The plans are contained in a "secret" report obtained by WaPo. (I wonder who's going to be fired next week for leaking that one? Then again, this is Bushco propaganda, so I doubt an investigation will even be forthcoming.)
they envision a significantly expanded role for the military -- and, in particular, a growing force of elite Special Operations troops -- in continuous operations to combat terrorism outside of war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Developed over about three years by the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in Tampa, the plans reflect a beefing up of the Pentagon's involvement in domains traditionally handled by the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department.
Stepping on the already peeved off CIA's toes? Probably not a good idea at this point.
And in a subtle but important shift contained in a classified order last year, the Pentagon gained the leeway to inform -- rather than gain the approval of -- the U.S. ambassador before conducting military operations in a foreign country, according to several administration officials. "We do not need ambassador-level approval," said one defense official familiar with the order.
Who needs intrusive ambassadors? I say we just fire the lot of them.
A third plan sets out how the military can both disrupt and respond to another major terrorist strike on the United States. It includes lengthy annexes that offer a menu of options for the military to retaliate quickly against specific terrorist groups, individuals or state sponsors depending on who is believed to be behind an attack. Another attack could create both a justification and an opportunity that is lacking today to retaliate against some known targets, according to current and former defense officials familiar with the plan.
This plan details "what terrorists or bad guys we would hit if the gloves came off. The gloves are not off," said one official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
And you thought being spied on illegally through Bush-approved wiretaps was a problem? Just wait until Rummy sends out his troops to a neighbourhood near you or, in fact, to your house.
In the meantime in related news, the Senate Appropriations Committee is using the power of the purse against the Pentagon over concerns that, although Rummy keeps going back to congress hat in hand asking for more money for his Iraq misadventure, he has yet to give them a clear plan about the actual length of the stay of US troops there. The vote on this emergency supplemental comes up next week and it looks like Rumsfeld will have some serious explaining to do.
Do you ever get the feeling that there are just too many intelligence cooks in Washington's kitchen? Maybe it's just me, but I see that as a sure sign of yet another recipe for disaster when the next big threat becomes a reality.
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