Cannonfire

Monday, May 11, 2015

Sy Hersh on the death of Osama

I should have more to say later today on Sy Hersh's blockbuster piece on the death of Osama Bin Laden. Hersh contends that the official story is wrong, as I'm sure it is. But I have to ask: Why are so many people (CNN, for example) paying attention to what Hersh has to say now? When he revealed that the "Assad used sarin" story was bogus, we heard crickets. Apparently, if an investigative journalist wants attention, he should write something that plugs into a neocon narrative.

Hersh contends that Pakistan was "in on it" from the start. Actually, there was subtle-but-substantial evidence for that idea back in 2011, as I noted in this post.

One name is conspicuous by its absence in Hersh's piece: CIA Director Porter Goss. Am I the only one who recalls Goss' 2005 claim that he had "an excellent idea" where Bin Laden was?

Now let's play "Identify the Mystery Man"...

The major US source for the account that follows is a retired senior intelligence official who was knowledgeable about the initial intelligence about bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. He also was privy to many aspects of the Seals’ training for the raid, and to the various after-action reports.

Goss retired as CIA Director in 2006. Could he have learned about this stuff in 2011? Possibly. The same could be said of Michael Hayden (retired 2009). Leon Panetta definitely would have known, but I can't imagine Panetta saying anything that might endanger Hillary's candidacy.

posted: 9:43 AM

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Comments:

It struck me as I was reading Hersh's piece that the "retired official" would be easily identifiable to insiders.

posted by

Anonymous : 11:36 AM

The White House’s story might have been written by Lewis Carroll

This covers it for me. Thanks SH

posted by

jo6pac : 12:21 PM

For another glimpse into the world of smoke and mirrors catch Porter Goss' telling reaction when Bush brings up the subject of bin Ladin–
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/g98i2g/cia-director-porter-goss

posted by

lastlemming : 5:54 AM

Limited hangout exposure. Why does Hersh have such access to American intelligence officials?

Bin Laden had serious kidney disease. He was interviewed by a US official while in a clinic undergoing treatment. He was reported to be undergoing dialysis. He was reported to have purchased two dialysis machines for his personal use. His last uncontested video statement showed a graying unhealthy man with pale skin who didn't move his left arm during the entire interview. He was widely reported to have died in 2001 because of his health problems. An obituary was published in an Egyptian newspaper. US officials even spoke of him as being dead, until the story changed and newer useful Bin Ladens appeared in videos.

After the raid on the Pakistan compound, the reports coming from locals didn't match the official account, nor Hersh's story. A next door neighbor to the compound was interviewed by a Pakistani television reporter. He said that the hit squad all spoke in the local language and dialect... and that the helicopter exploded upon take off, killing everyone on board. This fellow and the reactions of the interviewer seemed genuine. The video was available on YouTube, but was taken down after Paul Craig Roberts published an article describing the interview.

I have mixed opinions about Roberts. He often falters when writing about subjects other than economics. But he is a resource regarding Bin Laden's death. Many articles posted on OpEdNews, including a translation of the Pakistani neighbor interview. Information Clearinghouse just published Hersh's article with an addendum by Roberts. One person in the comments section provides a wealth of links.

Hersh's story hurts Hillary badly. Everyone remembers the photos with her in the situation room during the raid.

posted by

CBarr : 11:24 AM