CIA vets speak out: Can We Trust Our President?

[LiviaOlivia]

The Intelligence Challenge: Can We Trust Our President?
Jul 15, 2005 -- 10:59:46 PM EST
From: TPMCafe Special Guests
By Brent Cavan, Jim Marcinkowski, Larry Johnson, and Jane Doe

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/7/15/225611/396

~snip~

Clearly some in the Bush Administration do not understand the requirement to protect and shield national security assets. Based on published information we can only conclude that partisan politics by people in the Bush Administration overrode the moral and legal obligations to protect clandestine officers and security assets.

Beyond supporting Mrs. Wilson with our moral support and prayers we want to send a clear message to the political operatives responsible for this. You are a traitor and you are our enemy. You should lose your job and probably should go to jail for blowing the cover of a clandestine intelligence officer.

You have set a sickening precedent. You have warned all U.S. intelligence officers that you may be compromised if you are providing information the White House does not like. A precedent, as one colleague pointed out during our brief appearances, allows you to build out a case based on previous legal actions and court decisions. It's a slippery slope if it lowers the bar.

~snip~

We joined the CIA to fight against foreign tyrants who used the threat of incarceration, torture, and murder to achieve their ends. They followed the rule of force, not the rule of law. We now find ourselves with an administration in the United States where some of its members have chosen to act like foreign tyrants. As loyal Americans and registered Republicans we implore President Bush to move quickly and decisively against those who, if not apprehended, will leave his Administration with the legacy of being the first to allow political operatives to out clandestine officers

[Wapsie B]

1. Very good post!

This needs to be on the front page of every newspaper in the country.

[CAG]

2. This must be from all those librul CIA people....

ya know, the CIA is just a haven for all those liberal elites, from Allen Dulles, George Bush Sr, William Casey, etc. :-)

Did you ever think you would see the day that republicans, of all people, would be trashing CIA operatives, analysts, etc? They have had a history of putting only the military ahead of their passion for the CIA, and now somehow they have made their minions believe, WITH THAT OL' "LIBRUL" MEDIA's HELP, that there are a bunch of sandal wearin libruls over in that there Langley place, just puttin out propaganda and lies about the village idiots administration.

[txindy]

4. Up is down, all right

Apparently, the CIA wants to provide the world with therapy. </:sarcasm: >

We live in insane times, that's for certain.

[PurpleChez]

53. Yeah! Why do they hate our freedoms?

(And, ya know, my red-state thumper neighbors probably still think *, KKKarl and his other thugs can walk on water.)

[Mythsaje]

3. Pissing off the CIA

may have been one of the WORST choices they've made, out of a literal horde of bad decisions.

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. Yep! n/t

[AuntiBush]

36. Hitting Nail on the Head, Mythsaje.

I dunno about any of you, but I would not want CIA, much less NOC's pissed at me.

Some Commander, huh. Read the story last night. It broke my heart.

[kestrel91316]

5. Why do these CIA veterans hate America????

[kster]

6. Go CIA ! don't take their B*llsh*t

they outed an American, and one of your very own. DO THEM, AND DO THEM NOW!!!

[Boo Boo]

7. "...we want to send a clear message..."

"You are a traitor and you are our enemy."

<--- At left: Money-grubbing, war-mongering traitor.

http://www.t-shirthumor.com/Merchant2/tops.html

[Tommymac]

9. Great Article. Kicked and Recommended.

:kick:

[crispini]

10. WOW

Great article. :kick:

[thefloyd]

11. Someone want to post the

link at free republic

[Maine-ah]

12. Hell, I'll do it....

please keep me in your thoughts while I'm there. :scared:

[Frederik]

15. Be sure to report back

And godspeed.

[Maine-ah]

17. okay, I'm still alive

Here's the link, everybody, pull up a chair....:popcorn:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1444432/posts

[thefloyd]

18. Should be fun to watch

......

[thefloyd]

20. 27 views but not a lot of respones

hmmmmm

[Maine-ah]

22. give it time

they don't have nearly as many people as DU does

[thefloyd]

23. The ratio is getting worse!!!

[Frederik]

38. Not only that

They have to wait for the RNC talking point memo before they can respond.

[leveymg]

52. Ok - gave 'm 12 hrs - not a single one even pretends to address the issue

They know they're done for. This is the iceberg that tears across so many watertight compartments - the DSM intel fix, the 16 deadly words, 1700 dead American troops, the OSP-AIPAC spy scandal, Plamegate, Tenet's perjury and resignation, Gannon, the Miller-NYT-Chalabi disinfo cell - that the Titanic's going down, Rove and Cheney first. :7 :evilgrin:

Who's going to head the caretaker gov't?

