Wilson: There Have Been Threats

[cal04]

Joe Wilson, whose wife’s unmasking as a CIA agent is at the center of the special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation, said today that that his wife, Valerie Plame, has been threatened. Wilson talks to 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley, in his first interview since Fitzgerald announced the indictment of I. Lewis Libby, Sunday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"There have been specific threats . Beyond that I just can’t go," Wilson tells Bradley. Wilson says he and his wife have discussed security for her with "several agencies." Former CIA colleagues say that by revealing her identity, harm could be caused to the CIA’s agents and operations. "If a CIA agent is exposed, then everyone coming in contact with that agent is exposed," says Jim Marcinkowski, a former CIA agent who trained with Plame at the top-secret Virginia facility known as "the Farm." "There is a possibility that there were other agents that would use that same kind of a cover. So they may have been using Brewster Jennings just like her," said Marcinkowski, referring to the fictional firm the CIA set up as her cover that also came out when journalists, including Robert Novak, disclosed it.

Marcinkowski also points out, " is the wife of an ambassador, for example. Now, since this happened…they’ll know there’s a possibility that the wife of a U.S. ambassador is a CIA agent." Another friend, once a covert CIA operative, says people who say Plame wasn’t in a sensitive position need to understand how intricate a cover story is, regardless of what an agent is working on. "Cover is…for a clandestine officer, can be different things at different times. We change cover. We modify cover based on how we need it. But that cover is linked together," she tells Bradley. "If you start to unravel one part of that, you can unravel the whole thing."

Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., a former intelligence analyst and member of the House Intelligence Committee, agrees. "I think any time the identity of a covert agent is released, there is some damage -- and it’s serious." Holt says it’s possible agents overseas could be arrested or even killed, but "if there were, and I’d been briefed on it, I couldn’t talk about it," he tells Bradley. He did say he has been assured the CIA was mitigating the effects of the leak. "They have taken the usual procedures to protect the damage from spreading."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/28/60minutes/main994753.shtml

[ismnotwasm]

1. Good lord that's scary

Who in the HELL is going to threaten a CIA agent? I almost don't want to speculate, at least not past your general neandrathal rightwing idiot.

[Demeter]

19. Probably NeoCon Thugs

I could name a couple, but you know who I mean anyway.

[unpossibles]

2. kick n/t

[ninkasi]

3. Bush and all of his thugs

need to be charged with treason, and tried for their crimes. This is not just petty, vindictive payback of political opponents. This is about revealing the entire CIA cover for Valerie Plame, and other agents as well. People might have been killed, or could be in the future.

This is another glaring example of the disdain with which this administration treats the ones they consider enemies, (anybody not on their side). They care not for the sanctity of human life, nor for the dignity of the human soul. They consider this a game, and their only object is to "win". This is a group of criminals who was eager to condemn thousands of people to death, American and Iraqi, in order to obtain their goals.

There is no treachery beneath them, nor lie too evil for them. They are nothing but a nest of vipers, feeding on America's helpless, including the troops they send to face death for a lie. The troops volunteered, it's true, but it was with the understanding that the country they swore to protect and serve would only send them into harm's way if the need was great.

Bush has dishonored the presidency, and our country, with his lies and false war. He has depleted the treasury, gutted the Constitution, and made a mockery of the Bill of Rights. He has been the worst disaster to happen to our country since it was established. We need to be rid of him, and his cronies, and let them answer to their crimes before the World Court in the Hague.

[LiberalinNC]

23. If they are charged and convicted of Treason, according to Bu$h's dad

they should be executed! I'd buy tickets to that!

[northzax]

24. I noticed that the latest meme

is that Scooter Libby's life has been ruined. perhaps, but so has Plame's, no?

[rfranklin]

27. He ruined his own life...no need for sympathy or tears, but maybe...

Sahkespeare can write a tragedy with Libby as the protagonist.

[ninkasi]

30. As a proponent of the war

Libbey was very cavalier about ruining other people's lives. Not just Valerie Plame's career, but the men, women, and children who have been killed or maimed in this disgraceful war of choice.

Nothing that can happen to any of the criminals in the Bush administration will cause me to shed a tear. My tears are for the innocent victims on both sides. Libby's life is ruined? Good. I hope Rove's life is ruined next. Then on to the others.

