Thread: Has Anyone Read CIA Guy Michael Scheuer?

Wondered if anyone has read anything by the now ex-CIA bureau chief in charge of the Osama Bin Laden Unit? He has a new book out Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq and also authored the best sellers, Through Our Enemies' Eyes and Imperial Hubris both issued anonymously as he was still employed by the CIA at the time. I have read Imperial Hubris and am looking forward to Marching Toward Hell.

Be aware, anyone who has not heard his interviews or read his work: Michael Scheuer is extremely blunt and factual; relaying info as he believes it to be and not how we may wish it to be.

His training as the head of the Bin Laden unit puts him in a unique position to understand the threats and thoughts of our enemies and those of our own government. He proposes several solutions: #1 being that a radical change of US foreign policy in the Middle East is the the easiest way to remedy our current situation. #2 If our foreign policy is not going to change, that our troops and our countrymen must be prepared for a brutal, bloody and long term war.

Anyone else familiar with his work?

I know of him and have seen him in a few interviews --- he seems to fairly impartial and honest ---


Justin

Yes I have read about him and I think he has a very good handle on many issues. He says that our war will become much more violent that what we've seen so far, and also that it's too late to win in Iraq or Afghanistan. We may also see it become nuclear. The U.S. will be the one to use nuke strike in order to "save" our soldiers as they will face much more resistance.
According to Mr. Scheuer the real driving force behind terrorism is interventionism. He said, "What they hate us for is the unusually virulent strain of obsessive compulsive disorder that's present in the American governing class, and that's called interventionism. That's what the cause of this war is." This differs from what candidates like Obama, Clinton, and McCain say is the reason. It is not our liberty and freedom that creates the motivation for hating the U.S. it's our foreign policy He continued, "That's what the cause of this war is. And neither Mr. McCain, nor Mr. Obama, nor Mrs. Clinton, nor any of the rest of them who are in the campaign-except Mr. Paul, Mr. Kucinich perhaps-had that idea."

I hope more Americans read Mr. Scheuer's books

Great.

Now that people like him are saying it, maybe some of the other Americans will take that message seriously.
Some of the answers I've got in the past for saying the same thing were less than flattering.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Great.

Now that people like him are saying it, maybe some of the other Americans will take that message seriously.
Some of the answers I've got in the past for saying the same thing were less than flattering.

I know what you mean.... but people have to read. Not many do. It's easier to look at the TV and the version you get there will be altered... if you get one at all, this is.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Great.

Now that people like him are saying it, maybe some of the other Americans will take that message seriously.
Some of the answers I've got in the past for saying the same thing were less than flattering.

I know what you mean. When 911 happened, I was pretty isolated in saying that the main reason for it was our foreign policy - especially our support of Isreal. I do not blame the jews. I do not hate the jews. I do realize that those who do hate the jews (radical islamists) blame us for our undying support of the jewish state and they feel that they are at war with us for that reason. As Scheuer says, the Qu'ran comands that infidels must be fought when they are on islamic soil. We've got troops there. We will be fought. The only way to end the fighting is to pull out or completely anilhilate their will to fight us through total war. It is unlikely that we will change their minds with diplomacy.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Great.

Now that people like him are saying it, maybe some of the other Americans will take that message seriously.
Some of the answers I've got in the past for saying the same thing were less than flattering.

I've listened to him ------ that doesn't mean I agree with everything he says. Also, I know the view point that our foreign policy is the cause of all of this -- and while I've heard Mr. Scheuer say it is our foreign policy or at least how our foreign policy is viewed in the middle east, I've also heard him say that our policy is not necessarily wrong.

Personally, I'm pretty much an isolationist and think ideally everyone should handle their own crap ---- but I also think the middle east situation is a combination of many factors. Just as saying that they hate our freedoms is too simple, saying the mean Americans caused all of this is too simple as well. I say it's the results of years of a disenfranchised population ruled by dictatorships ,strong men, ruling families, etc living under a fairly restrictive religion (at least in its fundamental form) seeing others have while they don't and being directed outwardly by their rulers. The U.S. and the west screw around with the Middle East, participate in wars, piss off the population when innocent people are killed, seemingly support Israel at all cost (we might want to considering it is a democracy in a democracy-barren place), and then the population and radicals have something to direct their problems as facilitated by their governments and religious leaders. So would this situation be as is if the middle east was mostly Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, ect ? Would it be this way if they were a little bit more secularist and open? Yeah we have a certain responsibility in all of this but don't oversimplify in any way.

Justin

Nothing is easy or simple in politics, but the US has brought a lot onto itself.

Take Iraq and Iran. The CIA helped Saddam into a power position because he hated the enemies of the US.
Iran had a democratically elected government which was toppeld because it was too friendly with communism. Look at Iran now. Is the situation better?

Now imagine that you were a kid in the middle east when all of this happened, and your entire family was slaughtered one way or the other.
Fast forward 25 years. You are now an adult, in a position of power / influence.

Would you let bygones be bygones? Or would you try and do your best to really hurt the country that plunged your country into chaos and your family into oblivion?

Please understand that this is in no way my feeling about the US, but I can understand why people in the middle feel that way.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Nothing is easy or simple in politics, but the US has brought a lot onto itself.

Take Iraq and Iran. The CIA helped Saddam into a power position because he hated the enemies of the US.
Iran had a democratically elected government which was toppeld because it was too friendly with communism. Look at Iran now. Is the situation better?

Now imagine that you were a kid in the middle east when all of this happened, and your entire family was slaughtered one way or the other.
Fast forward 25 years. You are now an adult, in a position of power / influence.

Would you let bygones be bygones? Or would you try and do your best to really hurt the country that plunged your country into chaos and your family into oblivion?

Please understand that this is in no way my feeling about the US, but I can understand why people in the middle feel that way.

Most Americans I know understand this ---- we've had to deal with questionable people--- Stalin wasn't a great guy but we sided with him in WWII --- I don't know really how a Super Power can be liked by everyone --- not doing anything is enough of a recipe for being hated ("how could you stand by and let this happen"). I don't think any of this stuff would matter if the Communist (the Soviets) would have won and who we propped up in the middle east and why during the Cold War would be moot ---but significant now as the threat is gone. We f-ed around in central and south America as well --- I'm sure pissing off the local population but we are not facing central/south American Christians seeking revenge because of past offense --why not? We killed hundred of thousands of Germans and Japanese in WWII --not all guilty of course ---but I don't know of any movement of Japanese or German revenge seekers --why not? It might have something to do with the establishment of western style government and fairly open societies --------- I think you would have a hard time influencing Westerners , with all the freedoms of expression and opportunity, to become radicalized revenge seekers ---- so is it a need for revenge or a lack of stable government and venues for self improvement and determination? We'll being the answer is usually somewhere in the middle, probably both.

Justin

Ron Paul has it all over the big 3 media candidates, the only one with solutions instead of rhetoric. If only America could pull its head out of the tv and look for themselves, but most people are sheep and wish to sit back and be spoon fed thier favorite pablum. God help Us