[DemReadingDU]

27. It's probably all of us checking out the site

that's why there are so many views and so few responses

[thefloyd]

33. Figured I would need to log in

to show up. I figured the few replies were due to.....well the truth falling over freeper land

[Frederik]

39. Here's their response...

[Frederik]

40. The CIA has become "an enemy of the US government"

:rofl:

By the way, the freepers are celebrating the atomic bomb this evening:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444514/posts

And here's one with a brilliant idea regarding homeland security and fighting terrorism:

"4 terrorist bombers from some security camera"

It would be cool if they could somehow hook up automatic rifles to the cameras like they equipped missiles to UAVs. If only we could kill these slime balls before they do any damage.

38 posted on 07/16/2005 6:00:24 PM PDT by garjog

[ProudDad]

46. Freepers

are idiots.

[ClintonTyree]

50. Isn't it fun to watch..........

the freeps wax nostalgic about the "good old days" when the wholesale slaughter of millions was the order of the day? :nuke: Ahhhhh, the good old days, when the air just crackled with radiation, skin peeled off people like wet wallpaper, hair and teeth were falling out (well, that hasn't changed at FR)......a sociopath's dream state!
The violent and ignorant at FR continue to harbor mankind's worst qualities and indeed, wear them like a badge of honor. Neanderthals that never quite got the handle of the whole, "Darwin thing".

[klyon]

51. once again we see the problem we are up against

mind control and programing
How do we deprogram half of America?
They do not believe a word we say. They believe we are like them and will do anything for the cause. How do we prove we are honestly and fair and love our country as much as they say they do.

KL

[Frederik]

13. I'm lovin' it

[savemefromdumbya]

14. Bush - soft on security

just think if all those voters knew how soft his admin have been on security?????

[Straight Shooter]

16. We have a Jane Doe signer. Is she covert?

Someone clearly either anticipates retaliation, or must protect her identity for other reasons. Very interesting. You can bet she and her friends are keeping careful notes of anything "unusual" which transpires following the publication of this statement.

I'm in complete agreement with them. I will add, I think the traitors should be "dealt with" in the public square. Those who were involved in the scheme to out Valerie Plame and her front company have sent a message to America that treason is acceptable. We should send a message back to let them know what we think of traitors.

[thefloyd]

19. she is still

covert

[Canuckistanian]

24. At least until she's outed by the admin for this...

[thefloyd]

25. I think memos are hard to read

when your hands are cuffed behind your back!

[flpoljunkie]

21. This statement was prersented at a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2003.

And, I know that Larry Johnson, is still pissed.

[Demeter]

26. You Can Trust Bush To Stab You In the Back When You Aren't Looking

although he also is prone to do it in full view, too.

[Voltaire99]

28. Let's not glamorize the CIA, ffs.

It's all fine and good to want to roast Rove.

But it's sad to see some liberals pretending the CIA is not an agency responsible for vast misery. Its record in the 20th century was one of unrelenting terror, assassination and government overthrow.

If the Democratic Party wants to understand why progressives find it harder and harder to care about its fortunes, look no further than its current romanticizing of the CIA.

[Hissyspit]

31. It's not really about romanticization, as much as perspective.

Myself, I certainly have not forgotten how bad the CIA has been as far as ethics and atrocities.

But the fact that the Bushco people have felt the need to "extremize" the CIA, and attack them because they couldn't get what they wanted out of them, shows you just how far out there this administration is. The fact that CIA people felt that the Iraq War and the "intelligence" used to support the war was questionable, points out how absurd much of the administration's proclamations and behavior have been. And the fact that before the war Bush complained that the CIA were not finding the intelligence he wanted, and then after the war as no WMD's were being found, he complained that he got bad intelligence, points out the administration's inherent pattern of defaulting to hypocritical self-service. Plus, we all know what an ass Tenet has been.

I think you could expand this into a really good separate post, Voltaire, because I believe we could all use some reminders of the CIA's legacy, but again it is a matter of putting things into perspective.

[Straight Shooter]

35. It's all part and parcel

We are just as much to blame, merely by being Americans and participating in American commerce and not investigating and holding our government accountable every damn minute of every day. It isn't a pretty sight, looking at America from the outside. I would venture to say our greatest ethical flaw is our willful ignorance of the evil that goes on "in our name."

