Well, as official as anything can be coming from James Clapper, according to Marcy we didn’t report on the content of the intercepts until after the attack.

That’s a really great system we have, given that the raison d’être for the National Security Agency was to avoid the situation we encountered in December of 1941 when a Japanese diplomatic cable was intercepted and decoded that revealed the attack on Pearl Harbor, but the report sat in a State Department in-basket from Friday afternoon, when it was delivered, until Monday morning when it was finally read.

If Syria is so important, why is Syrian intel such a low priority?

Speaking of intel, we still have no real understanding as to why the Assad regime would have decided to make the attack on the Damascus suburb. They knew the UN inspectors were due to arrive, and would want to inspect the area. The attack took place at the wrong time to achieve maximum efficacy, at night, instead of midday. Where is the motive?

Further, we have the administration including Israeli intel without identifying it as such. The Israelis have a history of creative writing in their intel, and they want the US to blow things up in Syria.

Position: 19.0N 68.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [335°] near 9 mph [15 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 50 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1010 mb.

Currently about 30 miles [ 50 km] North-Northwest of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

The storm has lost its organization and become a remnant low. This is the final NHC advisory.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]