Date: August 10, 2005 2:12:14 AM PDT
Subject: [Spy News] Armed With Half a Credential
368.html
Armed With Half a Credential
By Al Kamen
Wednesday, August 10, 2005; Page A15
There's increasing chatter that the FBI is getting ready to name the head of
its new super-spy agency, the National Security Service.
The NSS, which combines the FBI's counterterrorism shop, the criminal
investigations folks and the intelligence directorate, is part of the latest
big reorganization at the FBI with the goal of improving its ability to deal
with the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism.
And so who's most prominently mentioned for the job? Naturally it would be
Gary M. Bald , now executive assistant director for counterterrorism and a
man who has testified that he knows precious little about Islam or the
Middle East and does not think it is important to know such things.
In his recent testimony in a job discrimination lawsuit, Bald said he got
his terrorism training on the job when he went to the FBI headquarters two
years ago, according to transcripts obtained by the Associated Press. When
asked whether he had much knowledge of Middle East culture and history, he
said: "I wish that I had it. It would be nice."
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and other top folks said it is leadership
skill, not subject matter knowledge, that's important.
Mueller defended the selection of Bald as counterterrorism chief because he
had run the Baltimore field office, which had a terrorism program, and had
run the Washington sniper shootings investigation. (They've stopped looking
for that white van.)
"Running the office gave him some exposure to terrorism," Mueller testified
in the lawsuit, according to the AP. "Yes, I think absolutely it would give,
contribute to his ability to handle counterterroism."
Apparently he was not joking. National Director of Intelligence John D.
Negroponte has sign-off authority over the appointment.
Well, it won't matter much who gets the job. Most of these folks are said to
spend the better part of the day in meetings, jousting over the budget and
trying to figure out how to stick it to the CIA.
Next, the Terrorism Counter-Calendar
Speaking of feeling safe, there is a calendar/weekly planner floating around
in counterterrorism circles that has to be the coolest -- or scariest --
calendar around. It's a 5-by-9-inch spiral called "Counterterrorism 2005."
(Okay, it took a while to get.)
Days of the week are on right-hand pages along with terrorist incidents that
occurred on those dates. Today, in 1987, for example, "17 November detonates
bomb near a bus with US airmen [in Greece]; 10 injured." Yesterday, in 2002,
a "grenade blast kills four and injures 25 at a Christian missionary
hospital in Islamabad."
The left-hand page has terrorism facts -- lists and descriptions of deadly
chemical and biological agents, maps, summaries of terrorist groups and
terrorists of the month -- plus wanted posters of some very nasty-looking
guys. The first is a man listed as Usama bin Ladin , who is "believed to be
in Afghanistan. He is left-handed and walks with a cane. CAUTION -- Should
be considered armed and dangerous."
Then there's September's Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan , wanted for the 1998
embassy bombings in Africa and other attacks. He "sometimes wears a light
beard or mustache and has in the past managed a trucking business in Kenya."
Or, for June, Faker Ben Abdelazziz Boussora . Boussora, a Canadian thought
to be involved in possible activities in this country, "has predominately
protruding ears and is believed to have a serious pituitary gland illness."
The calendar does not say who published it. (Try the National
Counterterrorism Center.) It's not classified, an intelligence source said,
but "it's an internal tool for the counterterrorism community."
Maybe someone could flip one over to Bald to bring him up to speed.
Leahy Advised, Cohen Consented
Liberal groups are busily preparing for the confirmation battle over the
nomination of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court. The fight of
late between Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats and the administration is
over Roberts's memos when he was deputy solicitor general from 1989 to 1993.
Time is of the essence for the opposition because the committee hearing is
to begin Sept. 6.
But where's the committee's Democratic chief counsel, Bruce A. Cohen ?
Cohen, who is supposed to be working the document request issue, has not
been seen since around July 31. Turns out he and his family are vacationing
in their house in Tuscany, Italy, for a couple of weeks. Groups prepared to
lobby senators on the nomination are grousing about being rudderless.
We're told Cohen was going to stay and send the family off without him, but
his boss, ranking committee Democrat Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.), told him to go
with them. Well, there's always e-mail. And he took Roberts's opinions with
him -- but not those memos.
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