The Rant

By Michael Ledeen I'm not surprised to see people leaving the CIA. Their work for the past decade and more has been exposed by a long series of congressional committees and presidential commissions as a significant failure. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that it has taken so long. I recommended a thorough housecleaning of the CIA, FBI and other agencies engaged in counterterrorism on Sept. 12, 2001, when their errors and shortcomings were so tragically demonstrated. Some of these failed analysts and operatives complain — in leaks and “anonymous” books and essays — that we have somehow lost our focus in the war against terrorism. What did they think the interminable presidential campaign was all about, anyway? They support this odd contention by claiming that some of our most vigorous anti-terrorist actions — notably in Iraq — have actually made things worse by killing large numbers of terrorists and destroying two tyrannical regimes that supported them. This, they

___________________ by Bob Clasen ______________________________ Saturday night we watched the opera "Turandot." Beautiful music by Puccini, but an odd story. Turandot is a beautiful Chinese princess who does not like men and does not want to get married. Her excuse is that one of her distant ancestors was mistreated. She comes up with a series of three riddles that any suitor must successfully answer before they may marry her. Her further decree is that if any question is answered wrong, the suitor is beheaded. Many suitors come and many suitors die. This does not seem to discourage the suitors, but I wonder why anyone would want to marry a woman, no matter how beautiful, who had killed dozens of innocent young men only guilty of the crime of wanting to marry her. A woman who dislikes marriage that much should be left alone. The opera is also made difficult by the fact that the star singer, who is supposed to be young and beautiful enough to lure dozens