Bad Blood Exists Between White House, CIA

Yahoo ^ | 10/29/05 | AP

[advance_copy]

Washington (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff is learning one Washington lesson the hard way: Don't do battle with people who run covert operations for a living. The bad blood between the White House and CIA has been known for some time. But the 22-page indictment Friday of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby displays - in black and white - just how nasty relations had become between senior White House officials and the nation's spy chiefs.

[snip]

...former CIA official Lee Strickland, who was responsible for all disclosure activities at the CIA as chief of its information review group, said he can't recall a time in his 30 years at the agency when there was so much tension with the White House.

He said the situation highlights problems with the politicization of intelligence. "You want to keep the politics separate from the intelligence," he said.

[advance_copy]

AP should consider that the CIA meddling in domestic politics during the ten years before Porter Goss was sent to Langley compromised our security. If people like Valerie Plame weren't using the authority of their office for political activism instead of doing their job, the North Koreans and Iranians might not have advanced their nuclear research right under our noses. Maybe if the CIA had been tracking down terrorists instead of plotting to influence our elections, bin Laden wouldn't have been such a threat.

Every American should demand that petty bureaucrats hiding behind the veil of CIA secrecy be held accountable for their treachery. This is not the Soviet Union and the CIA is not supposed to be the KGB. Senator Roberts, call your office.

[Paleo Conservative]

It's unclear if Friday's indictment of Libby will help conclude a rocky chapter of White House-CIA relations or further enflame the situation. However, many senior CIA officials who were directly involved with the White House left the agency after George Tenet stepped down as director in July 2004.

They should have left the second or third week of September 2001 along with Tenet.

[Mark Felton]

This is a direct result of Pres. Bush's behaving like an imbecile and refusing to fire all clinton political appointments, in all the cabinet offices and executive agencies, replacing them with his own loyal supporters.

Clinton was smarter than Bush, by far, I hate to say. Clinton knew exactly how to change the very nature of the government. I suspect Clinton was getting much expert technical advice from foreign agencies.

[Grampa Dave]

If they think relations with the left wing traitor scum in the CIA was bad, wait until they see this:

Photos courtesy of bmwcyle

[Jim Robinson]

Yup. Looks like Libby is just one of the first public casualties of this battle and no doubt they were aiming higher up. Elements within the CIA (aided and abetted by the Democrats) definitely appear to be at war with the White House.

[MNJohnnie]

This is a direct result of Pres. Bush's behaving like an imbecile and refusing to fire all clinton political appointments, in all the cabinet offices and executive agencies, replacing them with his own loyal supporters

Amazing how even this gets turned into an excuse for a Bush bash.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

How nice that the CIA is adept at battling the Office of the Vice President.

Maybe if they have the time, they could try working on terrorism.

[sgtbono2002]

I have said over and over that Bush should have gotten rid of the Clintonites the day he moved into the WH. He is paying dearly for the mistake of leaving them there..

[p23185]

This is not the Soviet Union and the CIA is not supposed to be the KGB. Senator Roberts, call your office.

This could not have been said any better or clearer. Way too much secrecy at CIA and other organizations - this is no longer the Cold War and some of these "secrets" so called, should see the light of day. Flame is one of them, you might learn this was all a plot hatched at the CIA to bring down Bush. Wilson and Flame are no fans of the Bush Admin. I read somewhere that Wilson was not even paid for his trip to Niger - he is such a patriot!! Who would travel around the world on their own dime, if there wasn't some ulterior motive? I want him under oath on the stand.

[xJones]

Ping for an interesting CIA thread.

[Matchett-PI]

"If people like Valerie Plame weren't using the authority of their office for political activism instead of doing their job, the North Koreans and Iranians might not have advanced their nuclear research right under our noses. Maybe if the CIA had been tracking down terrorists instead of plotting to influence our elections, bin Laden wouldn't have been such a threat." ~ advance_copy

SADDAM HUSSEIN AND THE CRISIS IN THE GULF (Paperback) by Judith Miller
Paperback: 268 pages Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1st ed edition (October 13, 1990)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812919211/104-4220677-8910314?v=glance&n=283155&v=glance

Illuminating account of historical importance, May 28, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
Everyone who wants to understand why the war in Iraq happened should read this book and think about it very carefully. Dr. Mylroie, trained as a political scientist, is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the thinktank that has most influenced the George W. Bush administration. Miller wrote for the New York Times, with all the prestige that this brought to her byline. (As this review goes to press, she continues to work for the NYT, though for how much longer is anyone's guess).

Dr. Mylroie's later book, Study of Revenge: Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War Against America (American Enterprise Institute Press, 2000)-- published in paperback as The War Against America (HarperCollins, 2001)-- was perhaps even more influential than this earlier co-production with Miller.

But by understanding the relationship and cooperation between the two writers-- Mylroie the expert and Miller the scribe, we get a full understanding ..."

Laurie Mylroie’s previous books on Iraq, The War Against America, and the #1 New York Times bestseller, Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf (co-authored with Judith Miller) made the persuasive case that Saddam Hussein’s regime had a long history of brutality and state sponsorship of terror.

Now in her latest book, BUSH VS THE BELTWAY: The Inside Battle Over War in Iraq (ReganBooks; on-sale August 2004; Trade Paperback; $14.95) she takes on the story behind the buildup to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Combining groundbreaking new research with an insider’s understanding of the workings of Washington, Mylroie describes how forces WITHIN the CIA and the State Department have conspired to falsely discredit crucial intelligence about Saddam Hussein’s regime, from his links to al Qaeda to his development of chemical, biological, and nuclear weaponry. She charges the bureaucrats of these agencies with cynical, self-serving behavior, designed to help them save face even at the expense of our national security.