I'm trying to compartmentalize, in my mind, those in the CIA who are trying to protect us versus those who sadistically apply force rather than negotiation in attempting to bend other nations to the will of the American government.

It isn't glorification, nor is it romanticizing. It's just the cold brutal facts of life. I will always despise and loathe traitors who seek to undermine the efforts of those who sincerely attempt to provide security to us as Americans.

Eyes wide open. I didn't create this system, but I will stand by those who are trying to protect me.

[AlwaysQuestion]

61. Plenty of guilt to go around

I like your take on this, but I think you can expand the guilt to include other people from other countries like mine who have benefited from "cheap" oil at the expense of ME people whose resources have been pillaged--of course, with the good help of their own greedy leaders. And when as individuals we take advantage of other cheap goods which have been manufactured using slave labour, we are equally guilty. In fact, our rich lifestyle in the West has been achieved on the backs of others. So, there's a good deal of guilt to go around. Ignorant or not of the facts, we are destined to suffer the consequences. As the trite saying goes, there are no free lunches. Hubris is ours.

[LiviaOlivia]

37. You're right

And the same could be said about the military. The USAF seems to be in the midst of a takeover by Christian fundamentalists. Do they have allegiance to their religion over the Constitution? Probably some. How are these institutions to be dealt with? Scary times ahead I fear.

[Raksha]

48. It's becoming more obvious every day that there are two CIAs...

...or two factions at war with each other.

Re >>But it's sad to see some liberals pretending the CIA is not an agency responsible for vast misery. Its record in the 20th century was one of unrelenting terror, assassination and government overthrow.<<

There is the CIA of the "black ops," as you said, and then there are the intelligence professionals like Valerie Plame and her classmates. We call both of these factions by the name CIA, but recently I've started thinking of them as "the good CIA" and "the bad CIA" and I don't confuse them. I don't think the insiders do either.

[burrowowl]

29. KICK!

Would love to see this in the MSM!

[Joey Liberal]

30. Great article!

I passed it along.

[Hissyspit]

32. And the CIA has been gutted and replaced with Bushco 'Yes' men

(and women, I would imagine).

[peacetalksforall]

34. The word 'conflicted' was invented for these times.

As a staunch accuser of the CIA; as one who is reviled at much of their history as I know it, I find myself as outraged as they about this betrayal.

I can't quite get my head around my thoughts, however.

I come from a position that they have been a right wing partisan operation in support of everything Republican. They manuevered to help Reagan out Carter (their least bloodless operation). They worked hand-in-hand with Republican corporate heads to dispose of leaders or other countries and many, many innocent people died early because of the CIA. Families were detroyed.

After all the decades of what I call working for the Republicans, they now appear to be a target for destruction by Republicans. This Republican administration has led a transparent campaign against the CIA.

The law should not be broken; an employee and a cover operation should not be exposed.

Yes, conflicted applies to me.

[vickitulsa]

42. I'm not so much conflicted as bemused.

Could it be like this?:

Thanks in part to existing and fast developing futuristic technology which allows the watched to watch the watchers as our society (including the societies of the U.S. clandestine agencies) becomes more and more transparent, the Company, FBI, and godknowshowmany of the beaucoup intelligence operations out there have been compelled to clean up their act to a surprising degree.

The more they clean it up, the less they are useful to the GOP. The less usefulness to the GOP = no reluctance on the Repubs part to expose covert operatives and do them in.

Does that make sense to anyone but me? :think:

But then again, I have heard repeatedly from both my ex-partner (who was a Navy SEAL sent on many shady ops before he got sickened by it all and left the Navy) and from numerous other sources, some of them published ones, that MOST of the CIA and FBI employees as well as those of other intel agencies are honest, hard-working, long-suffering and actually not well paid folks who care about this country and its citizens and do their best to protect us on a daily basis. It is these workers I regret to see put at risk by a petty and vengeful little man who despises and tries to destroy anyone who does not agree with him or see him as worthy of worship.

[peacetalksforall]

56. Yes, it makes sense. And maybe it makes sense that because of

the diminishing usefulness that Rumsfeld has taken over in the intel area. In fact, if Chertoff is PNAC and Rumsfeld and Cheney and Jeb Bush are PNAC... then we have a custom designed intel for PNAC and to hell with all the other intel systems.