[goforit]

4. My prayers are with you and your wife, Mr. Wilson...........

May you be protected by higher forces.

[kestrel91316]

5. Both the Wilsons need to immediately get themselves armed

and get concealed weapons permits, and be prepared to protect themselves. They also need to hire armed security for themselves and their children.

There will be revenge for this indictment, mark my words.

Have I mentioned lately how much I HATE BUSHCO??

[Syncronaut Seven]

7. You seriously think they don't already have weapons permits?

C'mon man....Think.

[kestrel91316]

16. I have no idea if they did prior to this. But they better do it now.

[kurth]

6. How about a big lawsuit against White House Iraq Working Group members

starting with George W. Bush, and ending with every John Doe and Jane Doe in the conspiracy. Let's get them talking - under oath.

[MagickMuffin]

11. They are already are?

Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson are considering a civil suit against administration officials. If they do sue, they'd better be ready for a vicious attack by White House proxies.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/10/18/plame_probe/index_np.html


Plame plans to sue White House officials

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20051020-113650-5684r

[usregimechange]

8. kick

[usregimechange]

9. By the way CIA Johnson said it was by Al Qaeda.

[Lochloosa]

10. I second that kick...

[Judi Lynn]

12. The last paragraph really bears repeating, considering what right-wing

radio hosts have been claiming to their learning-impaired base:

Wilson tells Bradley, contrary to reports that many knew Plame was in the CIA, that only he and three other people knew. "Well, very few people outside the intelligence community (knew she was CIA). Her parents and her brother, essentially," says Wilson.

Whatever it takes to secure a wild, unreasoning hatred within their followers for Democrats and moderate Republicans is what they're after. I've heard these creeps, like Tony Snow, and Glen someone insist to their audiences that it was open knowledge she was a spy, etc.

Thanks for the article, cal04.

[DiverDave]

13. But, she, she outed herself!

I saw that on a message board...also that she pushed the CIA to send Joe...

They are DESPERATE to spin this.

Which, in the end, will bite them on the ass, BIG TIME.

Keep it up, you rethug bastards...just digging yourselves deeper.

[cassiepriam]

14. Who has threatened her? Repugs or others??

For god's sake if there is a heaven repugs will have much
to answer for. How much blood they have on their hands!

[zara]

15. The Harm of Outing Plame has been Underreported in all this.

Democratic politicians shouid line up beside the CIA on the harm done to national security. The concrete examples in this post bring the point home, in a way that all platitudes miss.

[PapaJoe]

17. Considering the area of Plame's espionage activity,

i.e. proliferation of WMD, that puts Libby and Company in the category of Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen in the potential for harm to U.S. and world peace.

[wordpix2]

18. that's just great. Now CIA has to reorganize covers and protect

everyone working in Plame CIA group so they won't be targets. Meanwhile we really do have people who want to harm the US (besides BushCorp) including OBL still on the loose.

[cap]

20. but what about local operatives who were allied with Plame...

that could end up rolling up whole operations.
What a mess!

[Divernan]

21. The "local" operatives were left out in the cold.

All the locals in foreign countries who did business s/ Plame/s cover organization - many of whom may not have been operatives, were left out in the cold and without any protection. I doubt there is any way we will ever know how many were threatened or turned into double agents. in fact, I bet theCIA had to write off all of those contacts because the contacts were now subject to pressures from terrorist groups.

And I don't assume that the threats Plame has received came only from Americans. She could be a target for the groups she was investigating.

[wordpix2]

22. we need to GET these traitors

We cannot let a presidential pardon or anything else stand in way of outing these TRAITORS

[NashVegas]

25. I'll Say This for Ambassador Wilson

I always thought diplomats were trained in the art of smoothing feathers.

Wilson has an amazing talent for shaking things up and causing a stir, as well.

[Catherine Vincent]

26. Freepers!!

[AnnieBW]

28. What Cracks Me Up

Is that the people that are threatening Ms. Plame don't realize that she not only knows how to shoot several guns, she's probably an expert marksman. :D

[Tight_rope]

29. All I can say is this....

If Valerie Plame feels that she is in any danger...she should shoot first and ask questions later.

[MiniMandaRuth]

31. Didn't something like this happen to Andy?

....

[ailsagirl]

32. I'm not surprised by anything bushco does

But, God, it's scary.