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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Intel czar implicates Lashkar

Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 11:39 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:

From NBC's Libby Leist

Speaking at Harvard University last night, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell implicated  the group Lashkar-e-Taiba for carrying out the  terrorist  attacks in Mumbai last week  which killed at least 172 people, including six Americans.

McConnell did not name Lashkar-e-Taiba  specifically, but he said that the U.S. believes the terrorists responsible for Mumbai were also responsible for the attack on a train in India in 2006 that killed nearly 200 people  and an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001.

Indian intelligence has blamed Lashkar  for both attacks.

McConnell also drew links between Lashkar and Al Qaeda. 

"If you examine the groups that we think are responsible,” he said, “the philosophical underpinnings are very similar to what al Qaeda currently puts about as their view of how the world should be.”

After meeting with Indian officials in New Delhi today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoed McConnell's remarks saying "Whether there is a direct al Qaeda hand or not, this is clearly the kind of terror in which al Qaeda participates."

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Oh it looks like incompetent Condi finally stopped playing piano recitals for queens to actually do something as regards her job.  As always she's got nothing intelligent to say and just shows up for the photo op.  We see more proof that the central front on the war against Al Qaeda has been in Afghanistan and Pakistan and this current group of Keystone Kops has mislead us into believing that it was in Iraq the past 7 years.

I so was laughing last night watching Jon Stewart showing "Pervert" Chambliss copping a feel on his Granddaughter's breast in one of his campaign commericals.  Why is it that Jon and Stephen Colbert show us important points that the Mainstream Media is totally ignorant of?  A real pity that this perverted commercial wasn't shown on the MSM pointing out what the pervert was doing to his Granddaughter.  I guess that's the kind of loose morals the bible belt south still clings to.

I just love watching Barack Obama do press conferences.  What a refreshing change to have an intelligent and witty president again after 8 years of the worst dunce in history disgracing the White House.
The bottom line is this America. The Government of Pakistan had better clean-up this mess quickly! The longer the Govenment of Pakistan does nothing, will indicate that they do not care. The Pakistan Government, is playing a very dangerous political game right now. The Indian Govenment wants results quickly, and so does the people of India. My hope is that the Government of Pakistan makes good choices, and cooperates with the world against terror. If the Pakistan Government does not cooperate correctly?? They may see a large "Mushroom Cloud" in their radioactive future. That is fact!
All terrorist act in a way that makes them very hard to pin down. I am afraid that we will see this sort of attack across the world for many years to come, when aperson is not afraid to lose thier own life they can acconplish evil deeds that are very hard to stop. I think most of these guys work together,regardless of the name they use. We can only hope India will use restraint instead of retaliation.
In other words not like us, we are going to have a hard time giving advice to other countrys, when we have fallen so short in our forgien policy. Just think they were looking for westerners. Guess that just about sums it up, looking for a cowboy to kill.
marty
I just love watching Barack Obama do press conferences.  
--------------------------------------------------
That's a joke, right?  Like when a reporter asks him a legitimate question and he brushes it off with 'oh you reporters are having fun.'  Or when a reporter asks him if he plans on raising taxes and he never answers them.  One of these days the media fawning is going to end and he might actually have to answer to the press.
I love Obama doing press conferances too...

Ever notice the stock market numbers go down whenever he does a press meeting?  LOL

Hey Eric:

be ready to pony up that extra money for all those fees Arnold and the libs are going to make you pay out in Kaleforneia LOL.

What a bunch of losers there are out in that state.
To Merle J. Stanley, John Dough and others who question Barack Obama's birth certificate authenticity - please read this:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
"Mike McConnell implicated  the group Lashkar-e-Taiba " No problem folks, Hillary can fix it. Ol Bill must have a few IOU's laying around in Kasmir.
Eric, Salinas, CA;  Your comments regarding Condi Rice may be a bit harsh.  Think about it, she is intelligent, she is an accomplished musician, and she does what she is told by the biggest idiot who ever lived in the White House. My guess is she is also counting the days till Jan 20th so she doesn't have to listen to her stupid boss.

The most encouraging news is that Obama is getting full National Security Briefings on a daily basis. While we only have one President at a time, Bush will not likely create a war when he knows Obama is looking over his shoulder. It is a tense energy throughout the world. A good time to keep our powder dry and not jump to conclusions.
OH! GNASHING OF TEETH!
it's about education, mr. todd.  fear drives people in fearful times.  look from whence the funding came, i'll bet it was from the church, and guns.
OMG! they'll have 60!!  SECURE THE AREA!!
sound familiar?  look to any republican bloviator.  stupid people do stupid things, like barking dogs, they hunker down and lick their wounds.
Ron Indiana

Bush isn't going to start the next war, Cheney is.
It seems the Indians are on top of this incident. It, after all, happened in THEIR country. We should OFFER assistance as they require but let THEM handle it.
Paul Va:  You could be right, but let's hope not.  Cheney is one sick man.
Has anyone here read George Orwells 1984? Ever hear of think speak? Are all terrorist one big group or country. Where is the battlefront, the trench lines the no mans land? Where can we attack the country of Al Qaeda?
A nation has lost its sovernity over places they have no control over. Pakistan has lost control of the lawless areas of its western and northwestern borders. Terrorists and training camps are plotting their next attacks even as we speak. Pakistan government is complicit in terror since they have no way of reigning in terrorists who receive training inside their borders.
US needs to pull its support from Pakistan and start supporting India whole heartedly.  Pakistan supports LET who in turn is hell bent of killing Americans.  So we need to have a change in direction.  Also i believe if we pose Pakistan with this threat finally we will get them to be honest and open about the efforts to fight terrorism.
You know what the best thing to do in dealing with religious radicals? Ignore them. The more you go after them, the more validated there insane theology is. If we lived our lives as Americans to the fullest extent, exercised our freedoms completely, and worked hard to put a humanitarian front in all our foreign dealings, it would completely deflate the ignorance of religious radicals....of all denominations.


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