COmments by retired CIA operative

[Moneyguy1]

Here is one certain to be interesting:

What is your take on Tyler Drumheller, the retired CIA agent interviewed today on "60 Minutes"?

[Jim Richards]

Ahh, he waited to b!tch until after he retired. Must be someone to discredit.

[techweenie]

Bob, don't you know the Bushistas don't watch "60 Minutes?"

I doubt this guy will get much coverage on Fox.

And anyway, the latest story is that we invaded Iraq to "stop genocide."

[Jim Richards]

I thought we invaded to ensure every Iraqi that wants it, can have fluoridated water.

[DaveE]

I thought it was so women could vote............................or........or...... .or

[techweenie]

Well, we know for sure it wasn't for "nation building" because candidate Bush opposed nation building.

[pwd72s]

I find it amusing that most of these "experts" on TV seem to have retired from the Clinton administration.

[RallyJon]

don't you know the Bushistas don't watch "60 Minutes?"

Do you actually watch 60 minutes and believe what you see? I would be surprised if you do.

I think that people--of any political stripe--watch 60 Minutes only until they see an episode that covers a topic they know something about. Then they see how shallow and misleading it is, and they stop watching. For me it was the Audi "unintended accelleration" episode. If they're so misleading about one topic, how can you trust them on any other topic?

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by pwd72s
I find it amusing that most of these "experts" on TV seem to have retired from the Clinton administration.

We're still waiting (anxiously) for the Bush administration talking heads to retire. They're finally starting to trickle out.

BTW, 60 minutes is 59.5 minutes too long. And Fox "News" isn't.

[pwd72s]

That's it exactly! How many times do you have to catch See-BS working their propaganda before you realize that it's probably ALL BS?

[DaveE]

The Audi story was definitely a hatchet job but that was 20 years ago. I think they (60 Minutes) got suckered by some smart attorneys.

[pwd72s]

The Alar on apples story got me...See BS at it's best.

[RallyJon]

I think they (60 Minutes) got suckered by some smart attorneys.

I think they get suckered pretty often by those on one side of an issue. That's the problem, they pick a side, then go on the attack. It may be good TV for CBS's typical elderly middle-America shut-in viewer, but it's hardly good journalism.

[Moneyguy1]

pwd:

Apparently, the guy retired after 29 years of service with the "Agency". What administration would this put in office at his hire date and precisely what would this have to do with anyting? Does the White House approve or disapprove of every potential CIA employee?

The gentleman made a statement that he was told that the emphasis would no longer be on WMD, and was to be touted as "Regime Change".

Whether it was one party or the other, when as many people come "out of the woodwork" as have lately, you have to wonder what is the cause...Is there really a problem? Are they all publicity whores? Is it a side effect of easy access to public airwaves? Can ALL of them simply be labelled as "disgruntled", or "Bush haters?" And possibly even more key: Should the media spend as much time as they do on such stories (Detainee treatment, WMD definitions, leaks), or should the public be kept blithely misinformed? Remember: "Ignorance is Strength".

And mul....before you begin your rant on the media, every individual has access to multiple sources and can make up their minds by prudent sifting. FOX is not the only game in town, no more than CNN or any of the others.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by RallyJon
Do you actually watch 60 minutes and believe what you see? I would be surprised if you do.

Yeah, that positive story they had on Iraq a few weeks back -- about the progress in Tal Afar -- that turned out to be a misrepresentation, because a few weeks after they did it, al Quaeda came back into the town.

Just can't trust those positive stories on 60 Minutes.

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by Moneyguy1
pwd:

Apparently, the guy retired after 29 years of service with the "Agency". What administration would this put in office at his hire date and precisely what would this have to do with anyting? Does the White House approve or disapprove of every potential CIA employee?

good point. very, very few are political appointees, and they typically leave with the outgoing administration.

[pwd72s]

I wasn't writing about any one individual...but the TV press talent for bringing well known "experts" back...for example, they seem to bring out Madelyn Albright (Sp?) out a LOT.... Frankly I try to keep my TV off during the news slots these days...it reduces my need for blood pressure pills.

[Jeff Higgins]

Let's see. How about the Jeep "rollover" problem where they had to let the air out of the far side (from the cameras) tires to get it to roll? Or how about the the "exploding" (in a side impact) Chevy pickup that had to be wired with explosives to get it to blow? Let's see, then there was the assault rifle demo from Florida, where they shot at cinder blocks. The "assault rifle" destroyed the block; the "normal" rifle did not. Because they intentionally missed the block. Yes, and the Alar scare that ruined an apple growing friend's business. And on and on. Just who are the brain dead viewrs that keep this "news" show alive?

[914GT]

I'm sure this will really help sell Mr. Drumheller's book . This is all being done for the country of course, and not for personal gain. Uh huh, right.

[Rick Lee]

After 60 Min. did the piece on FL's concealed carry law, where Leslie Stahl got her permit, I just could not watch the show anymore. I recall their show on the assault weapons ban too. Rally is right. Once you see them do a hatchet job on a subject you know something about, you have to wonder about the rest of them. I read enough news sources every day to not feel uninformed about what's going on. So missing 60 Min. has not affected me much.