The second part of your post makes sense. I'm sure that the honchos such as Dulles and many others worked for corporate and political propaganda and strategies and they could always find enough stealth worker-bees to do the plotting and delivering (as was the case in the recent Haiti, Venezuela, Columbia actions and has always (45 years) been the case with Cuba.

[emald]

41. Shrub and his cabal

of political malcontents are indeed criminals.

THEY ARE THE ENEMY! (sorry about shouting but this makes me so mad that I can hardly hold my peace)

This monkey of an unelected moronic president and his crew of slimy shills are destroying our country. They are the enemy. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that they are intentionally trying to destroy the United States of America. These people are insidious traitors, full of sedition and themselves.

I don't believe for one minute that they were ever elected, there simply can't be that many idiots in this country. Shrub never succeeded at anything in his life save fucking things up.

Indeed these people are enemies of the US. I hope the CIA does all it can do to destroy them.

Thank God that there are some "operatives" who are willing to stand up and say the truth. Thank you.

[No Blood for Hubris]

43. Rove turns out to be small potatoes: bwa ha ha

LAWYER UP NOW, NEO-CON DUDES--AND DUDETTES!!

Thank God there are some at the CIA who still know up from down, and in from out, and east from west, and all the other basic sort of directions.

It is they who set this in motion--I woulda helped them if'n I coulda--and it may just be enough to get the whole Downing Street lie-fest into the public eye, like the fat public shiner it actually is.

[buddha8]

49. CIA

Great letter but I think they misperceive the situation somewhat. How he can address bush with respect after all that is clearly been done and then ask him to help clean the mess up is a misperception bordering on the criminally naive. Bush is a confirmed Jacobin. The rule of law means nothing to him. His actions prove this again and again and again. The men writing this letter are still somewhat mired in delusion so I am not going to get sentimental over their new awakenings. They work in the CIA and still don't get that the government was overthrown and IS a republic of tyranny with all manner of silly and obvious facades. How can these people who are so deep inside not recognize the truth when it is staring them in the face?

Frankly I am quite surprised that we have not seen somekind of violent response by the CIA to the rape and pillage of their institution. They have been at War with these Jacobins since 9/11 or before. It has been rumored afterall that they had something to do with Dallas 63'. Whether or not that is true who can say but I can't understand political hacks who would play with that organization like they were flies in a jar. I certainly wouldn't and if I did I would be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. I don't want that kind of outcome but I won't delude myself. One of the functions undercover of CIA is to take out rogue figures isn't it? I mean after the fact they have admitted in the historical record to assasinating Allende and making many attempts on the life of Castro. I'm sure they were involved in Noreiga's demise and that of many,many others including a democratically elected leader in Iran in the 50s. Why would anyone in their right mind however arrogant and full of hubris, mess with the CIA? Maybe these letters and their going public is a kind of warning to the culprits. Who knows?

[DouglasRussel]

44. CIA Should Strike!

CIA employees should strike until Rove is out. That'd get the message out.

[Betsy Ross]

45. Why does * need CIA agents anyway?

The administration creates their own reality void of facts. Or do we just want to spend vast amounts of money on an agency which merely acts as yes-men (and women) for *Co?

[bejammin075]

47. Perfect language - will use in next call to my rep

The first 3 paragraphs are perfect. The next time I call my rep, 2 senators and the WH comment line about the downing street memos, rove-gate etc (i've settled down to about 1 call a week to each) I will read the first 3 paragraphs to whoevery answers the phone, after explaining who wrote it.

The Bush administration is going to have to sleep in the bed it shit in. Fuck him and his whole administrration.

[Mich Otter]

54. Either You're With Us, Or You're Against Us

That is the way the Neo-Cons view themselves and their role in the world. It is such a dangerous view because it stifles any opportunity to accept various points of view. They cannot accept any idea that differs or conflicts with their agenda. They cannot accept any criticism of themselves, however truthful or well meaning.

[vickitulsa]

62. Likewise the flip side

of this quote of Jesus from the NT. I don't know if W&Co are aware of it, but the great teacher also said, "If you're not against us, you're for us." I'm paraphrasing in modern English, of course. But it's easy to see how both statements can actually be true, although a nefarious quoter can be using them improperly. :evilfrown:

W uses the first one to challenge the world, accusing everyone of being in the wrong who doesn't go along with -- even strongly support -- his wishes and his choice of actions. He couched that statement in the aftermath of the September 11th terror attacks on the U.S. In doing so, he was implying very clearly and boldly that the U.S. military under his leadership as CIC was going after the bad guys, so if other nations weren't "with us" and in agreement with our strategy and tactics, they were on the side of those terrorists! Understandably, that offended a lot of people and several significant governments; and parts of the world that hadn't yet realized what W was about began to see that he is about HIMSELF. His own righteousness, as he sees it.

