This is an example of the main reason why we don't venture into the Right-wing Blogosphere any more.
The situation in this country is bad enough without reading or listening to this kind of fuliminating, toxic BS.
Jeebus, what fruit cups!
Right-wing blogger geniuses expose another journalistic fraud!
(updated below)
The genius investigators in the right-wing blogosphere -- who serve as our Watchdogs over the Corrupt "MSM" -- made a major, major discovery this weekend. Last Wednesday, former CIA agent Larry Johnson published a Memo (.pdf) sent from the U.S. Mission in Iraq which advised troops and other military personnel in Iraq of a "theater-wide delay in food delivery" which would likely limit the available food supply.
As has been true for the last four years, right-wing bloggers simply shut their eyes and refused to believe that any news reflecting poorly on the Leader's War could be real. Just as was true for news reports of civil war and a growing Iraqi insurgency, this Memo just had to be a fake, so they declared it to be such.
The super-tough-(and-anonymous)-Churchillian-warrior "Ace of Spades" got the investigative ball rolling, declaring: "that document is fake" (emphasis in original). "Ace" then explained: "someone is attempting to gin up a rather minor convoy delay into something that threatens the feeding of our troops." These accusations were grounded in "Ace's" belief that an eagle in the corner of the memo was inauthentic, copied from a figurine. Upon finding the image online, "Ace" excitedly announced that he discovered "How The Retarded Forger Found The Image."
"Ace" then added an update citing as support for his conclusion of a "Forgery!" the "analysis" of that highly-impressive-document-expert Charles Johnson. Johnson -- in a post entitled "Fake But Accurate, Nutroots Edition" -- announced:
Ace of Spades exposes another probable anti-war fraud, an "internal memo" with a "military logo" that turns out to be ... a Hummel figurine. Johnson christened their exciting new "MSM" scandal "Hummelgate," and announced that "'Hummelgate' hits the Washington Post; they quote from the memo in this article" [here]. Johnson then issued a painstaking analysis of the .pdf properties as further "proof" of the document's fakeness.
All of that, needless to say, provoked a whole slew of braying, celebratory right-wing bloggers denouncing the MSM for their outrageous fraud against the Leader and the War. Leading the way was Charles Johnson's very own "news agency" Pajamas Media, which was last seen trumpeting the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an "exclusive" report which -- once it turned out that Khamenei was and is very much alive -- forced even Michelle Malkin's Hot Air to admit it was "a major embarrassment" for Pajamas.
This weekend, the Pajamas "news agency" published an item headlined: "The Fake Memo With the China Figurine On Top." The Pajamas News Agency "reported":
Ace is on the case, with some help from LGF. It's a Defense Department memo, and while the document is definitely fake, whether the specific information contained in it is accurate is up in the air. If the info was indeed wrong, then the Washington Post was fooled.
Curt's Flopping Aces announced: Another Forged Document Fools A Lefty," and began: "Larry Johnson, that ViPer with a serious case of the BDS, is at it again peddling a forged document.
Curt then proceeded to spew all of the sophisticated and insightful document analysis for which the right-wing blogosphere is so well-known, and then accused Johnson of "tak[ing] this obvious forgery at face value because it fits in with his own preconceived notions."
The sea of right-wing blog followers then washed ashore, with one proclamation after the next like these:
** "Hi-larious Ratheresque hijinx on the part of Larry Johnson, ex-CIA moron, discussed by Ace."
** "The Has-Been Media is also incredibly stupid and easily fooled, so long as they can advance their political agenda . . . Check out the link to the memo. It's laughable.
** This is hilarious. Seems Super Duper Spook Larry (Plame Flame) Johnson got duped by a faked intel memo.
Needless to say, the memo is authentic.
And some of the accusers are slowly starting to admit it (with no apologies to Johnson or The Washington Post for impugning their integrity, from what I have seen).
And so we have but the latest in an endless series of right-wing-blogger outbursts of accusatory bile and claimed discoveries of wrong doing and fraud where the only fraud and wrong doing is from the blogger-accusers themselves. It is literally impossible to count the grand humiliations of this sort to which the right-wing blogosphere has repeatedly subjected itself.
Over and over, they make the most vicious accusations without the slightest basis in fact.
Time and again, they are revealed to be people completely unmoored from reality or without the slightest regard for basic precepts of responsible commentary.
