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• Tuesday, January 6, 2009 11:24 PM

  @Arne Langsetmo

  Your points are well taken as to DO officers serving as DCIA. But here again

  you and Glenn seem to think that one of the most critical intel jobs in

  the nation can only be filled by either a political emissary or someone from the

  DO. Which of course just doesn't have to be the case, and was my point

  in the last post. I mean with what is on the horizon concerning Afghanistan,

  Pakistan and Iran and Iraq, are you telling me you want Leon Panetta

  at the controls playing catch up, you can't be serious!

  Tim Weiner's "Legacy of Ashes" is brilliant in places, but seriously biased and

  disingenuous in others. Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars" is vintage Coll and brilliant

  as always. Hindsight is always 20/20. I operated in Afghanistan from 1987-89.

  Let me assure you that from the NGO's in Peshawar, to the Agency, to the Pakis,

  to the USAF pilots that were flying into Kandahar. Yes, the USAF was directly involved

  in the war against the Soviets. We all thought we were doing the right thing in

  supporting the Hezbi, Jamiat, Massoud and others. Could the radicalization of these

  groups have been predicted, at that time it was a coin toss at best. That was

  something that occurred much later in the arena. If you doubt this then look at the

  seldom mentioned fact that there were no suicide bombings against the Soviets.

  And later none by the Taliban against the Northern Alliance. As for the holes in

  "Legacy of Ashes" good analysis is given at:

  http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/20/twist_the_evidence_win_a_prize/

  http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=hsnews-000002688704

  I think it's also important to remember that most journalists are analyst at best. In

  other words, they don't actually do the jobs they write about. Which, does not

  disqualify their opinions, but doing and analyzing are two very different things,

  as Strobe Talbott quickly found out.

  —asiashooter Read asiashooter's other letters
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