After all, W is a born-again believer -- something he made plain during the campaign of 2000. He thinks that means he can do no wrong, and after 9-11 it meant that his decisions on how to fight the war on terror were in effect "divinely guided" and should not be questioned.

He STILL has trouble avoiding words like "crusade" when talking about the ME in particular, which is just rankling the inhabitants of that region all the more.

But if we look at the second quote, the "if you're not against us you're for us" side of that coin, I think we can logically draw from it that those of us who don't get out there and actively work AGAINST this administration are de facto supporters of it! We cannot just sit idly by and watch what happens when something like this Rove scandal breaks, hoping to see the Bush WH come down. :popcorn:

No, those of us who would get rid of the cancer in the seat of power in our great nation must step up to the plate and in every legitimate way possible keep the pressure on the WH and other government institutions involved until a thorough cleanup is accomplished.
:patriot:

And BTW, has anyone posted a link to the "Be Not Afraid" photos Website? It's a very cool place beginning to get a lot of attention. Could be somewhere the libs and cons could actually AGREE!

http://www.werenotafraid.com/

[Mich Otter]

64. Welcome to DU

Thanks for adding your view.

[Penndems]

55. Aldrich Ames, an ex-CIA agent and convicted spy, went to prison

for doing EXACTLY what Novak, Rove, Libby, et. al, are accused of doing: outing a CIA operative. If District Attorney Fitzgerald determines, after all testimony before the grand jury is concluded, that any political appointee in the Bush Administration has committed a similar offense, s/he deserves no less punishment than what Ames received.

Public Order No 97-200, sponsored by Representative Edward P. Boland (MA-2), co-sponsored by no less than 52 Congresspeople, and signed by former President Ronald Reagan on June 23, 1982, sets forth the following provisions and penalties:

1. Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 - Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to establish criminal penalties for any person who knowingly discloses information which identifies a U.S. covert intelligence agent.

2. Establishes a maximum penalty of ten years' imprisonment and/or a $50,000 fine for any person who, having had authorized access to classified information which identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses such information.

3. Establishes a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and/or a $25,000 fine for any person who, having had authorized access to classified information, learns the identity of a covert agent and intentionally discloses such information.

4. Establishes a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment and/or a $15,000 fine for any person who, in the course of a "pattern of activities intended to identify" covert agents and with "reason to believe" that such activities would impair U.S. foreign intelligence activities, discloses information identifying an agent.

5. Directs the President to report annually to the congressional intelligence committees on measures to protect the identities of covert agents.

Link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d097:HR00004:@@@L&summ2=m&|TOM:/bss/d097query.html|
**********************************************************************
The U.S. Espionage Act, passed by Congress on June 15, 1917 (amended on May 16, 1918), Section 1, Subsection (e) states that:

"(e) whoever, being entrusted with or having lawful possession or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blue print, plan, map, model, note, or information, relating to the national defence, through gross negligence permits the same to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust, or to be list, stolen, abstracted, or destroyed, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment for not more than two years, or both."

Source:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/espionageact.htm

Question: What part of these bills do right-wingers not understand?

**********************************************************************
Anyone who discloses a CIA operative, in accordance with these Acts, or who harbors and/or supports someone who has disclosed a CIA operative, is a traitor. Seditionist. Benedict Arnold. Whatever label you choose, the result is still the same: A turncoat to this country.

The American people might be forgiving of some transgressions, but subversion of our laws and making excuses for treasonous cowards ain't two of 'em.

(Thank you, Larry, Jane Doe, etc.!)


(on edit: typo)

[AnnieBW]

58. Acutally...

Ames didn't out one covert op to the media - he told the Soviets about spies within their own country. Those spies were killed, or at least thrown into prison for a very long time.

The CIA is not monolithic. There's the Directorate of Operations, who do the secret squirrel, "Alias" type of stuff. There's the Directorate of Intelligence, which takes all of the intelligence from a variety of sources and puts it together into reports, and then there's the science and technology directorate, which does R&D, etc. The DO guys are the "cowboys" who go out undercover and gather information, and probably the ones that were off torturing people at Abu Gharaib and other places. That's who Valerie Plame probably worked for. There's different levels. The DI guys are the ones that "messed up" on the Iraqi WMD, or 9/11, or whatever. DO traditionally looks down on the other directorates.

