A couple of days ago, I started this new department devoted to monitoring Michael Scheuer. I don’t think it will be a long-term proposition. The television shows that regularly bring on this former CIA official as an expert in counterterrorism, I believe, will soon be getting wise, if they haven’t gotten wise already, that they’ve been dealing with a loose potato. Scheuer will soon fade even further to the margins, appearing not in the mainstream media but in far-out places that he has already begun to write for, like antiwar.com, where one of his recent pieces appears under the headline: Why Does Norman Podhoretz Hate America?
Scheuer has previously responded to some of my comments about him, which have appeared under the titles:
Michael Scheuer Watch, Vol 1, #1
Michael Scheuer: Innocent Until Proven Guilty
And his responses have consistently dodged the issues being raised. In my last post about him, with this record in mind, I posed some questions about his role in disclosing classified information that has ignited an anti-American firestorm in Denmark. I predicted that he would answer these questions “with either a telling silence or with even more telling and more irrelevant evasions.”
Scheuer has now answered:
Again, I thank Mr. Schoenfeld and COMMENTARY for drawing attention to my work. And here is what I have to say, as requested by Mr. Schoenfeld.
Regarding the subject at hand—rendition and my public comments thereon—I encourage Mr. Schoenfeld and his anti-American colleagues—that is the neoconservatives/Israel-firsters—to push every button and every friend they have to get me investigated so that I can testify under oath about the rendition program. Before either or both of the congressional intelligence committees would be ideal, as long as the session is under oath and public. The American public needs the truth about the effectiveness of the program, the debt they owe to the men and women of CIA, and the efforts of Mr. Schoenfeld and others to damage the CIA because its officers do not share their love for foreign powers. Press on, Mr. Schoenfeld, press on. Rather then rattling me, you are merely doing my bidding.
This is clearly not a telling silence. But is it a telling evasion? I would love to hear the telling opinions of readers. My own view is that it is sometimes tellingly easy to connect the dots.
A complete guide to other items in this Michael Scheuer Watch series can be found here.
