Journal: What Al Qaeda Et Al Can and Cannot Do

08 Wild Cards, 09 Terrorism, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Military, Peace Intelligence

[gerecht]The Meaning Of Al Qaeda's Double Agent:  The jihadists are showing impressive counterintelligence ability that the CIA seems to have underestimated.

Wall Street Journal Reuel Marc Gerecht January 8, 2010  [safety copy of entire piece below the fold]

Amid the Hysteria, A Look at What al-Qaeda Can't Do

TIME Magazine By Peter Beinart Monday, Jan. 18, 2010

Wanted: Dead': With little public debate or notice, the Obama administration has significantly stepped up its targeted assassinations.

National Journal By James Kitfield Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 [Subscription]

Hidden behind walls of top-secret classification, senior U.S. government officials meet in what is essentially a star chamber to decide which enemies of the state to target for assassination. There is no single master list, but all names pass through an elaborate, multi-agency vetting process that ends at the level of the National Security Council and ultimately requires presidential approval.

Overwhelm. Divide. Spread. Bankrupt. Diversify: Al Qaeda's new grand strategy

Washington Post By Bruce Hoffman  January 10, 2010

Human Rights Gagged MI5 Over Abdulmutallab: Intelligence on Muslim radicals cannot be passed to the US because of privacy fears

London Sunday Times By David Leppard and Hala Jaber January 10, 2010

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Review: The Good Fight–Why Liberals—and Only Liberals—Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again (Hardcover)

4 Star, Politics
Amazon Page
Amazon Page

Wonk Writing for Wonks–Not for Normal People,

June 26, 2006

Peter Beinart

I bought this book together with Paul Waldman's “Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn from Conservative Success,” and between the two, would certainly rate this one as being the most detailed intellectually, but that is a flaw as well as a virtue. My eyes glazed over, between the fine print and the fine points.

Without any way disagreeing with the author's belabored and detailed commentary, I would boil the book down to two bottom lines:

1) Liberals also known as Progressives must restore their communion with the PUBLIC and draw the line between conservatives supporting corporate fascism, and the public interest focused on equal opportunity for INDIVIDUALS.

2) Deep in the book is the other bottom line: the Democratic Party has completely lost its mind and heart and its connection with the blue collar white worksrs (as well as other folks that one author would call the “working poor”).

This is a very serious book, and it will help the intellectuals among the left of center elite understand their failure, but this book is not going to win any points with the labor unions, the working poor, or the broader coalition of Independents, Reforms, Greens, Libertarians, and — my own proclivity — moderate Republicans.

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