Low Intelligence

The National Intelligence Estimate -- well, it's key conclusions, actually -- has been released and I have read most of it. Glenn Reynolds sums it up aptly:

While we should fire the leakers on general principles, we should probably also fire whoever wrote this -- for producing a meaningless document full of empty bureaucratic twaddle. If the jihadists win, they'll have more prestige! And they will probably use the internets! Do tell. Jesus Christ, if this is the quality of intelligence we're getting, no wonder we haven't won yet.

I have worked extensively in the past with CIA-based federated intelligence products and this is what I have come to expect. The CIA itself is a haven for leftist dilettantes with too much education in the humanities and not enough field experience. The Operations division despises the Analysis division, and rightly so. OF course today, all the attention (and all the money) goes to Analysis. And this is the kind of krep we get, especially when the analysis seeks to represent a consensus of the intelligence community.

Though far from perfect, military intelligence organizations function far more professionally. Were I king for a day, I would abolish the CIA and start over from scratch, basing the new organization on key cadres from the military.

Monk