Facts which are unpleasant to them are deemed to be "fake" for that reason alone, and the most serious accusations come spewing forth from their mouths without any regard to whether they are actually true.
Right-wing bloggers and "Pajamas Media" spent all weekend calling Larry Johnson a liar and a fraud when the only liars and frauds were, as usual, them. And now that they stand exposed, yet again, as reckless and fact-free hysterics, they will simply move, unperturbed, onto their next manufactured scandal, with the expectation that they will be taken seriously. Is it really any wonder that not even their own party -- which venerates people like Rush Limbaugh -- takes right-wing blogs seriously?
But media figures like Howard Kurtz take them very seriously. And it is important to note they are really nothing more than an online extension of the right-wing noise machine, employing the same tactics and demonstrating the same sense of integrity. The most basic facts which conflict with their political agenda are derided as false. Those reporting those facts are subjected to the most vicious character assaults. And they launch one lynch mob after the next based upon the most serious accusations which repeatedly turn out to be as factually false as they were plainly ridiculous. What else could they possibly do to lose credibility altogether?
UPDATE: Professor Juan Cole was one of those who cited the Memo in a post from last week, which apparently prompted readers of these right-wing blogs to e-mail Cole to demand a retraction in light of the proven "fraud." In reply, Cole refused to retract, pointing out that he "do[esn't] accept the reasoning of LGF about the memo."
In response to Cole's refusal to retract, "Ace" said (h/t teh l4m3):
Hey, dickhead? What more "reasoning" do you need than this?
[photograph of figurine eagle]
This is a fucking hummel eagle and flag figurine from a cheesy knicknack vendor, you fucking idiot. What additional "reasoning" do you need?
It's this [Green Beret and retired senior officer of U.S. Military Intelligence and U.S. Army Special Force] Pat Lang character, a lefty buddy of Larry Johnson's, who's been passing this obvious sham around. . . .
What kind of idiots do we have in our "intelligence" community, exactly?
When they give you an intelligence test, do they require you actually fail to get the job? Or at least post a not-too-high, not-too-low score somewhere between "average intelligence" and "borderline imbecile who sits in the corner all day clapping and masturbating"?
That is who Pajamas Media cited as the source for its "forgery" story.
Just contemplate the deep shame and sense of remorse that a normal, healthy person would feel after spewing that kind of venom at people, including a former Green Beret, who were completely right. But they don't. Like the brilliant pundits whose every proclamation about the Iraq war turned out to be false yet who still parade around as proud and pompous experts, right-wing bloggers continuously hurl accusations like this and then, when proven wrong, simply move on to the next accusatory orgy without any real acknowledgment of wrongdoing or apology.
-- Glenn Greenwald
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. The Lantern has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is The Lantern endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
....And The Truth Shall Set Us Free
Showing posts with label Larry Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Larry Johnson. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Larry Johnson, on Tenet and other smarmy Goopers
Thom Hartmann Show, Air America Radio, 4-30-07
Hard Rain Journal 5-1-07:
“Just Another Brick in the Wall …”
-- Thom Hartmann Interviews Larry Johnson, All You Need to Know About George Tenet
By Richard Power
Former CIA and State Department intelligence professional Larry Johnson has been performing an invaluable service over the last several years, by delivering real-time, in-depth analysis of the the Bush-Cheney regime's national security debacles. Air America Radio’s Thom Hartmann also performs an invaluable service, by providing historical, psychological and spiritual context on a broad spectrum of important political issues.
Here is an insightful dialogue between Hartmann and Johnson, concerning George Tenet’s book, At the Eye of the Storm, and some of the remarks that Tenet has made in his effort to promote it.
Thom Hartmann: As I was watching [the Sixty Minutes interview with George Tenet], and afterwards, my wife Louise and I had a long discussion, speculating about why now, why not then, is Tenet a suck up, kick down kind of guy who just got caught up in the whole thing? Or do you think – because even now he will not condemn George W. Bush – that he is afraid of the Bush dynasty?
Larry Johnson: I think he is terrified of the Bush dynasty. As we were soliciting other intelligence officers to sign, I got a letter from a buddy of mine who declined to sign, but let me quote from his letter – “I will tell you one thing, though, if your agenda is to have any impact on Tenet personally, I am sorry to say he is beyond that type of appeal. George is a political animal, and his recent comments are merely to sell his book and position himself for the future in his home political party, whatever that may be. Honor and conscience do not even enter into this equation.”
