Another counterterrorism official dumps Bush, joins Dems

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9644.html

January 17, 2007
Another counterterrorism official dumps Bush, joins Dems
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A familiar pattern is taking shape: a qualified, competent official joins Bush’s counterterrorism team, grows frustrated by the administration’s priorities, resigns, and joins the Dems.

The latest is Todd Hinnen.

A counterterrorism adviser to President Bush is leaving the White House to join the staff of a prominent Democratic senator gearing up to investigate the administration’s war policies.

A Senate source said Todd M. Hinnen, a director for combating terrorism on the staff of the president’s National Security Council (NSC), will become the chief counsel for Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Hinnen follows Richard Clarke, Rand Beers, and Flynt Leverett, all of whom had key counterterrorism roles in the Bush administration, all of whom grew frustrated with the Bush gang’s policies, and all of whom teamed up with the Dems.

Upon learning that Hinnen was joining Biden, a Republican staffer on the Hill told the Washington Times, “Once again, people on the Bush White House staff turn on him while our soldiers and Marines fight to protect the rest of us.”

It’s exactly this kind of nonsensical, backwards attitude that probably helped drive Hinnen (and Clarke, Beers, and Leverett) to the Dems in the first place.

Indeed, it’s an oldie but a goodie, but Reuters ran an interesting item way back in 2004 noting a “staff exodus” among counterterrorism officials, all of whom left the White House because of the same frustrations expressed by Clarke and Beers. Considering the number of people and the scope of their concerns, it’s impossible to simply dismiss the whole lot as angry employees with axes to grind.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has faced a steady exodus of counterterrorism officials, many disappointed by a preoccupation with Iraq they said undermined the U.S. fight against terrorism.

Former counterterrorism officials said at least half a dozen have left the White House Office for Combating Terrorism or related agencies in frustration in the 2 1/2 years since the attacks.

Some also left because they felt President Bush had sidelined his counterterrorism experts and paid almost exclusive heed to the vice president, the defense secretary and other Cabinet members in planning the “war on terror,” former counterterrorism officials said.

“I’m kind of hoping for regime change,” one official who quit told Reuters.

And for good measure, let’s also not forget Henry Crumpton, Coordinator for Counterterrorism for the State Department, who’s not only stepping down after a year on the job, he’s telling reporters that “we haven’t made any progress” in stopping the worldwide surge in Islamic radicalism, and added “we’ve lost ground,” due in part to the war in Iraq.

It’s impossible to dismiss all of these officials as disgruntled former employees. At a certain point, the White House will have to explain why the president’s top counterterrorism officials keep leaving in droves.

[BuyingThyme]

1. Biden is going to let who do what?

Another good move, Joe.

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. Whoa.....an inside source counterterrorism expert. Sweet. Biden can get some more garbage

from Hinnen. Time for some more dirt to fly. Like it matters? What will it take to take these guys down?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Oh SO true. He had me at wmd. He had me at Katrina.

He had me at wiretaps. He had me at Plame leak. He had me at Yellowcake from AAAAFFFFREEKA. He had me at opening our mail.

[napi21]

3. OH BOY! Wehave to make sure we watch the Biden hearings!!!

It looks like he will have agroup of consecutive counterterrorism advisors to draw info from, and it's going to be VERY DIFFICULT to simplay say, oh Clarke was a Clinton guy, or that info is 2 1/2 years old and things have changed now. It's also, as stated in the article, very hard to dismiss all of them as disgruntled employees with an ax to grind.

I checked the hearing schedule, and it doesn't look like these counterterrorism guys are going to be involved in the ones scheduled for this week. Everything is all about Iraq strategy and alternatives. The ones with these guys could really be popcorn time folks!

[leveymg]

5. “I’m kind of hoping for regime change”

So are a lot of us.