After Comments, US Terror Chief Resigns
Three days after Americans saw the Bush administration’s counterterrorism chief say the Iraq war has likely not made the United States safer from terrorism, the official announced his resignation, citing health reasons.
In an e-mail sent to his staff Wednesday afternoon, Adm. Scott Redd, head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), said he was stepping down to “take care of some long-delayed surgery that I can no longer neglect.”
The center serves as an all-source intelligence operation, synthesizing information from the CIA, the Pentagon, the FBI and elsewhere and analyzing the threat of terrorism to the United States.
A spokesman said that Redd, 63, needed to have both of his knees replaced, which would require a long period of rehabilitation during which he could not work.
On Monday, NBC News broadcast an interview with Redd in which he said that the U.S. was “probably” not safer from terrorism today than it was before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In the longer term, he said, “We’ll wait and see.”
Redd’s comment apparently contradicted an assertion made by President Bush’s top counterterrorism adviser, Fran Townsend, that the terrorist threat “would have been worse” if the United States had not invaded Iraq.
NCTC spokesman Carl Kropf said Redd’s decision to leave was “absolutely not” related to his comments, and that he had not been pressured in any way to step down.
No replacement has been named. When Redd leaves on Nov. 10, he will be temporarily replaced by his deputy until a new director is confirmed, Kropf said.
In a statement released this afternoon, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell thanked Redd for his service. “I know his decision to step down was difficult,” McConnell said. A spokesman for his office said there was “no pressure whatsoever” on Redd to resign.
© 2007 ABC News
I thought Cheney was the chief of terror!
When the stock markets totally collapse and we finally get our revolution, will heads roll like they did in the French revolution? I think we should just lock the bastards up, make them perform prison labour.
———————————
“Only the grand scale and technocratic impersonality of the crimes conceived and directed by the ruling elite acting under cover of state authority distinguish them from garden variety killers.” Darrell Hamamoto
“The corporations don’t have to lobby the government any more. They are the government.”
Jim Hightower
“Political discussion in the United States is usually restricted to the moderate to conservative range that precludes discussion of class conflict. If “class warfare” is mentioned, it is because a conservative wants to suggest that certain matters should be kept off-limits in American political discussion”
Steve Brouwer
“And in the general hardening of outlook that set in … practices which had been long abandoned - imprisonment without trial, the use of war prisoners as slaves, public executions, torture to extract confessions … and the deportation of whole populations - not only became common again, but were tolerated and even defended by people who considered themselves enlightened and progressive.”
George Orwell, 1984
“Americans cannot escape a certain responsibility for what is done in our name around the world. In a democracy, even one as corrupted as ours, ultimate authority rests with the people. We empower the government with our votes, finance it with our taxes, bolster it with our silent acquiescence. If we are passive in the face of America’s official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them.”
Mark Hertzgaard
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com
TRUTH is an ENEMY of the Bush Regime. America NEEDS more people who have been close to the action over the last 6 years to muster up their patriotism and STEP FORWARD to tell the TRUTH as to what has been going on in a lot of areas that the Bush administraion has worked so hard to keep secret. Being brought down from within because the TRUTH is a powerful ally is somethingI wish would happen to this regime.
It would be a good lesson to future administrations and lord knows future administration will be tempted to tell bolder lies than Bush has
Anyone stepping forward needs to be offered protection and immunity.
An insider telling the truth on his way out - sooner than most, who seem to come to their senses when they have filtered back into the population.
Another example of the unspoken sense of danger that government employees must feel at the idea of revealing the truth.
What else could he do? They will find shit on him and he won’t be able to defend himself for “Natl. Security” reasons.
A spokesman said that Redd, 63, needed to have both of his knees replaced, which would require a long period of rehabilitation during which he could not work.
Uhm, am I the only one thinking “who knee capped him”?
See what happens to ‘Truthsayers”!
Does anyone really think there will be an open, fair and honest 2008 election?
when was the last fair and honest election?