Now this is an officer who had personal dealings with Tenet. … Tenet will criticize Cheney, he will criticize Rice, because they will not be important players in the future; but he does not want to get on the wrong side of the Bush family. But he treats George Bush as the equivalent of a bobble-headed doll, an accessory on the desk, that wasn’t a decision-maker, or played any role in what was going on.
Thom Hartmann: Or as an emperor of whom no ill shall be spoken. The Bush dynasty has been around a long, long time – going back to Prescott – and has an enormous concentration of power and wealth in this country. And frankly, I think they have absorbed a bit of the Clinton … Bill’s association with Bush, Sr. is like “Hey, let’s become part of the dynasty.” And Jeb is the next one in line. I am fully expecting – four or eight years down the line – to see Jeb running for President.
This is a dynasty that is not going to go away, and that has its tentacles all over the place, a multi-billion dollar, arguably a trillion dollar enterprise from Carlyle Group on down, and you go up against the people and you are dead. You could be literally physically dead, you certainly will be politically dead.
Larry Johnson: He didn’t want to take the political and economic risk with them -- that is quite clear. And yet, I think it is reprehensible of him to come out and say these things now, when he knew them then. But he lied last night [on Sixty Minutes]. “Lie” is a pretty strong word, but let me give you one example: [on Sixty Minutes] he said correctly that there was never any evidence of relations between Bin Laden and Saddam. And he knew that very clearly in the Fall of 2002, when the National Intelligence Estimate was completed, yet he turned around and went to Congress in February of 2003 and testified about these various associations, and clearly left the implication that there was a relationship.
So he was trying to have it both ways. That is so intellectually dishonest.
Also, if you watched the Sixty Minutes piece, you saw how he tried to bully Scott Pelley when Pelley was asking him about the definition of torture and water-boarding, and Tenet kept saying it wasn’t torture, and kept running away from the question, but Tenet then turned and become quite angry and stern with Pelley. Well, that was the George Tenet that was bullying analysts who came to him and said, “Curveball is a bad source.” But he didn’t want to hear that. And when it came to the things he didn’t want to hear, he became the bully inside.
And I know that from officers who told him in 2002 as well that they had a reliable source that there was no WMD in Iraq, and Tenet ignored it. …
The facts are -- and I wrote this for a paper that I gave to J. Paul Bremer back in January 2003 – that Iraq had never been involved in any mass causality terrorist attacks against the United States. The last known association with a terrorist attack against US interests was the failed attempt in 1993 to kill George [H.W.] Bush.
Most of the terrorism that Iraq was engaged in was directed at Israel, and Iran, and then some of the UN officials who were inside Iraq. That said, they were very strict about not cooperating with Islamic extremists. Saddam was not an Islamic extremist; even though toward the end of the regime, he sort of found religion and wanted to try to use ties with those folks to shore himself up.
But he still did not lend operational support.
And they used the stuff about Zarqawi who was up in a corner of Iraq that Saddam didn’t effectively control.
Thom Hartmann: That was under our protection actually, it was the no-fly zone.
Larry Johnson: Yeah. So you have all these things that can sort of have a factual truth to them, but when you really understand what is being said, it is just misleading.
Thom Hartmann: How do you think this is all going to play out?
Larry Johnson: Well, this is, you know, like Pink Floyd, “just another brick in the wall.” What George Tenet does is corroborate what Richard Clarke said, i.e., that very early on the administration was obsessed with going after Saddam, and had no intention of taking out Al Qaeda. They were obsessed with Saddam.
Thom Hartmann: Is this PNAC? Is this oil? Is this political capital? Or is it all of the above?
Larry Johnson: All of the above.
Thom Hartmann: Yes. That’s my sense of it as well. My sense of it is that George Bush wanted to do it for political capital, Cheney wanted to do it for his oil buddies, and the ideologues in the administration wanted to do it for the PNAC purposes, i.e., “Let’s create empire.” And it was the perfect storm. The right people got together at the right time in the right place …
Larry Johnson: And the American people are paying a terrible price today.
Thom Hartmann: And people in the Middle East, and all over the planet.
