Adam L. Silverman*
Penn Bullock and Brandon Thorp of Gawker, based on culling reporting from the NY Times, the Washington Post, MSNBC, McClatchy, and other sources, have reported that the head of the unit tasked with hunting and finding bin Laden from 2002-2004 went on from that position to a lucrative career helping to profiteer off of US operations in Iraq, as well as trying to bribe the Jordanians and providing illegal campaign contributions from non-Americans. Moreover, based on his own emails he seems to be too enthused by the unfortunate realities of what is going on in the war zone he and they company he went to work for were profiting off of.
Its this very lucrative market that is going to make it very hard to actually adjust our policies, strategies, and operations.
I know a number of very, very professional, dedicated, and highly qualified people who have worked for the Agency. Its a testament to their professionalism that when the politicized shenanigans that have seemed to reoccur there over the past decade that they keep plugging away doing their jobs.
* Adam L. Silverman is the Culture and Foreign Language Advisor at the US Army War College. The views expressed here are his own and do not represent those of the US Army War College or the US Army.
