Rant of the Week

The Invaluability of Intelligence

 

The first development concerned the alleged plot by Iran to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States. American officials disclosed that “several hours after his arrest” they had advised the Iranian-American defendant, Mansour J. Arbabsiar, of his Miranda rights. He waived those rights, as well as a right to be quickly presented to a judge, and spent nearly two weeks providing “extremely valuable intelligence,” officials said. New York Times, 2011-10-13.

Wow. Mr. Arbabsiar, you will know, has been widely reported to be kind of a nut case. His neighbors and friends say he is basically incapable of organizing his way out of a paper bag. And be it noted that he was caught by the usual American strategy now that the constitution doesn't apply to anything: an FBI informant led him on for two months. Hey, do you hate America? I hate America. Hey, Mansour-- you know what I'd really like to do? Kill the Saudi ambassador. I hate him. What do you think, Mansour? Do you hate the Saudi ambassador?  What'd'ya'say?

But you can't tell Americans the truth about all this for obvious reasons.  So you talk about this "invaluable intelligence" you are getting.  From someone who, I take it, has been talking and talking and talking.  Because he's not very smart.  But when your intelligence agencies fervently believe that there are an infinite number of conspiracies out there but you just don't know about them all yet, you will have invaluable intelligence.

 
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