Truth is so refreshing but in this administration it’s awful for your health…I was so Red, White and Blue when I was 12 years old and father spoke about what a great nation we lived in after surviving WWll as a merchant marine on the Liberty Ships. I feel ashamed that my father believed we lived in democracy made of equal laws for all and “Justice for all.” And so many young Americans, immigrants are still dying to fight terror in other countries. Well, the terror is right here on our front steps. How long before we have our Constiution and Bill of Rights back…Thomas Paine is common sense gone from our citizenry?
Some choice, resign or Guantanamo.
I don’t know about his knees but he appears to be growing a spine. Why is it that all these guys start telling the truth now instead of 4-5 years ago when the open debate might have accomplished something.
But what if Bro Redd was not correct–I wish he had said instead,”no one can truly know if the US is safer from terrorist attack since the 2003 invasion of Iraq than before”. Then his resignation would have had the more forceful impact of futility rather than dispute.
That’s the truth of the matter and it doesn’t make competing opinion look the “Battle of the Omniscients”. That simply gets us back to shopping for the “expert” whose “opinion” agrees with our hunches. This does not advance forward the concilliatory dialog needed for democracy.
ABC????????????????????????
Oh the vapors!!!!
Yeah — clearly he’s way overdue for a testiclectomy.
“…Adm. Scott Redd…said he was stepping down to “take care of some long-delayed surgery that I can no longer neglect.”
Yeah…Darth is arranging for Redd’s frontal lobotomy this very moment…Run Scott, RUN!!!!
When Bush leaves he will classify every thing including every time he went to the bath room. All the good stuff that would incriminate him will be destroyed by his henchmen who are well placed in the National Security Archives. All the stuff about Prescott Bush is missing from the archives. Things disappear into thin air like both of the Bush’s tax records for the SEC. The CIA has to many paid civilians on their pay role that are well placed in government who act has managers and cleaners of the records.Destroying the record is treason and illegal.
Thank you MaxheMust for the link to the website thirdworldtraveler. What a great site that is. I have only skimmed it yet, but I do intend to read everything there.
This country has a lot to answer for. I remember growing up thinking we lived in the ‘greatest country in the world’.
The cost of telling the truth in the Bush White House.
I also thought of knee-capping. I could imagine the response from the Vice Presidents office. Adm. Redd’s commments had to cause some serious reaction.
Cheney to Hadley: “Get me Blackwater, will ya?”
Hadley: “Yes sir, Mr. Vice President”.(Pause)–”Blackwater on the line, sir”.
Cheney: “Blackwater, this is the Vice President. I think we have a little job for you. Yes, just a quickie to show that nobody should dare to go up against us or make us look bad. Yeah. We’re sending you a tape of Adm. Redd’s comments as to whether the country is safer now.
Oh, you’ve seen it. Yes it is unforgivable. So we want to send him a little message. No, don’t kill him. Just send an unmistakable message. And a message that everyone can get. Yes, yes. The old kneecap thing. Perfect. Of course, we’ve never discussed this matter.
Good. I’ll be watching for the results then.”
Question. When Bush leaves office without being impeached is there a world organization that can try him for the high crimes and misdomeaners that we appear to want to overlook? I don’t know, that is why I am asking.
Since the Iraq “war” had absolutely NOTHING to do with fighting terrorism, and everything to do with trying to steal $trillions in oil from the Iraqi people, Redd could easily have said “we have invited blowback for our genocidal incursions on a scale that will make 9.11 look like a close call”. But then he never would have made it to the hospital.
Perhaps while Mr. anti-terrorism is having his surgery, he could have a new spine installed.
Hmmmmmm…. Let’s see, every official comment asserts that he was NOT forced out, so we must assume he was.
And, if not why isn’t there a successor waiting in the wings?
Curious. no?
Telling My Friends!
(From Senator Dodd’s Site)
The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.
No more.
Senator Dodd has decided to place a “hold” on the latest FISA bill that would have included retroactive immunity telecommunications companies that enabled the President’s assault on the Constitution by providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.
