Former VP Cheney: CIA's Mission With Joe Wilson Was

Dick Cheney: Joe Wilson's mission was 'Amateur Hour out at the CIA' -- The Politico

Vice President Dick Cheney told federal prosecutors that he had “no idea” who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to a newspaper columnist in 2003 – the episode that touched off the CIA leak scandal that brought down Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Cheney’s exact role in the leak probe has long been a subject of speculation – and his May 8, 2004, interview with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald does little to clear up the question, since Cheney expressed a lack of recollection about several key issues. In at least one instance, Cheney flatly refused to answer a question about what he had told President George W. Bush.

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My Comment: When I first learned about the Joe Wilson affair, details were scarce but I felt even at that time it was a poorly planned mission. Former ambassador Joe Wilson may have had contacts in the Niger Government, but he was not is a position to know if yellow cake was being exported out of the country or not. His information was coming from people who may have told him the truth .... or lief to him .... without him knowing exactly if the information he was being given was reliable.

On this issue the former Vice President is right .... this is another episode in which the CIA was being amateurish.

However, the media is missing the big picture. If Vice President Cheney strongly felt that the CIA was being amateurish at the time, what did he do to correct the situation. Did he advocate changes? Did he initiate oversight? Were people fired? I have a hundred and one questions .... but no one is asking them.

President Obama's Afghan Strategy -- News Updates October 30, 2009

Obama Meets Joint Chiefs to Review Afghanistan Strategy -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama met Friday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the way ahead in Afghanistan — in particular how sending more forces might affect the health of the military, already strained by eight years of war.

Administration and military officials said the top officers from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force briefed the president on the long-term consequences for personnel and equipment under various options being considered.

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More News On President Obama's Afghan Strategy

Obama gets fresh sense of state of armed services -- AP
Obama's choice between more lives lost and the peril of al-Qaeda -- Irish Times
U.S. Troops to Afghanistan: A Waiting Game -- CBS
Don't rush the Afghan debate -- Christian Science Monitor opinion
FACTBOX: How Obama's Afghan strategy is shaping up -- Reuters

U.S. Intelligence Spending Is $49.8 Billion

United States Intelligence Community Seal

The Intelligence Budget, Revisited -- Washington Independent

Last month, on a conference call with reporters, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair stated that the total budget for U.S. intelligence activities — an unsurprisingly murky total; and until recently a classified one — is $75 billion. As I later clarified, Blair meant the total for both military and non-military intelligence activities — as in the past two years since a congressional change mandating disclosure — only the so-called National Intelligence Program budget has been revealed, a figure that has hovered around $45 billion. And that meant that, per Blair’s disclosure in the conference call, the still-well-hidden (if not actually classified) Military Intelligence Program budget is around $30 billion. But aides to Blair stressed that we wouldn’t know the real National Intelligence Program budget until October, when the congressionally mandated unveiling would occur.

Well, today is the day! From Blair’s office:

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More News On U.S. Intelligence Spending

US spy agencies' spending rises to $49.8 billion -- AP
$50 billion for intelligence -- Best Defense/Foreign Policy
2009 intelligence budget: Almost $50 billion -- Federal Times
U.S. nonmilitary intelligence budget totals nearly $50 bln in 2009 -- China View
DoD Releases Military Intel Program Budget Docs -- Secrecy News

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- October 30, 2009

Iran nuclear power center. (Photo from San Francisco Sentinel)

Tehran Rejects Nuclear Accord, Officials Report -- David E. Sanger, Steven Erlanger and Robert F. Worth, New York Times

WASHINGTON — Iran told the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday that it would not accept a plan its negotiators agreed to last week to send its stockpile of uranium out of the country, according to diplomats in Europe and American officials briefed on Iran’s response.

The apparent rejection of the deal could unwind President Obama’s effort to buy time to resolve the nuclear standoff.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

The Return of Israel's Existential Dread -- Yossi Klein Halevi, Wall Street Journal

Obama Should Reject Iran's Offer -- Meir Javedanfar, RealClearWorld

Hopes of restarting Middle East peace process look like a mirage -- Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph

Coming to Terms with Resurgent Taliban -- C.R. Gharekhan, The Hindu

Afghanistan Needs More Troops -- David Ignatius, Real Clear World/Washington Post

What we can achieve in Afghanistan -- Robert Zoellick, Washington Post

Waiting for Obama to Get Down to War -- Greg Sheridan, Real Clear World/The Australian

Muddled Thinking on Afghanistan -- Washington Times editorial

Many What-ifs In Pakistan -- Gautam Adhikari, Times of India

Why Colombia's Leftist Guerrillas Are Defecting -- John Otis, Time

Shortages eroding Hugo Chávez's support -- Phil Gunson, Miami Herald

Humiliating Japan -- Gordon Chang, Forbes

World News Briefs -- October 30, 2009

Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya speaks during a meeting inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa October 28, 2009. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Honduran Rivals Clinch Deal To End Crisis -- Yahoo News/Reuters

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduras is on the verge of ending a four-month political crisis after rival camps cut a deal that could return ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power and earn international support for a November 29 election.

