CHENEY VS. HOEKSTRA

In Dick Cheney World, the criminal Bush regime did GREAT in the WOT. But according to GOP Rep. Hoekstra, the answer is "not so much, really."

EXCLUSIVE: Lack of translators hurts U.S. war on terror

By Rowan Scarborough
Originally published 04:45 a.m., August 31, 2009, updated 05:40 a.m., August 31, 2009
Washington Times

U.S. national security agencies remain woefully short of foreign-language speakers and translators nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks resulted in a war on an enemy that often communicates in relatively obscure dialects, current and former officials say.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the senior Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told The Washington Times that U.S agencies remain "behind the eight ball" in catching up to dialects not deemed important during the Cold War.

"We've been pushing the language issue for an extended period of time. The agencies just didn't respond," Mr. Hoekstra said in an interview. "They'd come in. We'd talk about language capability. We'd beat them up. They'd leave. They'd come back a year later, and it wouldn't be a lot better. We'd beat them up again.

"I can't explain it. No. 1, Congress has been pestering them. No. 2, you would think it's important for them to do their job. You could understand it immediately after 9/11. This takes a little time to do to get it right. But still talking about it in 2009 makes no sense at all," he said.