Post intelligence reporter Dana Priest was online Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 11:30 ET, to talk about the latest developments in national security, intelligence and defense.
Priest covers intelligence and recently wrote "The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace With America's Military" (W.W. Norton). The book chronicles the increasing frequency with which the military is called upon to solve political and economic problems.
Dana Priest
(The Washington Post)
|
|
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
________________________________________________
Dana Priest: Hello everyone. Welcome. The sun is out, but it's still freezing. Spring is around the corner and the questions are piling up, so let's begin.
_______________________
Youngstown, Ohio:
Did I read it right? Tenet first said that we
were no safer and possibly in more
danger than a year ago, then when asked
directly if we were safer than a year ago,
said "yes"? OK, which is it and why the
waffling?
Dana Priest: You got it. FBI director Mueller qualified the "yes" by saying he thought the US was safer because law enforcement and citizens are taking many more precautions now, and are aware of Al Qaeda, in ways we were not prior to Sept. 11. Tenet was nodding in agreement.
_______________________
Monterey, Calif.:
Hi Dana,
Was there ever any legitimate (or even 'official') reason given for the June 30th 'deadline' for handing over power in Iraq.
It's beyond obvious that this is all about an attempt to manage the impression of 'progress' in Iraq for the U.S. presidential elections. Where's the hue and cry?
Dana Priest: Don't you think there's plenty of hue and cry these days from the Democratic Party, newly invigorated? This is in stark contrast, by the way, to the Democrats in Congress and elsewhere prior to the war, when there was bearing a peep of dissent. Remember that? As for the June 30th deadline, no reason that really seems immovable. Just a desire to hand over power (some will read: get out of Iraq fast).
_______________________
Ivy, Va.:
Dana, the big "Be Ready" plan by Homeland Security seems a bit late. Did it really take over two years to formulate a strategy on a response to terror? It looks at least in-part like a big election year ploy to make the Bush team look proactive on terrorism, particularly a goal to have 50 percent of American households adopting a terror plan. Is this largely a political strategy? I mean how prepared can any of us be short of some kind of hermetically sealed oxygen-supplied room? Why does it seem so much like 1950s era duck and cover and fanning the mood of fear?
Dana Priest: My speculation, having lived in Washington many years, is that everything an administration does is partly political, especially as we creep closer to elections. The Be Ready idea might seem right out of the 1950s, but having reported on several big scares since Sept. 11, I've concluded, like many people in Washington DC, that 1-I'm not willing to leave Washington-ground zero, 2-I'm not willing to live in a hermetically sealed room 3-the alternative is to be prepared like you would be for a hurricane. Some extra supplies, and some kind of escape plan. There's not a lot in between.
_______________________
Anonymous:
Good morning.
The Guardian had a story about how Bush allegedly suppressed a report from the Pentagon, of all places,about how we must approach the effects of global warming the same way we approach terrorism.
Here is the story:
The Guardian
Why hasn't the American media picked up on this? This deserves far more coverage than Janet's breast. This is important and far-reaching stuff. This should be saturated in the media instead of Michael, Janet, and Lacey.
Thank you.
Dana Priest: The wording, as quoted in the Guardian at least, is much too overwrought to be a Pentagon document. The conclusions, too, are far off from what environmental groups and others have claimed. So I would discount it, but I'm sure our Pentagon reporters are looking into it.
_______________________
Ellicott City, Md.:
I hear nothing about how the transferring of the 100,000+ troops in Iraq is going. Is it going?
Dana Priest: It is beginning. Some units have made it home already and others are moving out. The biggest unit moves will be coming in a couple of weeks still.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
The Bush administration clearly hyped the WMD threat in order to scare the American people into supporting an invasion of Iraq. In the run-up to the war, was the media sufficiently skeptical? In particular, do you and your colleagues at the Washington Post believe that your reporting challenged the administration's WMD assertions?
