Talk about a preemptive strike ...

I'm put off by the partisan, polemical tone of the flap copy, but you might be interested. Personally, I prefer a more even-handed approach.

... This book will be released on June 8. I'm interested in reading reviews as they hit the press, but I think I'll wait for the 9/11 Commission report in July.

The bestselling author of Body of Secrets and The Puzzle Palace presents his most hard-hitting book to date -- a sweeping, authoritative, and fearless account of the failures of America's intelligence agencies and the Bush administration's calculated efforts to sell a war to the American people.

Bamford argues that the Bush administration has co-opted the intelligence community for its own political ends, and at the expense of American security.

A Pretext for War homes in on the systematic weakness that led the intelligence community to ignore or misinterpret evidence of the impending terrorist attacks of 9/11 -- a failure rooted in the refusal to acknowledge the central role of the Palestinian cause in igniting Arab rage against the United States. Compounding the errors, the Bush administration's immediate response to 9/11 was to call for an attack on Iraq, and it subsequently invented justifications for the preemptive war that has ultimately left the United States more vulnerable to terrorism.

A Pretext for War is an unprecedented, utterly convincing exposé of the most secretive administration in history.

Any cheese to go with that? I'll buy a book that makes solid recommendations. And I don't need to spend $18 to hear Bamford tell everyone to "be more open," "stop lying," and "create an independent Palestinian state."

How much can I get for "Remember to floss and exercise regularly"?

A Pretext for War

The following is a transcript of remarks by CIA Director George J. Tenet to employees and members of the US Intelligence Community.

I have decided to step down as Director of Central Intelligence, effective July 11th, the seventh anniversary of my being sworn in as DCI.

I did not make this decision quickly or easily. But I know in my heart that the time is right to move on to the next phase of our lives.

As I look back on how the Intelligence Community has evolved over the past decade, there is much to be proud of.

What you have achieved in this fight against a clever, fanatical enemy, around the world the cells destroyed, the conspiracies defeated, the innocent lives saved will for most Americans be forever unknown and uncounted. But for those privileged to observe these often hidden successes, they will be an unforgettable testament to your dedication and your valor.

In short: each day, here and abroad, from diverse backgrounds, with varied skills, you come together for a single purpose: to give our country an essential advantage in its understanding of the conditions in the world, and in its ability to change those conditions for the better.

We are not perfect but one of our best kept secrets is that we are very, very, very good.

It is difficult in knowing that I will not be as directly connected to the thousands of men and women overseas who along with their families sacrifice so much to protect our country.

But there is also great joy in knowing that I will never be far away in heart and spirit from all of you. You will have no greater advocate wherever I may be for you and your families.

As Dick Helms used to say, let's get on with it and get back to work.

Tenet Remarks to CIA Colleagues

What on Earth is he talking about?

Instant Analysis: Tenet Resigns

The timing of Tenet's resignation came as a surprise in Washington.

CIA Director Tenet Resigns

Decius wrote:
] ] American intelligence officials have said that Mr.
] ] Chalabi informed Iran that the United States had broken
] ] the secret codes used by Iranian intelligence to
] ] transmit confidential messages to posts around the
] ] world.
]
] Very interesting. Get your bullshit detector warmed up because
] maybe he did, or maybe they want you to think that he did, or
] maybe they want you to think that they want you to think that
] they did, or maybe ...

When this story first broke, and before it, when the more general "Chalabi leak" stories were going around, my reaction was, "This is news? To whom?"

Shouldn't they have assumed this was the case? Shouldn't everyone assume this is the case? If not, who are they kidding but themselves? I mean, the Iranian intelligence service can't honestly be surprised by this news. Sure, it is perhaps embarrassing to have it publicly disclosed, but really -- is this a news flash?

As I listened to the NPR story this afternoon, all I could do was keep saying to myself, "Games! Games! Games!" Games within games within more games. It's a regular Alice in Wonderland.

] I wonder what Iranian encryption is like. I wonder how easy it
] is for them to deploy a new cipher. I wonder how hard it will
] be for us to break their new cipher. If they've got one
] waiting in the wings, then maybe we also have a crack waiting
] in the wings ...

Perry Metzger posted the NYT story to the cryptography list, but there's been no discussion as yet.

The NPR story was talking about how absolutely disastrous this disclosure would be for the US. The reporter was really dressing it up, big time. My, oh, my. Can you see the sky falling? On and on.

You have to assume they were already using the best they had. Any alternative to which they would hastily switch over is unlikely to be dramatically better. Actually, this pseudo-crisis represents a certain kind of opportunity, because they may soon reach out for some emergency help.

Don't overthink the "cipher" end of things. Proper protection has as much to do with key generation and management, maintaing positive control and physical integrity of the hardware, etc. as it does with "cryptography" in any academic sense.

RE: Chalabi told Iran U.S. broke their codes?

(This meme is extremely difficult to categorize ...)

Sunday's Le Show features a sampling of remix culture, based on mispronunciations in Bush's recent Iraq strategy speech.

As usual, the whole show is worthwhile -- there's more about "apples", for example -- but the remix culture bit in question can be found near the 15-20 minute mark.

Remix Culture on Le Show

From the smallest corner of the world to the hippest club nights around, the Balkan sound is spreading like wild fire.

Electric Gypsyland | Six Degrees Records

Perhaps never before has such predictability promised such popularity.

GNR + STP = VR

Yes, my friends, it's just that easy.

Perhaps already sensing the inevitable meltdown of Velvet Revolver -- catch 'em while you can, kids -- Slash was a strutting, swaggering, all-or-nothing marvel at the 9:30 club Thursday, leading his much-hyped throwback band through a power-chords-aplenty 75-minute set that had a sold-out all-ages crowd of aggressive guys (and a few understandably skittish gals) eager to bang their heads -- and any other nearby noggins, as well.

After all, this is an LA-born band, and its sole function is to sell the naughty lifestyle of the Sunset Strip.

... Here's hoping Slash's next doomed band is just as entertaining.

This band is profiled in the Frontline program "The Way The Music Died."

Velvet Revolver, Making a Bang

"Van Lear Rose" exceeds all expectations, a bold collaboration in which artists from two different musical universes forge a memorable work that neither could have created alone.

From the Rhapsody mini-review:

As the producer, Jack White makes Lynn's album sound like countrified White Stripes with better drumming, but that's just fine. This is the first time Lynn has recorded all her own songs on one record, and her music proves to be more haunting than any Nashville producer could have imagined.

Oh, and the kids will dig it.

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

From the mini-review in Rhapsody:

Was it Jem's firsthand knowledge of the music business that made her pay attention to so many details in her music?

"Finally Woken" delights with well-crafted songs dressed up in gentle trip-hop beats and subtle-but-potent pop hooks. "Wish I," "Just a Ride" and "They" are a few highlights on this creative masterpiece.

Jem - Finally Woken