“The FBI continues to be a broken, anachronistic organization, but state and local law enforcement officials are much more attuned to the kind of threat we're facing. I think that's very hopeful, but it's a long-term process.” ThinkingKindLongStatesLawProcessTermBrokenOrganizationThreatLocalsLong TermOfficialsHopefulLaw EnforcementEnforcementFbi Author:Michael Scheuer
“They [politicians] have defined the war simply in terms of the detonation of explosives. When you look at the broader picture, America is mired in two wars that we're losing at the moment. We have a political environment that is as poisonous as anything I've seen, at least since the end of Vietnam.” LooksTwoWarEndsMomentsAmericaPoliticalTermEnvironmentPoliticianLosingDefinedVietnamExplosivesPoisonousPolitical Environment Author:Michael Scheuer
“Iraq broke our back in terms of counterterrorism. There's no doubt about it. The first thing, though, that hurt us was the fact that the U.S. military was absolutely unprepared to do anything on 9/11 - or 9/12 or 9/13. And by the time we actually attacked Afghanistan, al Qaeda and the Taliban had dispersed.” FirstsFactsTermHurtDoubtMilitaryIraqBrokeNo DoubtAlsAfghanistanAl QaedaTalibanUnprepared Author:Michael Scheuer
“The whole importance of Iraq is that we have now created two things. One, Iraq is in the Arab heartland in terms of an attraction for people who want to fight the Americans and their allies. It's far greater than anything Afghanistan was aftertheSoviets invaded. It's easy to get to, there's no trouble with languages.” PeopleWantTwoWholeFightingLanguageEasyTermGreaterTroubleImportanceIraqAttractionTwo ThingsAlliesAfghanistanEasy To Get Author:Michael Scheuer
“So in a sense, that little war in the Levant had a horrendous effect in terms of the stability of countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, over the long term. Because once again, it proved to Muslims that their governments couldn't protect them and would side with the enemy.” LittlesLongWarCountryGovernmentSidesTermEnemyEffectsProtectLong TermStabilityEgyptArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisKuwait Author:Michael Scheuer
“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.” ThinkingHas BeensCharacterTermPartyLeaderSecurityCivilizationDestructiveExceptionBin LadenMadmenGangstersApocalypticOsama Bin Laden Author:Michael Scheuer
“In terms of Iraq, al Qaeda valued Iraq because we destroyed a government it wanted destroyed and because we put soldiers on the ground and forces that they could attack. Al Qaeda is basically an insurgent organization that was formed on the model of the Afghan groups. And being bred in that war, they value a contiguous safe haven as much as anything else.” WarGovernmentWantedValuesForceTermGroupsHavensSafeModelsOrganizationSoldierIraqDestroyedAlsAl QaedaInsurgentSafe HavenAfghan Author:Michael Scheuer
“And so to dismiss these homegrown terrorists as boobs, which is one of the terms that was used in one of the New York newspapers after the Miami raid, is true now, but to bet on that is I think a sure way to lose your bank account.” ThinkingWayUsedTermLosesNew YorkAccountsTerroristNewspapersMiamiBank AccountsHomegrown Author:Michael Scheuer
“The U.S. intelligence community is palsied by lawyers. When we were going to capture Osama bin Laden, for example, the lawyers were more concerned with bin Laden's safety and his comfort than they were with the officers charged with capturing him. We had to build an ergonomically designed chair to put him in, special comfort in terms of how he was shackled into the chair. They even worried about what kind of tape to gag him with so it wouldn't irritate his beard. The lawyers are the bane of the intelligence community.” KindPoliticsTermCommunitySpecialExampleComfortConcernedSafetyLawyerWorriedChairsCaptureOfficersTapeBeardBin LadenOsama Bin LadenBaneGagsIntelligence Community Author:Michael Scheuer
