Rumsfeld’s Office of Special Plans
Here’s a really interesting story from the Observer, as reprinted at Guardian Unlimited: US rivals turn on each other as weapons search draws a blank. It describes the activities of “The Cabal,” a shadowy group of intelligence analysts that is part of the Office of Special Plans, an intelligence-gathering body set up in the Defense Department by Donald Rumsfeld in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. According to the article, Rumsfeld didn’t like the intelligence he was getting from traditional sources like the CIA, so he set up the OSP to produce intelligence more to his liking. The OSP apparently was the source for much of the now-exposed-as-fallacious “intelligence” about the Iraqi WMD program.
The article appears to be a follow-on to this earlier New Yorker article by Seymour M. Hersch: Selective intelligence. For a counter-spin, see this piece from Jack Shafer in Slate: The leading indicator that WMD will be found: Seymour M. Hersh says they won’t.
July 17th, 2003 at 12:08 pm
Its amazing that there is so much information about OSP on the web on obscure websites but no information in the mainstream media. Well, its actually not amazing, its expected. Now the head of CIA claims that it is the CIA’s mistake. Certainly the CIA had nothing to do with the purported information errors. I made a prediction in 1999, police state in U.S. by 2005. With secret passing of the patriot act II and the not so secret passing of patriot act I this prediction is surely coming true. I hope I don’t lose my citizenship for saying so as they now have that option at their hands. If your friends start to disappear, don’t worry, they’ll be safe in democratic hands.
July 18th, 2003 at 8:04 am
An update on the OSP. Sickening.
July 19th, 2003 at 12:42 pm
Misleader or Misled?
It is time for all Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, to unite and help this Bush Administration stand up to the neo-conservatives. I don’t know whether Mr. Bush is a misleader or if he is being misled by these people. However, the neo-conservative ideology is on the rise and threatens all of us. America is scaring the world!
Since 9/11 the door of opportunity has opened to these neo-conservatives!
Specifically, a shadow agency, the Office of Special Plans (OSP) has been established by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his Deputy Paul Wolfowitz. The goal is to look at intelligence in varied and hardlined ways.
One problem is that OSP does not always share their intelligence with the CIA or the State Department. They keep it within the powerful Pentagon or share with other ideologues such as VP Dick Cheney, his Chief of Staff Lewis Libby, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich. These people leaned on others to make the case for the Iraqi war. Gregory Thielman, State Department Official, said, “They surveyed data and picked out what they liked.”
To maintain secrecy and deal with mountains of intelligence OSP hires temporary consultants. These hires are policy wonks with neo-con leanings. When intelligence briefings occur, OSP has the room full of like-minded people. Therefore it is possible that Bush is not getting “darn good intelligence.”
So there you have it, neo-cons want to reorganize America and the world. Members of powerful Project for the New American Century (PNAC) include people inside and outside of the Administration.
PNAC’s influence is mighty as is that of the Pentagon.
If we have another war, be old fashioned. Follow the Constitution; let Congress have a well publicized debate and then let Congress decide on war!
July 21st, 2003 at 7:13 am
http://www.officeofspecialplans.com/
ha ha ha ha aha ahahahah hqab ah aahahahahahahahhahhaaahahah I love the internet!
July 21st, 2003 at 11:54 am
Great info! Suggest all viewers request a transcript of a Special Order Speech that Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gave on the floor of the house the night of 7/10/03. It was an amazing detailed speech explaining the actions of the Neo-cons, titled Neo-CONNED!. EVERY AMERICAN MUST READ THIS! AND THEN ACT ON IT BY GETTING THE WORD OUT! OUR NATION DEPENDS ON OUR ACTIONS. Call Rep Paul’s office @202-225-2831.
July 21st, 2003 at 11:55 am
Great info! Suggest all viewers request a transcript of a Special Order Speech that Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gave on the floor of the house the night of 7/10/03. It was an amazing detailed speech explaining the actions of the Neo-cons, titled Neo-CONNED!. EVERY AMERICAN MUST READ THIS! AND THEN ACT ON IT BY GETTING THE WORD OUT! OUR NATION DEPENDS ON OUR ACTIONS. Call Rep Paul’s office @202-225-2831.
October 2nd, 2003 at 4:32 am
shame rumsfield
November 2nd, 2003 at 11:41 pm
Mr. Rumsfeld is the only person of power that I see keeping us from blowing up the whole world. I think in the final analyses we will find that his ‘special plans’ saved the day and our lives as we will know them then.
As for the rest of the upper Bush Admin, they sure are’nt very good at this.
March 13th, 2004 at 12:59 am
Vulcans Unite under one Flag
When it comes to knuckle walking there are few so inspired
http://scari.org/chalabi.html
Fear of the other: The Xenophobic Usual Suspects, Neo-Cons use the uniting cry of hegemony for the sake of order; the same paranoid cry of the agents of The Office Of Special Plans. If Globalization is so compelling, why is our National Interest so pressient; one might think the marketplace of ideas would prevail to allow for a multitude of thought, a plethora of views.
http://scari.org/stuff_and_things.html
To Privatize War and let market forces (the invisible hand) determine where and when –– why and how is determined on a case by case basis: decided by O.S.P.
Accusation of Treason, is the most powerful tool in a skimpy kit of tricks. Tail gunner Joe McCarthy was a man before his time. The present cast of characters is the stuff of great theater; Neo-Cons as inmates, wearing tattoos behind bars, would not do well as correctional interdiction candidates; for these Hardened
Xenophobes the conviction of their rectitude drives their agenda –– their cast and lot seems preordained to behave as automatons programmed to repeat the same error message. A prolapsed anus may be the only cure.
Like quantum mechanics, the observer affects the outcome.
Game Theory and the Collective Subjective wags the dog.
http://scari.org/arnold_and_thee.html
warning
* In reality this image is a prolapsed anus that has been inverted to some dramatic effect. We hope you realize that xenophobic behavior can not be resolved by decapitation, however, xenophobia is not a phobia that concerns one who has experienced an anus prolapse. Anus prolapses affect homophobia similarly.
November 16th, 2004 at 6:53 pm
I agree that outsourcing war is extremely dangerous, there are now more Corp-Contractors in Iraq than military of any other nation.
More dangerous still is the Covert-CIA, perhaps one of the most dangerous terrorist organization on earth. The marriage of this miscarriage of justice with the Pentagon is an atrocity. That this miscarriage has produced its own ParaMilitary is only one monster offspring that has resulted. That ABU Prison interrogaters involved in torture and death being allowed to be called ‘Military-Intelligence’ is a lie within a lie.
That these evils destroy America and Democracy as they destroy the Constitution, US Law, US-Gov and International Treaty is no longer in doubt. Who will eventually pay the piper for this evil is also in no doubt.