almost crapped myself I laughed so hard at that one! They couldn’t even spell Tehran correctly!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:45 pmRe: http://www.thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com
I went, I saw, I’m confused. Am I, as a liberal, a jihadist, a Marxist, or a Stalinist? Is it possible to be all of the above? What a comical, self-indulgent site! Hilarious! Ridiculous!
!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:45 pmI thought we were Fascists? (a la Jonah Goldberg)
April 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pmOr was it Socialists? Jihadis? Terrorists? WHICH IS IT GODDAMN YOU!!??
Thanks McWars! I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this particular troll you speak of. Or maybe there seemed to be so much foaming at the mouth that I just automatically skip those posts. Lots of exclamation points are usually a bad sign.
Maybe whoever runs that site is in training to be a ’swift-boater’.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pmIt’s officially jump the shark time…
http://thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com/ 2008/ 04/ 01/ tp-posters-acknowleding-think-progress-watch/
April 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pmThe down side of freedom of speech is that people with political tourettes still have the right to blurt out drivel.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pmI defend their right to be uninformed and verbalize their thoughts because I keep hoping that one day they will realize that patriotism and nationalism are two seperate ideologies. One requires conciousness, education, and critical thinking. The other rquires blind unquestioned obedience.
Blind Nationalism is Fascisms best friend.
UGH, I just looked at the link I posted…
THE F–KING MORONS MISSPELLED “ACKNOWLEDGING” IN THE F–KING URL OF THE F–KING “STORY”!!!!
I
D
I
O
T
S
April 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pmPLC,
He started it because TP finally banned his moronic posts altogether. And this is how he handled the rejection. By creating a blog devoted to watching everything posted here (including copying part of their logo), lashing out at TP at every turn, and accusing them and the people who post here of siding with our nation’s “official” enemies. In short, the same kind of comments that got him banned in the first place.
Sometimes he even quotes some of the comments here. But he also likes to lump all liberals under the same umbrella, and accuse all of us of being the kind of evil people he perceives us all to be. I doubt he would ever quote my comment above about him getting the professional help he so clearly needs.
Would you, Mr. P?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pmMore likely, mary, whoever runs the site washed out of swift-boater school and just wanted to “serve the cause” anyway it could.
If that means making your own side look even more ridiculous than usual, I’m all for it.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:53 pmWayne A. Schneider Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
PLC,
He started it because TP finally banned his moronic posts altogether. And this is how he handled the rejection. By creating a blog devoted to watching everything posted here (including copying part of their logo), lashing out at TP at every turn, and accusing them and the people who post here of siding with our nation’s “official” enemies. In short, the same kind of comments that got him banned in the first place.
Sometimes he even quotes some of the comments here. But he also likes to lump all liberals under the same umbrella, and accuse all of us of being the kind of evil people he perceives us all to be. I doubt he would ever quote my comment above about him getting the professional help he so clearly needs.
Would you, Mr. P?
Done and Done Wayne, check my link.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:55 pmI was wrong, sort of. He did quote what I said, but he embellished it with lies and inaccuracies. I am no Stalinist, and I do not recommend anything like a “re-education camp.” Just some help from a professional who is trained to deal with delusional people. I have to wonder who this “we” is that he keeps referring to. Another symptom.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:55 pmThe Leftists now know they have an enemy as ruthless as them! This is great we are getting them, let’s keep up the good work!
…….
…….
0 responses so far
April 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pmDo
Not
Iinvestigate
Worst.Combover.Ever
April 1st, 2008 at 1:00 pmThanks alot, liberal traitor. Now, I’m even more confused.
Existential crisis!!! Quick, hide under a Bush. NO! under Iraq. NO! Help!!! I like toast…and Rice…it’s a wonderful day in the Bagdad neighborhood…ding, ding, ride my bike…all better now…vote for McCain, stay insane…stay the course, of course…cut taxes, tax the military…trickle down…a mind is a terrible thing to waste, so why have one…follow the yellow politician’s road…snark off
April 1st, 2008 at 1:00 pmTHis is priceless:
A “story” on TPW about TP poster Fan of Man, whoever that is:
http://thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com/ 2008/ 04/ 01/ stalinist-tp-poster-calls-for-execution-of-republicans/ #comment-219
And my comment that I left on that “story,” reprinted below for you guys to enjoy:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pmHere’s an good example, Mary, of Trajan’s rhetoric. I took this right off the top of a google search. If you’ve been ignoring his posts all along, good job for saving the extra brain space.