You can download podcasts of the Thom Hartmann Show for free at Thom’s site, http://www.thomhartmann.com.Related PostHard Rain Journal 5-1-07: “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine …” –George Tenet, Hillary Clinton and the Truth
Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and Words of Power. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.netIraq,Saddam Hussein, Ray McGovern, Larry Johnson, George Tenet, Condoleeza Rice,Bush, Air America Radio, Thom Hartmann, Cheney, Richard Power, Words of Power
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. The Lantern has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is The Lantern endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
....And The Truth Shall Set Us Free
Hard Rain Journal 5-1-07:
“Just Another Brick in the Wall …”
-- Thom Hartmann Interviews Larry Johnson, All You Need to Know About George Tenet
By Richard Power
Former CIA and State Department intelligence professional Larry Johnson has been performing an invaluable service over the last several years, by delivering real-time, in-depth analysis of the the Bush-Cheney regime's national security debacles. Air America Radio’s Thom Hartmann also performs an invaluable service, by providing historical, psychological and spiritual context on a broad spectrum of important political issues.
Here is an insightful dialogue between Hartmann and Johnson, concerning George Tenet’s book, At the Eye of the Storm, and some of the remarks that Tenet has made in his effort to promote it.
Thom Hartmann: As I was watching [the Sixty Minutes interview with George Tenet], and afterwards, my wife Louise and I had a long discussion, speculating about why now, why not then, is Tenet a suck up, kick down kind of guy who just got caught up in the whole thing? Or do you think – because even now he will not condemn George W. Bush – that he is afraid of the Bush dynasty?
Larry Johnson: I think he is terrified of the Bush dynasty. As we were soliciting other intelligence officers to sign, I got a letter from a buddy of mine who declined to sign, but let me quote from his letter – “I will tell you one thing, though, if your agenda is to have any impact on Tenet personally, I am sorry to say he is beyond that type of appeal. George is a political animal, and his recent comments are merely to sell his book and position himself for the future in his home political party, whatever that may be. Honor and conscience do not even enter into this equation.”
Now this is an officer who had personal dealings with Tenet. … Tenet will criticize Cheney, he will criticize Rice, because they will not be important players in the future; but he does not want to get on the wrong side of the Bush family. But he treats George Bush as the equivalent of a bobble-headed doll, an accessory on the desk, that wasn’t a decision-maker, or played any role in what was going on.
Thom Hartmann: Or as an emperor of whom no ill shall be spoken. The Bush dynasty has been around a long, long time – going back to Prescott – and has an enormous concentration of power and wealth in this country. And frankly, I think they have absorbed a bit of the Clinton … Bill’s association with Bush, Sr. is like “Hey, let’s become part of the dynasty.” And Jeb is the next one in line. I am fully expecting – four or eight years down the line – to see Jeb running for President.
This is a dynasty that is not going to go away, and that has its tentacles all over the place, a multi-billion dollar, arguably a trillion dollar enterprise from Carlyle Group on down, and you go up against the people and you are dead. You could be literally physically dead, you certainly will be politically dead.
Larry Johnson: He didn’t want to take the political and economic risk with them -- that is quite clear. And yet, I think it is reprehensible of him to come out and say these things now, when he knew them then. But he lied last night [on Sixty Minutes]. “Lie” is a pretty strong word, but let me give you one example: [on Sixty Minutes] he said correctly that there was never any evidence of relations between Bin Laden and Saddam. And he knew that very clearly in the Fall of 2002, when the National Intelligence Estimate was completed, yet he turned around and went to Congress in February of 2003 and testified about these various associations, and clearly left the implication that there was a relationship.
So he was trying to have it both ways. That is so intellectually dishonest.
Also, if you watched the Sixty Minutes piece, you saw how he tried to bully Scott Pelley when Pelley was asking him about the definition of torture and water-boarding, and Tenet kept saying it wasn’t torture, and kept running away from the question, but Tenet then turned and become quite angry and stern with Pelley. Well, that was the George Tenet that was bullying analysts who came to him and said, “Curveball is a bad source.” But he didn’t want to hear that. And when it came to the things he didn’t want to hear, he became the bully inside.
And I know that from officers who told him in 2002 as well that they had a reliable source that there was no WMD in Iraq, and Tenet ignored it. …
The facts are -- and I wrote this for a paper that I gave to J. Paul Bremer back in January 2003 – that Iraq had never been involved in any mass causality terrorist attacks against the United States. The last known association with a terrorist attack against US interests was the failed attempt in 1993 to kill George [H.W.] Bush.
