It doesn’t happen often, but whenever a Bush administration official is quoted anywhere, saying anything that undermines the White House line on important policy matters, many of us stop and think, “That guy just put his job on the line.” After all, administration officials are supposed to be “loyal Bushies,” not objective professionals.
With that in mind, Scott Redd, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, probably shouldn’t have talked to NBC earlier this week.
The director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the primary US organization responsible for analyzing terror threats, told NBC News that the nation is probably not “tactically” safer from the threat of terrorism following the invasion of Iraq.
Asked by reporter Richard Engel if the war in Iraq had created a “giant recruiting tool” for terrorists, Center head Scott Redd said that “in the short term, that is probably true. But the question is you’ve got to look at this, I believe, in the long term strategic view.”
“Tactically, probably not,” Redd said in response to a question about whether the US is generally safer after having invaded Iraq. “Strategically, we’ll wait and see.”
It was one of those great Michael Kinsley Moments — a public figure making a mistake by accidentally telling the truth. We all know that our ongoing presence in Iraq is helping terrorists recruit more terrorists, and has not made the U.S. safer, but Bush administration officials aren’t supposed to admit it, out loud.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that Redd announced his retirement today. (via TP)
Retired Vice Adm. John Scott Redd said he is stepping down next month to have a long-delayed surgery and spend more time with his five grandchildren and the rest of his family. His spokesman, Carl Kropf, said Redd needs to have both knees replaced. The surgery will require follow-up rehabilitation and would have meant a prolonged absence from the center.
In a note to employees, Redd provided an upbeat assessment of the administration’s fight against terrorism. “I believe that as a country we are better prepared today than at any time in our history to wage this war,” he said Wednesday.
Now, I obviously have no way of knowing if Redd voluntarily ended his decades-long career just a couple of days after going off-message, but coincidences like this one make me laugh.