PIP,
April 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pmlLook at our buddy Umar.
He wants to intimidate anti-Muslims!
He’s clearly and Islamo-Fascist!
Hey, liberal traitor, did you see the first comment on
http://thinkprogresswatch.wordpress.com/ 2008/ 04/ 01/ tp-posters-acknowleding-think-progress-watch/
advocates extermination of liberals? Pot meet kettle, indeed.
That site is a great place to go for comic relief or for some real whack-a-troll fun.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:07 pmMcWars Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
lol - must have skipped a lot of classes in school.
It would do this person some good to devote a little time to some independent research such as looking at McConnell’s last employer and what they do.
Either that or make an appointment with a local psychiatrist.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pmInteresting that the site that accuses TP of being “fascist” because it bans people from posting just addressed this to a commenter:
By their own standards, isn’t this fascist?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pmralph the wonder llama Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Interesting that the site that accuses TP of being “fascist” because it bans people from posting just addressed this to a commenter:
Real Conservitive // April 1, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Warning: Keep this crap up and you will be banned. If you are a Leftists just post what you disagree with us.
By their own standards, isn’t this fascist?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:18 pmFrom the same thread, RTWL. Seriously, You can’t write comedy this good. Now, who does this post remind you of?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pmReal Conservitive ??
If you’re going to advocate for a certain political philosophy, wouldn’t it be nice to spell its name correctly?
I guess I don’t feel so offended that the neocons can’t spell “democratic”.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:23 pmthis isn’t too far off topic here…
DID YOU CATCH THIS ON COUNTDOWN LAST NIGHT???
[…]
Finally, because, as Shakespeare said, the truth will out, we turn to statements made by Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the Commonwealth Club here in San Francisco last week. In his speech where he tried to make the case for passing the FISA bill with telecom immunity, he made a statement that should bring one pause (that is, if you’re not a blindly partisan hack who is afraid of your own shadow):
Attorney General say what? As Keith Olberman puts it:
You could send him to Gitmo, I suppose.
Paging John Conyers and Henry Waxman. Oversight on the line.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/ 2008/ 04/ 01/ countdowns-bushed-torturous-information-edition/
April 1st, 2008 at 1:28 pmOn TPW, I searched for my screen name. The reply came up referring to me as “welp”, stating that I should try again because there were no results for that name. I’m assuming they meant “whelp”, which is an awfully derogatory way to greet potential bloggers.
I’m not sure we should be commenting on their site, giving it too much legitimacy.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:29 pmReel Conservitive
Yee Haw…Bass Fishin’
April 1st, 2008 at 1:31 pmPatrioticLiberalChristian Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
On TPW, I searched for my screen name. The reply came up referring to me as “welp”, stating that I should try again because there were no results for that name. I’m assuming they meant “whelp”, which is an awfully derogatory way to greet potential bloggers.
I’m not sure we should be commenting on their site, giving it too much legitimacy.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:34 pm________
Yeah, I’ve had my fun with the few posts I put up there using their own words to make them look like the jackasses they are. Moving on…
Guys, I have no reason to believe that at TPW, there’s a “they’re” there. I think it’s the same guy posting under his various pseudonymns. Like I said, he needs professional help, and I sincerely hope he gets it.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:43 pmY’know, if I had no friends, no job and nothing to do, it might be kinda fun to set up a wordpress page “TPwatchWatch” and just copy-and-paste the spelling errors and stupid posts from TPwatch. Of course, I’d have to claim that every word proved that it was a jihadifascism site.
But, unfortunately, I have a life.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pmIntelligence is too important to leave to military yes men! “I’ll try, Sir!”
April 1st, 2008 at 4:59 pmYou go, Mr Whipple!
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 amralph the wonder llama Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Y’know, if I had no friends, no job and nothing to do, it might be kinda fun to set up a wordpress page “TPwatchWatch” and just copy-and-paste the spelling errors and stupid posts from TPwatch. Of course, I’d have to claim that every word proved that it was a jihadifascism site.
But, unfortunately, I have a life.
______
Your point being???? >:(
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm