White House Outted CIA Agent

[DanS]

I don't know if it was, but if it was, then it ought to be punished.

[Timexwatch]

There is about a one in a million chance that the person who leaked this will be caught by those investigating. The best that they'll do is point a finger in the general direction of someone who had the right clearences/contacts to know that Wilson's wife was a covert CIA Agent.

Expect the media frenzy to last another week and a half and it will probably die down, baring an informer coming forward. People will try to turn this into Yellowcakegate II and will be frustrated again.

[Arnelos]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
According to the ex-CIA guy on PBS last night, she was, but even if she wasn't, it's besides the point. Analysts sometimes become field agents and some analysts are former field agents. Her ability to do anything else now is compromised, and anyone she met with anywhere in the world is comprimsed, even if it was innocent.

This is true. I personally know people who've made that transfer from one to the other, since then retired and able to at least mention that they did.

[Arnelos]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
It's not a nothing story. It's yet another example of this Administration punishing those who contradcit its lies (for example the scientist who had been putting up maps of caribu migration). This is an attempt to silence people in the Administration (esp. intelligence) who either disagree with or can contradict "the official story."

It should be noted that while her status was certainly revealed, there is absoultely no compelling evidence whatsoever that the Bush Administration was either purposely behind it or that there was any malicious intent by whoever was responsible (incompetence is as often the reason for stupidity like this as malice or corruption).

Jumping to the conclusion that the Bush Admin. must be behind it is extremely specious.

[Arnelos]

Originally posted by uh Clem


Most right-wingers are still in this early stage, Denial, about the impending demise of the Bush gang. Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance are still some ways off.

The CIA requested that the DOJ investigate, on September 26. Langley takes this very seriously. Novak's column was more two months ago, and yet the White House has done nothing.

You don't diss the CIA, not like that. Not unless you know what you're doing and why (like William Blum, for instance). When it comes to politics, Karl Rove might believe his own bull****, but wrt intelligence, he's a hick.

George Tenet was fine with taking the blame for the State of the Union mix-up. That's just one of the things you have to do sometimes, take one for the team. Nobody believed him anyway.

But he didn't expect to be thanked for that by having one of his people outed, and then for Bush to forget all about it. Well, Bush and the press might have forgotten about it, but the CIA hasn't. That's being treated contemptuously, and publicly so.

Bush might think that because his Daddy used to run the place, he can treat them like the landscape crew at Crawford. ("Hey, ah-meego, compren-doh?") Bad plan.

Some of you have such a completely warped view of reality that it's truly fascinating...

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Arnelos
Jumping to the conclusion that the Bush Admin. must be behind it is extremely specious.

I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I'm just following along. The Post said it, and Wilson pointed directly at Rove, though he's since backed off.

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Caligastia
There is no evidence that she was.

This is essentially flagrantly wrong. She may currently be an analyst, but essentially all the news sources are reporting that she at least was an operative in the past, and her identity was classified to protect her contacts.

Plame currently is an analyst at the CIA. But, intelligence officials said, she previously served overseas in a clandestine capacity, which means her name is kept classified to protect her previous contacts and operations, and her ability to work again undercover overseas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21389-2003Sep30_2.html

[rev]

Several of the six remaining reporters have reportedly been saying Rove is one of the two. Rove has a history of jumping the gun and anonymously pushing questionable stories in times of trouble -- he got fired from Bush Sr.'s campaign for doing it.

Keep in mind that this leak also came during a short period of time in which the White House leaked several other ridiculous smears -- including telling reporters (and Drudge) that a reporter who wrote a damaging article about the White House was a "gay Canadian".

Let's face it -- whoever leaked this information didn't want their names on it for some reason: either they knew it was illegal or it was intended as a smear.

[Whaleboy]

So does anyone know this CIA dudes name?

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Mordoch

This is essentially flagrantly wrong. She may currently be an analyst, but essentially all the news sources are reporting that she at least was an operative in the past, and her identity was classified to protect her contacts.

I actually meant "was" to mean just before this story got big - i.e. in the last couple of days. If she was an operative a while back, then it just makes the people hyping this story even bigger idiots because they are the ones who have ensured that she will not be able to serve in this capacity at any point in the future.

[Ned]

AFAIK, the facts are that Novak was calling sources in the admin to find out why Wilson, a Clinton admin official, was used in Niger. The response was that his wife, a CIA analyst, suggested his name. Novak apparently confirmed this from the CIA who gave him her name and did not ask him not to publish the name.

Apparently, she was a covert agent in the past and her name was classified. Thus noone should have identified her as a CIA employee, let alone released her name. The people responsible are at least guilty of stupidity, or worse, and should be fired.

Now, Wilson, has identified Rove as the source of the leak and that Rove leaked it intentionally to smear Wilson. Of course, such an intentional leak is a crime. This clearly then is actionable defamation if Rove turns out not to be guilty.

I don't know where this is all leading, but I suspect either Rove or Wilson are in a heap of trouble, depending.

[Nubclear]

There was once a country named Lossiya. There was a revolution in Lossiya and it became Rovietskii Royuz.
Whenever a politician made the leaders of the Rovietskii Royuz mad, he would either die or his career be ruined.

Then, the plague jumped across the Bering Straight.....

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Caligastia
I actually meant "was" to mean just before this story got big - i.e. in the last couple of days. If she was an operative a while back, then it just makes the people hyping this story even bigger idiots because they are the ones who have ensured that she will not be able to serve in this capacity at any point in the future.

Frankly that's only assuming you're talking about countries with incompetent intel agencies and is a fairly weak argument. Once a single article is widely available to the public, intelligence agencies throughout the world certainly should take not of that fact and her name. Even without the current publicity, the fact she had been identified in the past makes it too risky to send her anywhere since other potential candidates have not been public identified as opperatives in the past. I'm a little flabergasted at how you're trying to bash people who consider this situation serious and publicize it, rather than aknowledging its a serious issue where whoever is the guilty party should be punished. Incidentally, the CIA has to worry about the fact that if people do this and don't get in trouble for it, more agents could be compromised in the future.

Edit, in fact CIA officials are saying it doesn't matter if the case is publicized more now since her identity has already been comprimised.

Why is the Washington Post publishing Plame's name?

An intelligence official told The Post on Sept. 27 that no further harm would come from repeating Plame's name.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24144-2003Sep30_2.html

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Mordoch

Frankly that's only assuming you're talking about countries with incompetent intel agencies and is a fairly weak argument. Once a single article is widely available to the public, intelligence agencies throughout the world certainly should take not of that fact and her name. Even without the current publicity, the fact she had been identified in the past makes it too risky to send her anywhere since other potential candidates have not been public identified as opperatives in the past. I'm a little flabergasted at how you're trying to bash people who consider this situation serious and publicize it, rather than aknowledging its a serious issue where whoever is the guilty party should be punished. Incidentally, the CIA has to worry about the fact that if people do this and don't get in trouble for it, more agents could be compromised in the future.

There's nothing wrong with worrying about compromised security and publicizing it, the people I'm bashing are the ones who automatically blame Bush. It's mainly Democrats who are hyping this because they want to smear Bush.

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Caligastia
I actually meant "was" to mean just before this story got big - i.e. in the last couple of days. If she was an operative a while back, then it just makes the people hyping this story even bigger idiots because they are the ones who have ensured that she will not be able to serve in this capacity at any point in the future.

You were clearly trying to suggest she was an analyst before and no real crime was commited, and unless you go back and edit all your previous posts in this thread, anyone can see that. Nice try.