The DNI made me do it...

"The scandal surrounding US intelligence reports on ISIS just hit President Barack Obama's inner circle.

James Clapper, America's top spy, is reportedly in "frequent and unusual contact" with the military officer who is suspected of allowing US reports on ISIS to be altered to fit the administration's official line, Spencer Ackerman at The Guardian reports.

"In communications, Clapper, who is far more senior than Grove, is said to tell Grove how the war looks from his vantage point, and question Grove about Central Command’s assessments," Ackerman writes.

"Such a situation could place inherent pressure on a subordinate, sources said."" 

Read more:  http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-administration-and-isis-intelligence-2015-9#ixzz3lRMiOBk0

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/10/james-clapper-pentagon-military-official

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 Well, pilgrims, I will not comment until this situation is clearer pl  

Comments

[gemini33]

Bringing Clapper's name into this story means it will probably get more attention from the media.

On social media, I've seen some comments from hawks frustrated that it hasn't drawn more media attention. Paraphrased, I've seen these comments: "This story should be on the front pages every day" and "There should be public Congressional hearings about this".

[ThePanzer]

HoHo! As I said yesterday, Congressional hearings please! Especially now that James "I may have misled congress a bit on domestic spying" Clapper is involved in a dubious situation...again.

Maybe if James Clapper keeps testifying under oath he'll finally get caught in enough lies and get canned. Bonus points if it goes further up the food chain.

[turcopolier]

All

Clapper is a toadie. He always was. We have "history." He would not have done this on his own. The CENTCOM J-2 does not work for Clapper but he would know or believe that Clapper was doing this at the behest of the WH. pl

[ThePanzer]

I just wish today's news items had landed on Monday instead of today. Between 9/11 remembrances and it being a Friday it's likely to get lost in the other news stories. Hopefully more info will hit early next week to keep it fresh in the news cycle.

[Allen Thomson]

Well, I don't know the facts of the current situation either, but will note that there were a couple instances in the '70s and '80s when it was made very clear to analysts that there were conclusions concerning significant issues that would make The Powers That Be smile, and conclusions that would make them unhappy. Those analysts' Career Service Boards were mindful of the concerns of the TPTB, and, consequently, so were most analysts.

That said, it's true that those instances were few and that most of the time things worked more or less as they should. But they did happen.

[Allen Thomson]

> Clapper is a toadie.

Oh, and, ditto Tenet. Famous for looking up, though he did connect downward also. But up took priority.

[walrus]

I said at the beginning of the Obama Presidency, when I labelled him a narcissist, that these folk always do something so completely stupid that rational folk ask themselves : "what could he possibly have been thinking"? More about that later.

My two cents worth is that It would appear that Obamas minions are doing their level best to preserve their bosses ego by doctoring the intelligence to buttress his version of reality where he is the great political and military strategist and the saviour of the Middle East. I cannot overstress that this action is NOT about someone protecting their career, it is about the great leaders ego.

What I wonder now is how this apparent mis - appreciation of the situation in Syria is going to affect the White House evaluation of Russia's direct entry into the Syrian conflict. It can't be good, especially when you combine it with President Obamas overwhelming personal hatred of Vladimir Putin. This is where we risk the final nuclear "what could he possibly have been thinking?" moment.

[Swami Bhut Jolokia]

So I wonder who leaked this info to the Guardian. Grove/Ryckman in a CYA maneuver, or someone lower down on the food chain who is really pissed. Or someone in some other agency that is not happy with the watering down of the assessments.

[Will Reks]

Clapper should have been fired after giving false testimony. I agree, though, that he's not acting on his own.

[turcopolier]

walrus

I agree with all that but it is the self-obsession of people like Clapper that enables Obama's narcissism. pl

[turcopolier]

walrus

Looks like Clapper was just doing Obama's bidding. That is all he knows how to do. pl

[Ishmael Zechariah]

Col. Lang, SST;
Clapper seems to have plenty of like-minded company. Here is the IC in action:
"FBI, intel chiefs decry “deep cynicism” over cyber spying program"
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/09/fbi-intel-chiefs-decry-deep-cynicism-over-cyber-spying-programs/

Ishmael Zechariah