[Penndems]

59. Didn't he "out" some of our people to his foreign contacts?

I seem to recall that we had people murdered because of him (you're right about his "outing" foreign operatives).

It constantly amazed me how cheaply some people will sell out this country.

[against all enemies]

57. NO!!!! Wake up America!! Politics over Patriotism is the

Republican way. They have no shame.

[barbinid]

60. It's about time they speak out

The bush crime family has made a mockery of the CIA since 9/11. Pay back is a b!ch.

[vickitulsa]

65. Yes! But remember Daddy Bush's own CIA past

and imagine how that must figure into all this.

Doing a little research to learn more about GHWB's stint at the agency in 1976-77, I found a brief but significant statement Bush Sr. offered at his swearing-in ceremony as CIA Director.

To put it in context especially for those who aren't old enough to recall those times, this was just after 1975 had proven to be a banner year for investigations into the behavior of the CIA. Some very bad press about assassination plots and other unacceptable doings on the part of some of the agency's operatives -- almost exclusively covert or "black ops" types -- that had come to light had provoked demands by Democrats, the media, and the populace for review and scrutiny of the CIA before attempts to clean it up were devised and put in place.

The Rockefeller Commission was appointed by the Ford administration; then the Senate Intelligence Committee's special investigational group was formed and later referred to as the Church Committee for Senator Frank Church who headed it up; and finally the House's version which was called the Pike Commission after its head, Representative Otis Pike, was empanelled. These committees all worked to uncover and examine any illegal actions by the CIA and recommend changes to prevent future abuses by the government's primary intelligence gathering body covering -- supposedly -- the world outside U.S. borders. Turns out they were operating within the country, spying on American citizens and doing heavenonlyknowswhat here, too.

Below are Bush Sr.'s words, in a short excerpt from the book _George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography_ by Webster G. Tarpley & Anton Chaitkin, published in 1991. I found to my surprise that the entire book is available for reading online. http://www.tarpley.net/bushb.htm

On Friday, January 30, (1976) Ford and Bush were joined at the CIA auditorium for Bush's swearing in ceremony (as Director of the CIA) before a large gathering of agency employees. ... (William) Colby opened the ceremony with a few brief words: "Mr. President, and Mr. Bush, I have the great honor to present you to an organization of dedicated professionals. Despite the turmoil and tumult of the last year, they continue to produce the best intelligence in the world." This was met by a burst of applause. ...

Ford's line was: "We cannot improve this agency by destroying it." Bush promised to make "CIA an instrument of peace and an object of pride for all our people." Bush went on to say: "I will not turn my back from the past. We've learned a lot about what an intelligence agency must do to maintain the confidence of the people in an open society. But the emphasis will now be on the future. I'm determined to protect those things that must be kept secret. And I am more determined to protect those unselfish and patriotic people who with total dedication serve their country, often putting their lives on the line, only to have some people bent on destroying this agency expose their names."

What stands out to me is his clear implication that outing agents not only puts their lives at risk but could destroy the CIA altogether! It makes sense, but I hadn't really thought of it quite that way. Seems clear to me that GHWB saw it that way, however.

So if George Senior's son wants to protect Rove, Cheney, or anyone else in his WH who may have participated in the outing of Valerie Plame as a dirty trick to get back at her husband Joe Wilson, what is that saying to W's own father? Isn't it like a monstrous slap in the face of the dad W has repeatedly told us he virtually idolizes? "The best dad in the world... a very great man ..." and such -- he's said it often.

????? So what's up with THAT, Junior??

Wish I could be a fly on the wall in a room where W and his pa have a little chat about this matter........

[melissinha]

63. MSM doesn't even touch this

I just want to YELL at the SOBs in the MSM:

How about telling your viewers/readers about ALL of the facts.... whomever we find to be responsible has broken down an ENTIRE intelligence operation.... the front company had been built for 10 years, now their work, in none other than the proliferation of WMDs has been comprimised. Some person is responsible for compromising the security of this country. Mr. Rove should be punished for lieing to the FBI and for discussing classified information in contrary to the nondisclosure agreement he signed. IN the very least Mr. Rove is irresponsible. At a time of war, we don't need people who are irresponsible. We can't trust a loose-lipped White House Advisor.

I wonder if the Wilson's were the target in the first place. They seem to be the red herring were as Brewster Jennings was the real target.