Not now. Not again. And when he is elected President, Restoring the Constitution is what he will do in his FIRST HOUR in the Oval Office.
Please indicate your support for Senator Dodd’s hold by signing on and consider sharing your thoughts in the comment section.
http://www.chrisdodd.com/fisa
“Uhm, am I the only one thinking “who knee capped him”?”
Nope. But then, I considered that the Bushies would have to hire thugs to do it. Then, of course, I came to the realization that they would have to look no further than the mirror.
So, yeah, he was knee-capped.
“Question. When Bush leaves office without being impeached is there a world organization that can try him for the high crimes and misdomeaners that we appear to want to overlook? I don’t know, that is why I am asking.”
-annabelle
If such a thing were to happen then I would imagine that not only him but anybody tainted by the crimes of his administration will have all their future travel plans severely crimped. Think of Pinochet he almost was extradited to Spain for trial and think also of Alberto Fujimoro who was extradited to stand trial for his crimes.
I seriously do not believe that GWB is ever planning on being held to account. I suspect that the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) figures in on his retirement plans big time.
read all about it here http://www.canadians.org/integratethis/
we’ll all have a harmonized criminal justice system within which the pos isn’t guilty of anything at all.
ROFLMAO,
The truly pathetic thing about it is; according to the book written by John Dean / Barry Goldwater…There are 23 to 25% of this country’s drones which can be called the “cream” if you will, or maybe “super drones”, that will believe any trash spewed from the cowardly, murderous mouths of the minions of Bush. To paraphrase, they’ll follow a bad leader over a cliff simply because he’s their leader. So apparently, unlike Bush et al, Scott has a limit to what he can tell the drones with a straight face and still get some shut-eye at night. Bush, (drunken stupor notwithstanding), isn’t bothered by such “working class” hobbles like a conscience. A nation of sheep, led by a cartel of whores, controlled by Israel/big business. Welcome, to the REAL Evil Empire.
When we get our revolution and the heads roll it won’t be as much fun as we think. All heads look the same in a basket. The Bush idiot head and the Cheney insane head will return to the same dust as yours and mine. Vanity saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. I feel chilly and grown old.
Poet said:
“.. I wish he had said instead,”no one can truly know if the US is safer from terrorist attack since the 2003 invasion of Iraq than before”. Then his resignation would have had the more forceful impact of futility rather than dispute.”
I didn’t realize that futility was more forceful than dispute –notwithstanding the matter that “dispute” will get you fired, thus making dispute seem more futile than “futility”.
“This does not advance forward the concilliatory dialog needed for democracy.”
So you feel that we must be conciliatory? Could you be more specific as to how we can advance democracy with a conciliatory dialog?
What really bothers me is the number of people I encounter daily who still believe the lie that invading Iraq has made us safer, and that GW is doing a great job of protecting us from the evil doers. In Florida I still see many an Escalade with W the president proudly displayed, it’s sad how the irony escapes the drivers of these vehicles.
I wonder what happened to Redd’s knees all of a sudden? Poor bastard, that’s what he gets for being honest in Amerika!
This may sound like an unintended consequence of someone resigning his counter-terrorism job to have surgery on both his knees, but I think we should replace our National Anthem.
We’ve been singing the present song so long, not only both it’s knees, but the feet and legs are long gone too.
What we need, in these trying times, is something a little more up-to-date, with some good old American zip and verve.
I nominate Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah.
Thank god he slipped up and spoke the truth, but Scott Redd shouldn’t have started singing:
“Land of the Kneed, home of the Knave” (sorry: that was really really, really bottom drawer humor..)
It’s time for a little 1776 say I! Resist!
Real Americans don’t worry about their retirements. Several generals have taken parting shots at this administration lately, when told to STFU they replied: I regret that I have but one pension plan to give for my country.
There is still a few Good Americans in this country that know right (Constitution) from wrong (shrub)
Do you really need knees to sit at a computer? He could recuperate at home for the duration of his recovery.