Most of the terrorism that Iraq was engaged in was directed at Israel, and Iran, and then some of the UN officials who were inside Iraq. That said, they were very strict about not cooperating with Islamic extremists. Saddam was not an Islamic extremist; even though toward the end of the regime, he sort of found religion and wanted to try to use ties with those folks to shore himself up.
But he still did not lend operational support.
And they used the stuff about Zarqawi who was up in a corner of Iraq that Saddam didn’t effectively control.
Thom Hartmann: That was under our protection actually, it was the no-fly zone.
Larry Johnson: Yeah. So you have all these things that can sort of have a factual truth to them, but when you really understand what is being said, it is just misleading.
Thom Hartmann: How do you think this is all going to play out?
Larry Johnson: Well, this is, you know, like Pink Floyd, “just another brick in the wall.” What George Tenet does is corroborate what Richard Clarke said, i.e., that very early on the administration was obsessed with going after Saddam, and had no intention of taking out Al Qaeda. They were obsessed with Saddam.
Thom Hartmann: Is this PNAC? Is this oil? Is this political capital? Or is it all of the above?
Larry Johnson: All of the above.
Thom Hartmann: Yes. That’s my sense of it as well. My sense of it is that George Bush wanted to do it for political capital, Cheney wanted to do it for his oil buddies, and the ideologues in the administration wanted to do it for the PNAC purposes, i.e., “Let’s create empire.” And it was the perfect storm. The right people got together at the right time in the right place …
Larry Johnson: And the American people are paying a terrible price today.
Thom Hartmann: And people in the Middle East, and all over the planet.
You can download podcasts of the Thom Hartmann Show for free at Thom’s site, http://www.thomhartmann.com.Related PostHard Rain Journal 5-1-07: “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine …” –George Tenet, Hillary Clinton and the Truth
Richard Power is the founder of GS(3) Intelligence and Words of Power. His work focuses on the inter-related issues of security, sustainability and spirit, and how to overcome the challenges of terrorism, cyber crime, global warming, health emergencies, natural disasters, etc. You can reach him via e-mail: richardpower@wordsofpower.net. For more information, go to www.wordsofpower.netIraq,Saddam Hussein, Ray McGovern, Larry Johnson, George Tenet, Condoleeza Rice,Bush, Air America Radio, Thom Hartmann, Cheney, Richard Power, Words of Power
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. The Lantern has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is The Lantern endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
....And The Truth Shall Set Us Free
Friday, February 16, 2007
My Personal Hero, Larry Johnson Tells It LIke It Is.
Former CIA officer Larry Johnson of NoQuarter blog was on Countdown Thursday and spoke with Keith about the Bush Administration's feeble attempts to convince the American public of Iran's increasing role in Iraq.
Download (494) Play (348) Download (272) Play (238)
Olbermann: Secretary Rice testified last week she had never seen the overture from Iran in '03 for talks with the U.S.- it would have perhaps provided assistance regarding Iraq. Once again, is this just blatant, head first, ram-it-through-the-wall kind of misinformation being passed off by the administration; are they just denying something that's obviously true?
Johnson - It's one of two things, Keith. Either it's incompetence, and we saw an element of that with her handling of the information prior to 9/11 or she has a medical problem, perhaps early onset Alzheimer's. You know, I can't figure it out.
Larry expands on how there's no there there at NoQuarter:
The truth about the Iranian threat is that the Bush Administration is not telling the real truth. Like any effective propagandist President Bush is using a kernel of truth and, with the help of many in the media, laying the foundation for another war. Only this time it will likely be a war of retaliation rather than one of pre-emption.
....and the truth shall set us free.
Download (494) Play (348) Download (272) Play (238)
Olbermann: Secretary Rice testified last week she had never seen the overture from Iran in '03 for talks with the U.S.- it would have perhaps provided assistance regarding Iraq. Once again, is this just blatant, head first, ram-it-through-the-wall kind of misinformation being passed off by the administration; are they just denying something that's obviously true?
Johnson - It's one of two things, Keith. Either it's incompetence, and we saw an element of that with her handling of the information prior to 9/11 or she has a medical problem, perhaps early onset Alzheimer's. You know, I can't figure it out.
Larry expands on how there's no there there at NoQuarter:
The truth about the Iranian threat is that the Bush Administration is not telling the real truth. Like any effective propagandist President Bush is using a kernel of truth and, with the help of many in the media, laying the foundation for another war. Only this time it will likely be a war of retaliation rather than one of pre-emption.
....and the truth shall set us free.
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