Controversial Pentagon Espionage Unit Loses Its Leader -WP

[Rose Siding]

The leader of a new Pentagon espionage unit has resigned his position, shortly after public disclosure that the Defense Department is expanding into clandestine operations traditionally undertaken by the CIA.

The Strategic Support Branch and its departing leader are controversial among the elite special operations forces assigned to work with them on high-risk intelligence missions overseas, some of whom aired complaints in a Jan. 23 Washington Post story about deficits in the training and performance of the unit's officers. Defense officials with firsthand knowledge said the unit's leader, reserve Army Col. George Waldroup, surprised his staff in the first week of February with an announcement that he was stepping down immediately.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, subordinates said, is pressing ahead with plans for independent Pentagon intelligence operations around the world. The Post disclosed last month that Rumsfeld has reinterpreted U.S. law to grant him broad authority to dispatch clandestine teams into friendly and unfriendly nations, whether or not conventional war is in prospect. Designed to help cure what Rumsfeld described as his "near total dependence on CIA," the Strategic Support Branch gathers intelligence alongside newly empowered forces from the military's Joint Special Operations Command.

In Congress, the House and Senate intelligence committees have held closed briefings in the past two weeks with senior defense officials, including Undersecretary for Intelligence Stephen A. Cambone. In sometimes heated exchanges, witnesses said, members of both parties complained to Cambone about learning from a newspaper account that the Pentagon created a new espionage team more than two years ago, using funds "reprogrammed" from congressional appropriations. Members of Congress also asked about Pentagon legal theories under which defense personnel could conduct "routine" and "traditional" operations without notifying Congress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19785-2005Feb12.html

[Disturbed]

1. Behind Rumsfailed charming smile is a

diabolical, sociopathic monster.

[zann725]

2. Behind ALL their smiles.

n/t

[UL_Approved]

3. The shadow government gets more attention

This is the real danger of the Bush admin.

Ever hear of the STAZI?

This is taken out of their doctrine, which was the basis for 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and other choice books of the social commentary bent.

[LynnTheDem]

4. Several felonies there, but as rightwingnuts own Congress and don't care

about felonies when (R)s commit them... :shrug:

1. Creating the SS w/out Congressional knowledge = felony
2. Funding SS w/out Congressional knowledge = felony
3. Diverting funds w/out Congressional knowledge = felony
4. Agents operating outside of USA w/out Congressional approval = felony

And a case could be made for treason.

[Supersedeas]

8. Colonel Waldroup has a story to tell--will the hush money suffice?

Re-programmed taxpayer money of course.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

9. This total lawlessness is terrorism. 'We won't ask for a permission slip..

...to create private armies and threaten anyone we want to with Gitmo or worse.'

Preventing resistance is cost-effective and has no adverse consequences so far.

I think this is meant to chill those of us who still read about things other than celebrities and sports, especially Congress.


Congress must be totally terrorized after-
*having no air-cover on 9/11,
*recieving US military-grade anthrax in their mail,
*the beltway sniper (who killed an FBI agent named Linda Evans), and *signing the 'Doomsday Act' which declares anyone left alive after an 'event' kills lots of Congress IS the de facto government.

Man, when the CIA isn't evil enough for your plans, you are hyper-bad.
It will take much more than Howard Dean's courage to get out of this.

[Mountainman]

5. complained to Cambone ? Why in hell don't they demand and end or

send them all to prison ?

Complaigned sounds like such a weak way of acting.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. "dispatch clandestine teams into friendly and unfriendly nations"

.
.
.

Damm good way to make every country in the world suspicious of ANY person appearing/acting "American".

When will the US ever decide to repair it's problems INSIDE the US?

Oh, I know.

When the rest of the world finally decides that they are not welcome ANYWHERE!

Not much wonder countries like Russia are upgrading their weaponry

They figure (and probably correctly) that the only way to get America off of it's murderous power-trip is to blow the shit out of it!

no? . . . :shrug:

[lala_rawraw]

7. Ah, good... more domestic

operations then?