The reason given for his departure doesn’t ring true. Everyone takes a break from work now and then for one ailment or another. And he doesn’t work alone, I’m sure.
Why don’t these people just say they don’t agree with the lies being spewed by the WH and let the chips fall where they may?
Any one who believes that Irak was a threat to us is an idiot by definition, period, why do we have to listen to such people? revolting! HB
What the hell does Redd mean when he says “LIKELY NOT made the US safer from terrorism”???
The Iraq war has DEFINITELY made the US LESS safe from terrrorism. All those wasted dollars, wasted troops and torture have made the US more hated around the globe and especially in the Muslim/Arab world. With no doubt I can say the Iraq war has made the US a more likely target for terrorism and has only increased the ranks of the global Jihadist effort.
Just like Bin Laden wanted.
Iraq was NEVER about terrorism. It was always about money.
Well..well..well..it just keeps getting uglier..does anyone else see the “intelligence failures” as an ADMISSION of complicity in ALL that has ocurred since “That Day”? My Point? “They” just KEEP ADMITTING it to our faces…they actually ADMIT that “there is NO THREAT..”..and think about it..not so much as a TELEPHONE POLE has been cut down in this country..where are the suicide bombers? the Car Bombs? the IED’s? Do you really think an Outfit finaced by Saudi Arabia can’t afford it’s OWN PLANES..? while we are being “re-educated” and trained to ACCEPT that we have NO RIGHTS as we go through airports…the “Enemy” could simply buy a Cessna or a Lear Jet and do the same thing…with even more precision…..and this time maybe hit a target that actually DOES SOME DAMAGE..(and that’s another thing..why do so many Americans believe that the “Enemy” does NOT understand the BASIC DICTUMS of War? To do MAXIMUM DAMAGE TO LIFE AND PROPERTY…so why hit the towers at 8 AM when the bulk of the 40,000 potential inhabitants were elsewhere..sounds kind of..considerate…and FLY OVER the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant on there way to a useless target..why do you believe that?)
Intelligence failures..useless Eternal War…what is the REAL AGENDA..and maybe it’s time to “OUT” these Beauraucrats that make it all possible..make them accountable, ostrasize them…armies of clerks are what make an Authoritarian Government possible…and finally..why are we still paying the bill for the destruction of our rights..I wonder what would happen if say..50 million Americans..just..DIDN’T PAY THERE TAX’S? can you imagine…we have the power of the purse…so why don’t we make them ALL RESIGN…NOW!
THERE IS NO THREAT FROM WITHOUT..THE THREAT IS IN WASHINGTON, THE THREAT IS IN THE STATEHOUSE, THE THREAT IS IN THE NAMELESS BEARAUCRATS THAT DO THE PAPERWORK AND PROCESS THE UNDOING OF 200 YEARS OF CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC..THE THREAT IS THE CORPORATE FASCIST THEOCRASY..DON’T PAY…
I wonder if he (Redd) has any fears of being put under for this opperation?
Adm. Scott Redd, toe the official line, please.
Quote: “… In an e-mail sent to his staff Wednesday afternoon, Adm. Scott Redd, head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), said he was stepping down to “take care of some long-delayed surgery that I can no longer neglect.” …”
Did he intentionally use that excuse because of knowing that it’s old and worn out by now; believing or realising that most of us [should] be aware that it’s been often used by previous others and that the same excuse being used too repetitively or often is a likely sign meaning that the excuse presented is given to signal that there’s something wrong, that the person is not really resigning out of personal choice; in these cases, being forced to resign by enforcers who warn to not state what the real reason is, for if it was revealed, then it’d be incriminating for the enforcers, “bosses”?
I wonder. The excuse is too old, worn out from excessive reptition.
In any case, I don’t believe the reason he gave is true. He “stepped on toes”, bosses’ toes, he did, and they retaliated.
They ususally do one knee at a time, as I understand. It does require rehabilitation and can be quite painfull. Both knees and you would require assistance to do something as simple as go to the bathroom.