Dana Priest: I've thought about this a lot. If you go back and check the clips, as I have done, you'll see that reporters here--Walter Pincus, Joby Warrick, Dana Milbank, Karen DeYoung and I wrote dozens of stories before the war that revealed intelligence debates, skepticism and criticism. The Post also wrote a lot about the negative views of allies, the difficulties of pacifying Iraq post-war, and our international isolation. Many of these stories ran on the front page and many of them ran far inside the paper, but they were there. What was missing was any kind of prolonged public debate. Democrats were silent. Republicans seemed totally on board. There were protests, but, in general, they were not large. Some recently retired generals expressed great reservations, as did the chiefs at the Pentagon.
_______________________
Rockville, Md.:
Regarding the hunt for bin Laden. Some have said he is on a dialysis machine. Is that true? If it is true then why doesn't the Pentagon drop one of those non-explosive, electronic pulse bombs that wipe out all the power circuits in a given area? Since the area he is believed to hiding in, is very isolated from society the U.S. wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage to infrastructure. Although it might not be the most conventional way, if Bin Laden depends on this machine to stay alive and we can make it useless, it would accomplish the president's desire of "Dead or Alive."
Dana Priest: Reports have circulated since prior to Sept. 11 that he is on a dialysis machine and efforts have been made to track down every such machine sold in the recent past. As for electronic pulse bombs, well, I bet they've thought of that too.
_______________________
Rockville, Md.:
I was hoping to get your reaction to the report that German intelligence gave the CIA the first name and phone of on the 9/11 hijackers in 1999. Why was this information not acted on? Did the government try some surveillance or was the lead never followed up on? Who in the government would decide the appropriate response to a tip such as this?
Also, if the same thing happened today are their new rules in place that affect this? Does the ever-controversial Patriot Act play a role? Maybe I am mistaken, but I thought the CIA was not allowed to carry out investigations inside the U.S? Should the information been passed along to the FBI and then the FBI would have the burden of following up?
Dana Priest: CIA director Tenet says his people tried to find Marwan. We know they called the phone number the Germans gave them and that it yielded nothing useful. We don't know whether they tracked the phone number to a certain place and then went looking for it. This is contained in the classified section of the 9-11 report, meaning members of Congress know the answer. Who in the government would be responsible? Could be the near east division chief at CIA or counterterrorism unit chief in the field, or at headquarters. Hard to tell. Because all this happened overseas, the CIA and NSA wouldn't need new rules to go after him. Once it gets inside the US, yes, it's handed over to the FBI. Sept. 11 and the Patriot Act have given them broader authority and political cover to act much more aggressively vis a vis terrorist suspects.
_______________________
Potomac, Md.:
Following the White House's lead to consider political ramifications first, second and third, which of the following is the best scenario for the White House:
1. Capturing Osama in October.
2. Another 9/11 in October.
3. Both.
Thanks.
Dana Priest: That's too cynical for me. I know capturing UBL is a top priority. It's ridiculous to say the White House would wide another 9-11.
_______________________
North Wales, Pa.:
Hi Dana,
Thanks for holding the fort with Vernon gone.
I heard a cynical hack say that we have cut a deal with Musharraf of Pakistan that if he gets us bin Laden, we will go easy on the Nuclear-gate.
The timing of the action to get Osama seems fighy to me.
Your thoughts?
Dana Priest: I think we are willing to "go easy" on Musharraf even without bin Laden. Afterall, the US needs him to help kill off Al Qaeda and the Taliban. As for the timing, it's much simpler, it's the weather. Spring brings out flowers and fighters. It's a perennial.
_______________________
Ellicott City, Md.:
I hear that there have been no domestic terrorist attacks since 9/11. What of the Anthrax and the new ricin attacks? And is there any news on these two?
Dana Priest: Sorry, I haven't heard any. Nor I we heard of a foreign link with either. Domestic extremists, wackos, are the main suspects.
_______________________
Ypsilanti, Mich.:
Hello,
If we find Osama this time, will the U.S. troops stay in Pakistan and Afghanistan? What will be our defense relationship with Pakistan going forward?
Dana Priest: I do think they will stay, mainly because the Taliban was more than Osama. Al Qaeda is transforming itself, as DCI Tenet said yesterday, into a worldwide network with many more affiliates and subcontractors than ever before. So I think we will remain a steadfast friend of Pakistan's because of the neighborhood they inhabit.
