[Bruce H]

Poindexter to Quit Pentagon Post Amid Controversy
Thu July 31, 2003 01:59 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Poindexter, the retired Navy admiral who spearheaded two sharply criticized Pentagon projects, intends to resign from his Defense Department post within weeks, a senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday.
"It's my understanding that he ... expects to, within a few weeks, offer his resignation," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

Poindexter was involved with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's abandoned futures-trading market for predicting assassinations, terrorism and other events in the Middle East, and earlier with the so-called Total Information Awareness program that drew fire from civil rights groups.

Hopefully in jail where he should have been all along.

[Standing Wolf]

Maybe one of the computer game companies...

[Giant]

One down, thousands to go! Retired in disgrace or just retired at least he is gone from the scene. Some of the black bag programs this fellow cooked up were in my opinion simply unamerican.

Geez, on breaking news one has to be very fast indeed to post a flash ahead of other speedy THR posters.

Giant

[Justin]

I'd say Wendy's, but in all honesty I wouldn't trust that statist jerk to put together a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger without standing there to watch him do it.

No worries though, I'm sure he'll find a cushy job in the private sector and show back up at DARPA as a consultant.:scrutiny:

[Jim March]

Oh good question, where's this turkey gonna turn up next?

My guess: he'll run the "dark hacking" division of the major record labels, as they relentlessly slaughter the hard disks of anybody running Bearshare, Limewire, Gnutella or whatever.

:rolleyes:

[Art Eatman]

Lemme play Devil's Advocate, as in, "I ain't sure I believe this line of argument..."

If this deal came to fruition, you'd wind up with a whole bunch of folks spending their own time and money trying to find out, figure out, who was gonna do what to whom--and where and when.

Sorta like the Mall Rats spending their own money in computer-game arcades, learning to be good little Abrams gunners but on their own time.

The big drawback, offhand, would be separating rational information and predictions from the greater tonnage of sheer garbage.

Art

[MicroBalrog]

Actually I'm convinced that the betting program was a good idea...:D

[tyme]

"I cannot conceive of any reason why the United States should be involved in a project of this nature" -- Frist (letter)

"It seems to me they are way off base and somebody should bear that responsibility, and I think we know who that is." -- Pat Roberts

"I must say this is perhaps the most irresponsible, outrageous and poorly thought-out of anything that I have heard the administration propose to date." -- Daschle

"The American people want the federal government to use its resources enhancing our security, not gambling on it" -- Dorgan, Wyden (letter)

"Surely, such a threat should be met with intelligence gathering of the highest quality — not by putting the question to individuals betting on an Internet Web site" -- Dorgan, Wyden (letter)

"this should be immediately disestablished." -- Warner

"an incentive actually to commit acts of terrorism." -- Daschle

"The idea of a federal betting parlor on atrocities and terrorism is ridiculous and it's grotesque." -- Wyden

"Can you imagine if another country set up a betting parlor so that people could go in ... and bet on the assassination of an American political figure or the overthrow of this institution or that institution?" -- Dorgan

[Dorrin79]

what a weird situation

Poindexter is evil, and I'm glad he's out. He deserved to be canned for the telescreen initiative - er, Total Information Awareness.

On the other hand, the Terrorism Futures market was a cool idea. Great 'out of the box' thinking. Strangled at birth by stupid media, ignorant public and moronic congresscritters.

I'm sure he'll pop up again. Hopefully not anywhere near the levers of power.

[KMKeller]

The lecture circuit right next to Bill Clinton at $20K per session.

[Justin]

On the other hand, the Terrorism Futures market was a cool idea. Great 'out of the box' thinking. Strangled at birth by stupid media, ignorant public and moronic congresscritters.Sorry, but there is absolutely no reason for why any of our tax dollars should be wasted on such an idea. Especially when it's blatantly obvious that such a concept would run brilliantly and profitably on its own as a private sector endeavor.

Having said that, regardless of how brilliant or stupid an idea is, any excuse used to sack a pile of slime like Poindexter is fine by me.

[Kaylee]

heard a guy on the radio spouting off about this yesterday.. the gist was that it's counterproductive to fire idea guys for the occasional un-PC idea. Like Art, I'm not even convinved it was a BAD idea... nothing like adding a little self-interest to get folks attention focused on a task. :)

Of course, the radio guy's point in fact for supporting these guys was the astounding success of the M16. :)


-K

[Dorrin79]

Justin -

True and true.

I guess I meant that it was a good idea within the context of government activity. I agree that it would work better in the private sector, and the gov'mint probably would have bungled it regardless.

[Waitone]

Poindexter's mistake was going public.

He should have put up a silent site based out of the Chicago merc or gone to Vegas and let them hide it in plain sight.

Like so many technical geeks, Poindexter has a hard time dealing with the human nature thingy.

He'll make serious money contracting for the likes of the Ford Foundation, Packard Foundation or any number of one world, blissninny organizations.

[Bruce H]

On one hand, as Art said it isn't a really bad idea. The problem is Poindexter couldn't have thought this up on his own. He should never have been an ensign much less an admiral. The start of this would be great comedy for awhile. There would be some who would take their "investigating" just far enough to get the feces kicked out of them. After the "mall ninja" mind set disappeared it might work. Really needs to be completely out in the open or abuse would be rampant.