James Woolsey Makes an Important Statement About National Security
It was a true delight to interview R. James Woolsey, Jr. for the “national security” chapter in my first book, Renewable Energy–Facts and Fantasies. Here’s a highly principled fellow who has served under four U.S. presidents in this arena, culminating with his leadership of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency from 1993 – 1995. I don’t think there was another 60-minute segment in my life in which I learned more.
It appears, however, that Mr. Woolsey will not add a fifth presidential administration to his resume’, at least not at this point in time. He’s withdrawn from his informal position as advisor to president-elect Trump, apparently as a consequence of the three-ring circus that the relationship between the intelligence community and the incoming regime has become, featuring Mr. Trump’s erratic and therefore dangerous comments on Twitter, not to mention his penchant for surrounding himself with those who pose no threat of pushing back against his ideas.
It’s not hard to see why such demeanor would rankle a man like Jim Woolsey, who speaks with great precision and refrains from making off-hand comments that might turn the entire world upside down. Where this mess with the CIA and other organizations in the intelligence space is going is anyone’s guess, but wherever it goes, it won’t happen under Mr. Woolsey’s watch. Good choice, IMO.
I like what he said. “I didn’t want to fly under false colors,”
It is obviously more than very important to have good intelligence and use it.
Thank you James Woolsey sir.
Craig,
For 50 years (often with good reason) the leftist-liberal establishment has reviled, despised and yelled about the iniquity of the CIA and other intelligence agencies.
Now your obsessive hatred of the President-elect is so great that old animosities are all forgiven ! Astounding !
R. James Woolsey, Jr is certainly a bright an erudite individual, but let’s not get too carried away.
James Woolsey’s career in intelligence has been relatively mediocre, more known as an academic show pony. Politically astute he’s the sort of individual chosen to make up the numbers at important sounding conferences and serve on committees where the results are predetermined or attend tedious publicity talkfests.
He served briefly, and without distinction, as Under Secretary of the Navy, in the Carter administration.
His career at the CIA was distinguished by being the only CIA Director in history to be considered such a lightweight by the President, he was never was invited to a single ‘one on one’ meeting with the President or any of the Executive team, who pointedly by-passed him and when he was present at meetings, was completely ignored.
Actually, the only thing that distinguished his time at the CIA was his complete ineffectiveness, and ineptitude in dealing with the Aldrich Ames affair.
This has led some critics to speculate that the Clinton administration were aware that Woolsey was at best a puppet or cypher, and had been thoroughly compromised by the senior CIA operatives.
Woolsey is a political chameleon and survivor, constantly realigning himself with whatever is the latest popular view.
The President-elect, in a rare act for US Presidents, has decided to act independently from the advice provided by some intelligence advisors.
Is this an act of recklessness ? Well maybe, but then again, aren’t these the same folks who advised on the existence of Iraqi WMD resulting in the worst US blunder in US history ?
Interesting to note Woolsey’s response to this absolute disaster for the US, and even more so for US allies who were deeply embarrassed and remain less trustful of US intelligence.
What was P.James Woolsey’s observation on this absolute US disaster ? :-
” I believe, the partly incorrect assessment by American intelligence was an honest and reasonable mistake, not an act of incompetence” ! (Fox news interview 2013).
To this day, Woolsey continues to defend and excuse the strategic blunders of Iraq and US policy so far as CIA involvement is concerned.
Woolsey also found voice when it came to defending the CIA from Edward Snowden.
Woolsey is strident in demanding Snowden be ” ‘extracted’ by any means possible, (even unlawfully) interrogated by any means that droves effective (presumably torture) tried and hanged by his neck until dead” !
Hmmm,… not a terribly liberal viewpoint, but oh well, as long as he hates Trump that’s ok….!
Nor is Woolsey admired by colleagues in the professional intelligence community, most of his reputation is based on his political appointments and as a “commentator for hire” .
Craig, at the risk of seeming impolite, you seem to develop an unusually uncritical relationship with people you interview or impress you.
I don’t think any reasonable person could accept that although Trump’s comments on twitter, may seem erratic to some, they are therefore “dangerous” ! Comments on Twitter are just that, comment on Twitter. It’s absurd to regard them as anything else.
It must irk James Woolsey to discover, yet again, another President who ignores his advise !
Far more interesting is watching old enemies, selling out their principles, to form uneasy alliances against an outsider who refuses to play the game by their rules !
None of the above is intended to detract from all of James Woolsey’s considerable volume of work, some which is insightful and worth reading.
But nothing was ever going to happen “on James Wooley’s Watch ” ! Simply because he has, and was never offered, any Watch-Keeping position !
Although described in the media as a “senior adviser” to the Trump transition team, he’s been forced to admit his position was purely informal and merely one of a number of such advisors.
That’s the trouble with accepting “the enemy of my enemy, is my friend”, you find yourself with some very strange bedfellows !