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After Claiming U.S. Less Safe Due To Iraq, Counterterror Chief Resigns

thinkprogress.org — Retired Vice Admiral Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told NBC News this week that the U.S. is not “tactically” safer as a result of the Iraq war. That message defied the official line from White House. Redd also acknowledged that, over the short term, the Iraq war has created a “giant recruiting tool” for terrorists.

Who dugg this? Made popular Oct 18, 2007

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  • notque, on 10/19/2007, -8/+52Committing terrorist acts against a population, and not allowing their own will regarding their country's decisions creates more terrorists?

    Who could have seen that coming?

    Noam Chomsky -

    "It is easy to demonstrate that for Bush planners, the threat of terror is a low priority. The invasion of Iraq is only one of many illustrations. Even their own intelligence agencies agreed with the consensus among other agencies, and independent specialists, that the invasion was likely to increase the threat of terror, as it did; probably nuclear proliferation as well, as also predicted. Such threats are simply not high priorities as compared with the opportunity to establish the first secure military bases in a dependent client state at the heart of the world's major energy reserves, a region understood since World War II to be the "most strategically important area of the world," "a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history." Apart from what one historian of the industry calls "profits beyond the dreams of avarice," which must flow in the right direction, control over two-thirds of the world's estimated hydrocarbon reserves – uniquely cheap and easy to exploit – provides what Zbigniew Brzezinski recently called "critical leverage" over European and Asian rivals, what George Kennan many years earlier had called "veto power" over them. These have been crucial policy concerns throughout the post-World War II period, even more so in today's evolving tripolar world, with its threat that Europe and Asia might move towards greater independence, and worse, might be united: China and the EU became each other's major trading partners in 2004, joined by the world's second largest economy (Japan), and those tendencies are likely to increase. A firm hand on the spigot reduces these dangers."
  • BBCILOVEU, on 10/19/2007, -10/+45The Counter-terrorism Chief agrees with Ron Paul's assessment that the Iraq war has been a recruitment tool for Al Queda. Ron Paul's statements however seemingly extreme at times (i.e. the climate of fear in my home county America) are vindicated time and again by history and the facts. I haven't seen an interviewer or debate stump Ron Paul yet. It is very exciting to see a sound logical philosophy of Liberty emerge in my country. This report marks a turning point in the debate, one which the good Doctor has already won.

  • shawnfassett, on 10/19/2007, -6/+38at least this guy didn't wait until after he left the Bush Admin to speak out (George Tenet, Colin Powell, Jack Goldsmith, etc...)
  • inactive, on 10/19/2007, -6/+30People have been calling brilliant activist, Noam Chomsky a whacko for decades. Finally now, people are waking up to what people like him have been saying for all of their adult lives. Ron Paul has been saying the same thing for decades.. Read his newest book, "A Foreign Policy of Freedom", he was touting this message in congress clear back into the early 80's. They too, called Ron Paul a fool. Thank god that people are starting to wake up!
  • babcat, on 10/19/2007, -3/+24More and more people are realizing the truth that policing the world and nation building only puts our nation in a more dangerous position. We need to leave Iraq immediately and bring all our troops home!
  • Wiggles2, on 10/19/2007, -2/+21Ron Paul said as much during the May debates, before Guiliani rebuked him for it:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=cQrwKr_b4Lg
  • misconstrued, on 10/19/2007, -4/+18I would love to have been able to read that guy's mind during that long pause before he says, "tactically probably not." I wish someone high up in this administration would grow a pair and speak their mind.
  • notque, on 10/18/2007, -2/+15Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich have had clear foreign policy positions that align with what Noam Chomsky has been saying for an awfully long time.
  • Frei, on 10/18/2007, -3/+15The whole Wolowitz/Bush doctrine of using military force to achieve political objectives and solidify American power through the 21st century has only weakened us. It's scary that their still clinging to those ridiculous ideas in spite of so much evidence to the contrary.

    But...But our masterplan can't fail! Next time gadget, NEXT TIME!
  • liberteebell, on 10/18/2007, -4/+16Ah, yes. Actions have consequences. Imagine that! But the neo-cons don't care; the consequences only serve to further their imperial agenda, the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi people be damned! It's a disgusting philosophy but I am heartened that people are finally waking up.
  • MacEnvy, on 10/18/2007, -4/+15He is, however, a prime example of what would have happened to Tenet, Powell, and Goldsmith if they had spoken out while still inside the Administration. You talk, you get the boot.
  • warriorscot, on 10/19/2007, -1/+9The rest of the world has known this as common knowledge for a few years now, not a big revelation but a big step for someone in the American government.

    Before the Invasion Saddam was brutal, but it was on the insurgents that give us trouble that he was harshest, it was not a problem before it is now and it is 100% our fault it is a blatant lie to say otherwise. Iraq was never a threat the people in Iraq were never a threat we knew that at the time.
  • BESTenemy, on 10/18/2007, -0/+8Although pulling out will prevent escalation of the problem, it won't undo the damage already done. Even if you give a lollipop and a friendly pat to every Iraqi kid whose relative has been killed directly by us or as a result of intervention, the chances are, he'll still grow up nurturing hate and will do something about it eventually. Our OPEC involvement has been leveraging power in the Middle East since early 70's. Events that lead to 9/11 were set in motion decades ago.

