Clancy describes how we got blindsided:

"O'REILLY: Was there a reason that Turner and Carter -- was their a reason why Turner and Carter wanted a weaker intelligence?

CLANCY: It's politically correct.

O'REILLY: Simple as that?

CLANCY: I think so. The political left is, you know, they deal in symbols rather than reality. The general difference between conservatives and liberals is liberals like pretty pictures and conservatives like to build bridges that people can drive across.

And conservatives are indeed conservative because if the bridge falls down, people die. Where as the liberals figure, oh, we can always build a nice memorial to them and make people forget it happened and it was our fault. They're very good at making people forget it was their fault, all right.

The CIA was gutted by people on the political left who don't like intelligence operations, and as a result of that, as an indirect result of that, we've lost 5,000 citizens last week."

[url]www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,34807,00.html[/url]

... Bingo

Maybe I need to start reading some of his books.

Never been a big Clancy fan, but he sounds like a reasonable man to me.

I agree 100%

Okay, I understand it this way.
1. Anything proven bad or harmful is blamed "Left".
2. Anything that can be considered good for everyone is "Right".
3. Tom Clancy, an incredibly wealthy spy junk writer ,sees things the "Right" way and wants to ensure that you do too.
UUHHH okay coach McCarthy.

Nothing McCarthy about it.
Responses to your points:

1. The facts are that the Left DID gut the intelligence community.  Blame? No. Fact? Yes.

2. The Left only does what's good for the Left.
The Right wanted to do what is "right" for everyone...including the Left.  Yes.

3. This guy doesn't produce "junk".  His work is too detailed for that insulting moniker.
He apparently does want you to see things his way, or the right way, however you'd like to put it.  That should apply to everything.  One would be foolish to foist the "wrong" way on people and expect to be thanked for it...except the twisted Left.  [;d]<---smart@ss emoticon not working for me...

"If you look like food, you will be eaten..." Clint Smith, Thunder Ranch.

[blue][b]BusMaster007[/b][/blue]

I thought he was offbase about guarding our borders with military.  He says they aren't good at police work.

Who says this is police work now?  & even if it is, than train units positioned there for it.

Okay then, Tom Clancy is our new man. Reagan, Falwell, Robertsen, Gingrich, and Limbaugh are all exposed as out for their own interests.....By the way the Left had intelligence back in the days of the Czars and is no stranger to covert ops as is any form of totalitarian government right or left wing. Its not as easy as that.

If soldiers aren't good at policing, then why are there MP's and SP's??  Last time I checked, these guys were pretty good at keeping people off of "unauthorized premises".  Replace that soldier's Fort or Air Base with "U.S. Border", and you have a fairly competent means of controlling what seems to be an impossible task.

If you really want a scare...try reading [u]The Sum of all Fears[/u]

Great book and totally within the realm of possibility........

[size=2]AMEN BusMaster007[/size=2]