02-17-2005, 09:12
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#1
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Area Commander
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Negroponte to be Intelligence Chief
February 17, 2005
Bush Names Iraq Envoy as Nation's 1st Intelligence Chief
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Thursday named John Negroponte, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and currently the administration's top representative in Iraq, to be America's first national intelligence director.
It's a sudden job change for Negroponte, a career diplomat. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has been serving as U.S. ambassador in Baghdad since June.
Negroponte, 65, was at the United Nations when he was tapped to take on the delicate job of transforming the U.S. presence in Iraq from that of an occupier to that of an adviser. Bush chose him for the job last April and he went to Baghdad hours after the handover of sovereignty to Iraq's interim government.
Negroponte has also been ambassador to the Philippines, Mexico and Honduras.
As ambassador to the United Nations, Negroponte helped win unanimous approval of a Security Council resolution that demanded Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein comply with U.N. mandates to disarm. Negroponte worked to expand the role for international security forces in Afghanistan after the overthrow of the Taliban government.
Negroponte's confirmation to the United Nations post was delayed a half-year mostly because of criticism of his record as the U.S. ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1985. In Honduras, he played a prominent role in assisting the Contras in Nicaragua in their war with the left-wing Sandinista government.
Human rights groups alleged that Negroponte acquiesced in human rights abuses by Honduran death squads funded and partly trained by the CIA. Negroponte testified during the hearings for the U.N. post that he did not believe death squads were operating in Honduras.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., reacting to the news, said, "The number one problem that has plagued our domestic war on terror is that the individual agencies responsible for intelligence gathering still don't share. It is my hope that the president will give the resources and authority to Ambassador Negroponte to turn things around in our disconnected intelligence community."
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jatx is offline
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02-17-2005, 11:55
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#2
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Consigliere
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So is this a good choice or not?
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Roguish Lawyer is offline
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02-17-2005, 12:21
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#3
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Area Commander
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Well, I'm not particularly supportive of this new post to begin with, but he seems like a fine choice to me. His time at State should have prepared him well for the kind of bureaucratic infighting and turf wars he's likely to encounter as he brings so many disparate groups under one umbrella. I also like that he has been on the ground in Iraq for some time, and that he had some experience with UW in Honduras. Perhaps that will lessen the likelihood of him taking an Ivory Tower approach to GWOT.
Others here are likely to have a much richer view of this, though... 
__________________
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither Thou goest." - Ecclesiastes 9:10
"If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so." - JRRT
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jatx is offline
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02-17-2005, 15:41
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#4
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Quiet Professional
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Holy Mary Mother of God! What, does Negroponte have pics of POTUS or something? COME ON!!!!
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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02-17-2005, 16:28
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#5
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Area Commander
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Holy Mary Mother of God! What, does Negroponte have pics of POTUS or something? COME ON!!!!
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Care to elaborate on that? Whom would you have chosen? 
__________________
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither Thou goest." - Ecclesiastes 9:10
"If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so." - JRRT
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jatx is offline
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02-17-2005, 18:48
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#6
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Area Commander
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Holy Mary Mother of God! What, does Negroponte have pics of POTUS or something? COME ON!!!!
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My very first thought was that Negroponte was chosen simply because he is politically reliable and part of the Bush inter-circle. While I don't think the pick was an inspired one there are several things in its favor.
The first is Negroponte has never worked for one of the agencies he now controls and might be able to stay above the interagency in fighting without being accused of favoring one over the other. He doesn't have a dog in the fight so to speak.
His time in Iraq has given him an up close (as up and close as a wonk will ever get) view of some of the problems we are facing. He has working knowledge that isn't restricted to one region of the world from his time at the State Department. IIRC he fairly extensive LA exposure.
Finally his tenure as ambassador to the UN has given him some exposure on how to deal with a very inefficient beaurocracy. Something I am sure he is going to need a lot of in fairly short order.
Not a great pick but not a horrible one.
Edited to add: that it appears that Lt. Gen. Mike Hayden, formerly of the NSA, will be the man behind the curtin and that Negroponte will be the public face and the liason to the WH.
Last edited by rubberneck; 02-17-2005 at 18:58.
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rubberneck is offline
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02-17-2005, 19:07
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#7
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I wouldn't have created the post.
But having to occupy it, I certainly wouldn't have picked a career diplomat from State.
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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02-17-2005, 19:25
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#8
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Kia ora, bro
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The director of the SIS here is former Foreign Affairs, I have read that he doesn't really know how to run the place and has created a climate of fear. The same thing might happen in the US.
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Huey14 is offline
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02-19-2005, 13:44
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#9
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Somebody want to take the opposing view and explain why he's a good choice?
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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02-19-2005, 15:07
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#10
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Area Commander
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Somebody want to take the opposing view and explain why he's a good choice?
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While I think it is an uninspired choice driven by political reliability I did mention some things in his favor. I wonder if his position will largely ceremonial in nature with the heavy lifting being done by Lt. Gen Hayden.
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rubberneck is offline
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02-19-2005, 17:33
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#11
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Kia ora, bro
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Somebody want to take the opposing view and explain why he's a good choice?
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Not bogged down with internal political history, would make him unbias and can look at things without a tainted eye as much as a career intel lad would.
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Huey14 is offline
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02-19-2005, 17:45
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#12
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Consigliere
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Somebody want to take the opposing view and explain why he's a good choice?
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His prior involvement in Central America seems to suggest that he is philosophically appropriate, but I don't know if that is the case or not.
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Roguish Lawyer is offline
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02-19-2005, 21:54
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#13
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Quiet Professional
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Prior involvement in what counselor?
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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02-19-2005, 21:59
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#14
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Quiet Professional
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Huey14
Not bogged down with internal political history, would make him unbias and can look at things without a tainted eye as much as a career intel lad would.
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Not following. You don't think State is political?
__________________
Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?
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NousDefionsDoc is offline
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02-19-2005, 23:00
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#15
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Area Commander
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc
Not following. You don't think State is political?
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I think he is referring to the intra agency rivalry that seems to exsist between the CIA, NSA, DIA and the others. As an outsider he won't automatically be viewed by the various agencies under him as having a bias aginst them. I could have totally misunderstood what Huey meant. If that is the case I'll shut up and sit down.
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rubberneck is offline
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