    Same thing will likely happen again. Those that are young, but powerless to change the world around them will grow up and decades later come after your kids to avenge their dead relatives. All rationale goes out the door if you see someone you love get killed. If you see foreigners invade your land to install their version of justice, you grow up hating them.

    Right now we're paying for our parents mistakes. We're making the same mistakes along the way, leaving our kids with the same grave consequences.
  • Frei, on 10/20/2007, -0/+6"Stuff like that was happening every six months while Clinton was in office."

    Are you by any chance 7 years old or did you live in a cave during the 1990's? This war and the ***** that goes along with it has taken away valuable resources needed to fight terrorism. Should we even deal with the root casues of terrorism and how our foreign policy helps breed it?
  • gernblansted, on 10/18/2007, -0/+6I randomly drank chemicals in the garage before and nothing happened. Therefore, drinking random bottles of chemicals in the garage is safe.
    Sound logic - If it hasn't happened yet, then it must be safe.
    How can so many people still be fooled by that anemic line of logic?
  • ScornedPatriot, on 10/19/2007, -4/+9@satan - Just because YOU don't like what Ron Paul stands for, why do you assume people don't know what he stands for? I know very well what he stands for and I fully endorse his view points, and have backed the general ideas of the libertarians for quite some time. He stands for more personal responsibility, and less entitlement programs. He wants people to take care of themselves, I'm tired of paying a large portion of my pay to entitlement programs for others, and I like that message.
  • IADTatami, on 10/18/2007, -1/+6Who's is the toweriest?
  • ncc74656m, on 10/18/2007, -0/+5Wow, you're one dumb *****, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. You're just completely retarded.

    Did it ever occur to you that they are a lot less interested in attacking us directly than in attacking and continuing to draw down our force deployments? They have no concerns about running out of troops anytime soon. We, on the other hand, probably will, and very soon.

    I think you have such a misguided and willfully blind point of view that to even suggest your opinions is blatantly foolish. And it doesn't take an act of terror to prove how significantly less safe we are. Just look at Katrina and the Kansas tornado incidents. Our National Guard, along with most other branches of our military are so far stressed beyond their limits, it's a matter of time before the system is completely broken.

    "Next time, try doing a little research."
  • ivandir, on 10/20/2007, -0/+4Dude we are ***** as a nation. We can see ourselves falling off the cliff and there is no way of stopping. Not even Ron Paul can save us now.

    ***** this millennium has brought nothing but ***** in the US.
  • gernblansted, on 10/18/2007, -0/+4The most amazing thing about all of this is that one does not need to be exceptionally intelligent to see this has been the case, and yet so many in high places pretend otherwise. In time even the more dimwitted elements in our society will come to see the truth. There will be nothing to hide behind for those who continue this charade - they will be seen as the total incompetent bozos they are, and the group think excuse "everyone thought that way" won't even be a defense because only the small incurious minds will have believed that repeatedly poking a stick in the eyes of a people won't make them respond negatively towards us. Muslims as a whole have a good and valid reason to be pissed at America.
  • card51short, on 10/18/2007, -0/+4I just love how all the neo-con/deniers/warmongers use the argument that people in power "conspiring" against their own people is such an insane "theory" yet they point to every other country as the boogeyman:
    "Saddam Gassed his own people!"
    "Amenajad eats Iranian babies!"
    "Bush? He's OUR president...we have to support him!"

    Well I guess there's a reason only 20% of people agree with you...most from rural areas with no idea where Iraq even is.
    Congrats! Your war is going great! You're gonna win!!!
  • rudy23, on 10/18/2007, -2/+6US less safe due to iraq. and also yeah I resign.
  • licnyc, on 10/18/2007, -0/+4That is *****- the argument is that this administration and invading Iraq is just fueling the problems an creating a bigger struggle. There is never the argument that terrorism doesn't exist- the point is the necon ideology and the bush admin total mismanagement is making it much much worse. So why don't you open your eyes and see how things have gone from bad to horrible.
  • pintomp3, on 10/18/2007, -1/+5our wars against iraq, iran, syria, etc have never been about our safety. they are about neo-cons promoting american hegemony and hard-line israeli interests. securing oil supplies and the military industrial complex are only secondary to those causes and are used to obfuscate the root causes.
  • inactive, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3They are well prepared for crowd-dispersal.
  • schoi, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3And Mikerand ... troops getting blown up every single day ... that's not an attack on Americans?
  • objectcode, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3this guy here certainly is no fool /sarcasm
  • gernblansted, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3@ "Did it ever occur to you that they are a lot less interested in attacking us directly than in attacking and continuing to draw down our force deployments?"

    This is exactly what Osama Bin Laden said he'd hoped for by attacking the U.S. - a protracted military struggle to drain the resources of America. Since we are paying for this war using our children's credit card, and we're getting close to having no more credit available to us, I'd say he was right on target. It's a damn shame we didn't have someone in office who had the brain power to avoid that bullet.
  • dschrute, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3Here it comes.....Think Progress, Commies, dugg down, far left whackos....BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!