Buckling under pressure from U.S. diplomats, negotiators for Zelaya, toppled in a June 28 coup, and the de facto leader Roberto Micheletti who replaced him, agreed to put an end to Central America's worst political turmoil in two decades.

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MIDDLE EAST

Iran rejects deal to ship out uranium, officials report. Iran reply on nuclear deal called 'inadequate'.

Iraq makes sweeping arrests over Baghdad blasts. Iraq arrests 61 officials in fatal blasts.

Clinton to meet Abbas in Abu Dhabi.

US envoy launches another attempt at Mideast peace.

Qaida-linked group claims rocket attack on Israel.

Israel marks 14 years since Rabin assassination.

Hajj pilgrims may be told to take swine flu vaccine.

ASIA

SKorea planning troop deployment to Afghanistan.

China invites Kim Jong Il to visit.

Fourth storm lashes Philippines.

Karzai opponent set to boycott presidential election re-run.

UN to boost Afghan security after Kabul attack.

Clinton faces Pakistani anger at Predator attacks.

India must put house in order: PM Singh.

AFRICA

Dozens of policemen killed in ethnic clashes in Congo.

Guinea's Military Government arrests opponents. What else is happening in Guinea?

Southern African states to hold Zimbabwe summit.

Zimbabwe officials deport UN investigator invited by Government.

Pirates to move British victims to hostage 'prison ship'. Pirates want $7 million ransom for UK couple.

EUROPE

In Russia, an intensifying insurgency. Russia to quadruple troops stationed in the North Caucasus.

Jacques Chirac faces corruption trial over 'ghost' jobs.

EU sets 100 billion euro climate summit goal.

EU grants Czech Republic Lisbon treaty concession.

Tony Blair's bid for EU presidency sinks.

AMERICAS

Colombia and the US sign military pact to fight cocaine trade.

US wins praise and some questions for Honduras role.

Strikes hit schools, hospitals, subways in Argentina's capital.

Caracas residents preparing for water rationing.

In Nicaragua, Sandinista mob attacks U.S. Embassy.

Haitian prime minister fired by Senate.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Judge credits time served in sentencing al-Qaeda aide.

Pakistan Army picks up trail of al-Qaeda operative wanted for 9/11.

FBI: Radical Islamist group ruled by inmate in "Supermax" jail.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Gov't says stimulus saved or created 650,000 jobs.

Eurozone jobless worst since 1999.

US STOCKS-Wall St tumbles on recovery jitters, financials.

To Keep One U.S. Soldier In Afghanistan Costs $500,000 Per Year. For One Taliban Soldier It Costs $2,600

Taliban militants appear at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan
Reuters / Corbis

Adding Afghanistan Troops Could Cost $500,000 Per Person -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- If President Obama decides to send the 40,000 additional forces to Afghanistan as requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a rough estimate by the Pentagon projects the cost could be an additional $20 billion a year, according to a senior Pentagon official.

The official said the Defense Department comptrollers office has told Congress that based on rough estimates, the total cost of keeping an individual service member in the war zone is now about $500,000 a year.

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My Comment: My estimate for the cost of one Taliban soldier comes from total revenues collected by the Taliban ($400 million per year as estimated from the New York Times), and the number of Taliban soldiers in the field (15,000 soldiers as estimated from Time Magazine).

Therefore .... $400 million divided by 15,000 equals $2,666.

Hmmmmm .....

$500,000 for one U.S. Soldier.
$2,600 for one Taliban soldier. (And I am sure that most of the Taliban's money goes into weapons and ammo).

Wow ....

UAV Drone Swarms Are Now Being Tested

NAVAIR And Augusta Demo Operations Of Multiple Swarms Of UAVs And Sensors -- Space War

The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) recently demonstrated autonomous operations by multiple "swarms" of unmanned air and ground vehicles, unattended ground sensors, video cameras and other devices linked together in an intelligent network powered by EdgeFrontier platform technologies from Augusta Systems, Inc.

The demonstrations were held at a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility on Wallops Island, Va.

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Update: This is the future of UAVs, and we are getting the first glimpse of their potential right now.