Monday, March 19, 2007
Get Smart? [Cliff May]
One of the raps on the intelligence community is that prior to 9/11/01 it lacked focus: Lulled by such types as the CIA’s Paul Pillar who denounced "overheated rhetoric that has spun out ever more frightening and unusual ways in which terrorism might inflict large numbers of casualties” (more on that in this Wall Street Journal editorial) and Larry C. Johnson a former CIA and State Department official who in the summer of 2001 insisted that it was untrue that “extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism,” the intelligence community neglected those threatening Americans and focused instead on such projects as breaking glass ceilings for women and recruiting more Hispanics.
So today I receive a letter from the “Office of the Director of National Intelligence” containing information on Mike McConnell, the nation’s second Director of National Intelligence.
In the envelope is a nice letter saying that McConnell plans to focus on six issues including “better information sharing across the intelligence community,” “creating tools and techniques that allow for deeper penetration of intelligence targets,” and “applying more efficient acquisition and financial accounting standards.”
Also included is a selection of remarks by McConnell.
And then there is a one-pager on what is also called “a priority of Director McConnell’s”: “Diversity,” including “representation, promotion and retention of minorities,” “gains in female representation in promotions and awards,” and “minority representation in selected education and development programs.”
OK. Fine. Wonderful. But may I suggest this be kept in mind: If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. For a few years, how about focusing intensively on gathering and analyzing intelligence about the capabilities of those regimes and organizations – e.g Iran, North Korea al-Qaeda, Hezbollah – that would like to slaughter Americans by the thousands? 03/19 05:00 PM
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