    Just cause you didn't read about it on Fox News doesn't mean it didn't happen. I think this whole outcome was pretty obvious to anyone who is mildly intelligent and educated.
  • sensoukami, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3Correlation does not equal causation. Very important concept in logic that many people (i.e. you in this case, forget).

    If I had to guess, I'd say that has more to do with invading Afghanistan than Iraq, seeing how that was Al-Quaeda's base of operations. Traditionally, global terrorist organizations require a sponsor nation to do their worst. Also, Al-Quaeda doesn't care about WHERE it kills Americans. They stopped bombing ships at sea or embassies in Africa because it can bleed America of blood and treasure in Iraq more conveniently.
  • tehnico, on 10/18/2007, -0/+3Did he resign, or did he "resign"?
  • card51short, on 10/22/2007, -0/+2p0s3r, he never wrote that letter...a staffer did...and was promptly fired
  • sensoukami, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2True...but even blind chickens find corn. Your point doesn't invalidate the article. Ad hominem attacks, while entertaining, have limits...
  • awtripp, on 10/18/2007, -1/+3What does this do? Sway the opinions of one or two people? This country is so divided it's insane! There are so many people on the extremes of both ends, and the people stuck in the middle willing to keep an open mind, all they can hear is the fighting of the two extremes! The United States of America and it's Media are driving me crazy! I don't even want to hear anyone on any news channel any more, it is one in a million to hear a story that's genuine journalism -- but, alas, I cannot stop watching it all. Pop those bubbles and branch out. Hate FOX News? Watch FOX News. Hate Daily Show or Keith Olbermann? Start watching the Daily Show and Olbermann. Open your minds and take it all in, do some reading in history, read up on goverment, find out the stuff that really can't be made up, and find out for YOURSELF what the truth is, because some meat puppet on tv telling you something doesn't mean it has any value. The point is to get passionate after you've watched it and to not go in to something with your mind made up, because that will shut down any chance you have of realizing something new (or learning if you will) -- and when you to your passionate speech, back it up with factual evidence. Just straight up anger, sensationalism and name calling makes us all look like backwards fools -- I think the evidence for that is pretty blatant.
  • sensoukami, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2I have as much of a problem with it as I do with getting a story from Rush or O'Reilly. I am NOT a fan of ThinkProgress or RawStory at all. But as I say, that doesn't necessarily mean it's incorrect. The individual in question made the comments and resigned his post. To me, that is all that matters. If it is a lie, point it out.
  • petebot, on 10/18/2007, -1/+3I've been on Digg for quite a while now, and I've been exposed to lots of conspiracy theories in that time. But yours, sir, takes the cake. By the way, if they were going to infect a population, wouldn't they use something a little quicker-acting and easier to contract? Like Ebola or Marburg? (Marburg sacares the ***** out of me. If that ever started spreading in an urban area...)
  • card51short, on 10/22/2007, -0/+2Thanks for the summary, satanat.
    Ron Paul 2008!
  • fangorious, on 10/19/2007, -0/+2last time I checked, protestants are christians who don't adhere to the pope/vatican.
  • morningmatters, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2One has to wonder, why is it that with the Bush admin you must resign before you can confirm the truth? Shouldn't public officials be rewarded for for serving the public with utmost integrity, rather than getting fired?
  • KennMac, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2Yeah... I uh, "resign" after the mafia-like threating phone-call I received last night.
  • lex10, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2What a shock.
  • notque, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2http://digg.com/political_opinion/Anarchism_101_wi ...

    You don't need to be exceptionally intelligent, you just need to break free of the propaganda.
  • gernblansted, on 10/19/2007, -1/+3"Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions"

    Now, exactly how is this a "fact"? It sounds like opinion to me.
  • reiner15, on 10/18/2007, -2/+4
    Fight spam with spam.

    Great tactic.
  • drakelord, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2You obviously have no idea how many Iraqis are in the county at this very moment. Nor how easy it is for them to get over here. As long as there is no proof that they are coming here to blow something up or anything, we won't stop them at the airport.

  • kurttrail, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2The vast majority of Americans that supported the Iraqi Evasion in 2003 were wrong.

    Majority Opinion /= Reality
  • card51short, on 10/18/2007, -0/+2NOOOOO SCOOB20!!!! PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BURY IT!!!!
    YOU GUYS SCOOB20 DOESN'T AGREE WITH THE INFO!!!!! HE HASN'T EVEN USED ANY LINKS OR FACTS TO BACK UP HIS ARGUMENT BUT IT DOESNT' MATTER....IT'S SCOOB20!!!!
    PLEASE COME BACK AND READ THIS SCOOB PLEASE!!!!
  • petebot, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2I'm not shocked that the US would do bad things at all. It's pretty obvious the we do plenty of bad things throughout the world, both well-known and covert. But I fail to see how the US, the US government, politicians, the CIA, republicans or corporations would benefit from "giving" AIDS to Africans...
  • ivandir, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2Sure then I hereby summon you as my slave. Idiot.
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