_______________________
Somewhere:
Ms. Priest,
Speaking of Musharraf, is his life in as much danger as it would appear? And what do you imagine might happen if something did happen to him?
Dana Priest: Yep. Those assassination attempts were real. I think another Army general would succeed him and there may be some type of Marshall law for a while to deter civil unrest.
_______________________
Austin, Tex.:
What about the reports, in the British press and elsewhere, that the U.S. is "closing in" on bin Laden? Do you hear rumors that we might be in the "end game," at least as far as capturing/killing him?
On the other hand, sometimes I think it must be fun being a British newspaper reporter. Especially if you're in to creative writing ...
Dana Priest: Even American officials are hinting at that. There is a big push up on the Afghan-Pak border. Spring is coming. And there are probably very specialized units that were deployed in Iraq and that are now freed up for the UBL hunt again. British reporters are also fun to travel with. I've hung out with some in Iraq, Panama and Kuwait. Great sense of humor and, yes, creative writing.
_______________________
Bethesda, Md.:
Do you think all this press regarding the "tip" given to the CIA by the Germans is warranted? It seems to me there has been a lot more damaging intelligence breakdowns. The CIA had a name and phone number. It's not like the name had a parenthetical that said, "this guy is a friend of another guy who's going to commit a major act of terrorism". What did we really want the CIA to do with this single tidbit mixed in with all the others?
Dana Priest: I agree. Which is why we did not follow up the New York Times report on it. Also, the German press wrote about this one year ago and the joint 9-11 commission addressed it then too, although not to the extent the Times did this week.
_______________________
Somewhere:
Like, I imagine, almost all Americans, I would like nothing better than to see bin Laden drawn and quartered. But would getting him really help that much in the fight against terrorism?
Dana Priest: I do think it would help to demoralize Al Qaeda, but it would not eliminate the problem, which is much deeper than one man or one organization. Read Tenet's testimony on the CIA Web page cia.gov and you'll get a better feel for how extremist groups are now linked in their anti-American ideology.
_______________________
washingtonpost.com: Tenet Testimony
_______________________
Washington, D.C.:
Tenet, in his recent Georgetown speech, said it was important for Americans to understand more about the performance and results of our intelligence services. Yet at the same time he refuses to disclose even the total amount of money we pay for such services. The Post editors recently took him to task for this. Why do you think he has such a hangup over not disclosing the total amount we spend on Intel? He can't really think this would give too much info to our enemies, could he?
Dana Priest: I think you have a point. The agency hides too much behind "classification" to keep their budget and other things secret. It's tradition, not a reasoned rationale. Even some agency employees think it's stupid. The other answer is oversight. Congress is the only one that exercises it, and they have to do a good job because no one can.
_______________________
Rolla, Mo.:
Dana,
I am interested in your take on the success of antiterrorism efforts based on the lack of a strike in the U.S. or against U.S. interests since 9/11. Were there not significant periods of time (years) between the first WTC bombing, the embassy bombings in Africa, the USS Cole and 9/11? I would not rest on the laurels of the past 2 1/2 years, major strikes take lengthy periods of planning.
Dana Priest: CIA people and counterterrorism experts remind me that Al Qaeda is very, very patient. Major strikes take years to prepare. On the other hand, the US is now aggressively going after the network during these periods, so the interlude isn't as quiet, perhaps, as it used to be.
_______________________
Raleigh, N.C.:
Given the recent attacks on Iraq security forces, how are they doing? Are they able to fill their ranks on schedule?
Dana Priest: In general, the thought is they are not nearly as ready as they need to be to take over the security role from US troops. Everyone recognizes that and there's lots of scrambling to fix it quickly. Recruits are still volunteering, as I'm sure they will continue to do as long as the pay is good. Unemployment is such a serious problem in Iraq.
_______________________
Dana Priest: I have to run now. Sorry I couldn't get to all your questions. Let's try again next week. Best, Dana
_______________________
