Michael Scheuer
Michael Scheuer
Michael F. Scheuer is a former CIA intelligence officer, American blogger, author, foreign policy critic, and political analyst. He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Peace and Security Studies. One of his assignments during his 22-year career was serving as Chief of the Bin Laden Issue Stationfrom 1996 to 1999. He also served as Special Advisor to the Chief of Alec Station from September 2001 to November 2004...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPublic Servant
CountryUnited States of America
attacks bin countries designed rethink support
In all cases, bin Laden indicated that these attacks would be designed to make the countries rethink their support for America.
settled worst
But at the end of the day, we settled for the worst possibility -- he was there and we didn't do anything.
frankly resigned
Frankly when I resigned in November, there wasn't anyone.
nuclear unlike
In this case, nuclear material, so by the end of 1996, it was clear that this was an organization unlike any other one we had ever seen.
arabic crazy drawing guys kinds quality rush
There's no quality control. You'll have guys out there with a smattering of Arabic drawing all kinds of crazy conclusions. Rush Limbaugh will cherry-pick from the right, and Al Franken will cherry-pick from the left.
bin himself immune outside shown wants
Bin Laden has consistently shown himself to be immune to outside pressure. When he wants to do something, he does it on his own schedule.'
dangerous threat within worldwide
This is a worldwide and still very dangerous threat and is well within what he has said before.
tangled
We are tangled in a very significant Islamic insurgency in Iraq.
bin following remarkably terms
Bin Laden is remarkably eager for Americans to know why he doesn't like us, what he intends to do about it and then following up and doing something about it in terms of military actions.
arab bin few less lousy princes saved
The world is lousy with Arab princes. And if we could have got Osama bin Laden, and saved at some point down the road 3,000 American lives, a few less Arab princes would have been OK in my book.
agency focused less single sort time unit
The uniqueness of the unit was more or less that it was focused on a single individual. It was really the first time the agency had done that sort of effort.
dog exercise thinking
No one wants to abandon the Israelis. But I think the perception is, and I think it's probably an accurate perception, that the tail is leading the dog - that we are giving the Israelis carte blanche ability to exercise whatever they want to do in their area.
christmas christian war
The war in Iraq - if Osama was a Christian - it's the Christmas present he never would have expected.
party character thinking
I think one of the most destructive things in terms of American security has been for all of our leaders, without exception in both parties, to identify Osama bin Laden as a gangster or as a madman, as an apocalyptic character who's out to destroy our civilization.