Mylroie describes how major elements of the case against Iraq­from new information about the al-Qaeda terrorists’ links to Iraq, to potential Iraq involvement in the fall 2001 anthrax attacks­were suppressed or prematurely dismissed by the CIA and the State Department. She reveals how the very idea of state-sponsored terrorism had been pronounced dead after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing­thereby giving states like Iraq the perfect cover to carry out well-orchestrated terrorist acts without ever being detected.

In what will surely be seen as the controversial book of the decade, Mylroie asserts that:

the “peace and prosperity” created by the Clinton administration was in essence an “illusion” during which our government failed to recognize and handle the growing threat of Iraq’s arms build-up in the wake of the Gulf War, particularly its biological program. the “concept” of Islamic fanatical terrorist factions that are independent of any state backing is inaccurate and altogether false. all evidence points to a strong relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda operatives at a senior level, indicating that terrorist factions may, in fact, be a ruse to cover up Iraq’s agenda. on the afternoon of September 11th, Donald Rumsfeld gave the order to start looking at Iraq, as well as al Qaeda, and that plans for war with Iraq were already in the making as we attacked Afghanistan.

the CIA has time and time again used methods to divert the government from pursuing the al Qaeda-Iraq connection. the proposed centralization of intelligence may, in fact, be the worst scenario for keeping America alert to the deceptions of our enemies.

BUSH VS THE BELTWAY presents astonishing facts that will lead readers to re-examine their own perceptions of the war and wonder what else we don’t know.

In the chapter “Deception and Self-Deception,” Mylroie recounts the military tactics of deception and denial used by the U.S. and Britain during World War II to illustrate how similar tactics may be in place to convince us that al Qaeda operatives are not linked to Iraq.

This chapter alone will make readers want to brush up on historical military maneuvers in order to understand current politics. Together with Professor Robert Turner of the University of Virginia School of Law, who contributes an essay on the legality of the war­she demonstrates how only the unwavering vision of senior administration officials (President Bush first among them) broke through the roadblocks that stood in the way of liberating Iraq and defending America.

In what may be called the most up-to-date book on America’s past history with Iraq and terrorism, Mylroie succeeds in connecting each seemingly unrelated event in a way the media, and perhaps even the government, has failed to do.

Drawing on her own contacts with the Bush administration, as well as citing renowned journalists from publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post as well as speeches made by Saddam Hussein and our country’s leaders, Mylroie puts forth a comprehensive and encompassing investigation of the facts surrounding our entanglement with Iraq that will make it impossible for readers to put BUSH VS THE BELTWAY down. This is the kind of book that will spark intergenerational discussions and debates about U.S. politics, historical events and future predictions for years to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laurie Mylroie is the author of The War Against America and the co-author with Judith Miller of Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf, a #1 New York Times bestseller. An adviser on Iraq to the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, she is an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and has taught at Harvard University and the U. S. Naval War College. Mylorie’s writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Newsweek, and many other national periodicals.

BUSH VS THE BELTWAY The Inside Battle Over War in Iraq By Laurie Mylroie ReganBooks August 2004 Trade Paperback; $14.95 ISBN: 0060597267

*

Dear Laurie, "I saw you on FOX Friday [7/11/03] with John Gibson and noted what you said about what a former CIA agent told you in Fox's Green Room shortly after 9-11, just before you were to go on the air: "[We] can go to war [in Iraq] on the basis of WMD, but not on the basis of terrorism."

The enemy within is much more dangerous than the enemy without." ~ [Matchett-PI] - Sunday, 7-13-2003

"Dear [Matchett-PI], Thanks very much for your exceedingly kind comments. And I'm most appreciative that you picked up that remark: You can go to war on the basis of the WMD, but not on the basis of terrorism.

That is why Bush has been unable to explain why we fought this war. You're absolutely right about the enemy within. "

~ Laurie Mylroie Tue, 15 Jul 2003 12:52:30 -0400

Excerpted from my 7/15/03 thread, here:
"Free Republic is a great place--a lot of people read it." ~ Dr. Laurie Mylroie
Dr. Laurie Mylroie ^ | July 15, 2003 | Dr. Laurie Mylroie Posted on 07/16/2003 1:18:30 PM EDT by Matchett-PI
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/947251/posts

*
Bush vs The Beltway: How the CIA and the State Department Tried to Stop the War on Terror
Amazon.com ^ | 7-29-03 | Laurie Mylroie Posted on 07/29/2003 12:31:38 PM EDT by Matchett-PI Just released today!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/954564/posts

244 posted on 10/29/2005 12:10:41 PM EDT by Matchett-PI
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511422/posts?page=244#244

Also see:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511422/posts?page=228#228
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511422/posts?page=245#245
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511422/posts?page=248#248

[independentmind]

Who is the ugly, fat guy in the picture?

[Matchett-PI]

"Every American should demand that petty bureaucrats hiding behind the veil of CIA secrecy be held accountable for their treachery. This is not the Soviet Union and the CIA is not supposed to be the KGB. Senator Roberts, call your office." ~ advance_copy


Investigate The CIA
Investors.com ^ | 10/24/2005 | Editorial
Posted on 10/25/2005 7:21:39 AM EDT by Jim Robinson
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1508739/posts

While the Bush administration hunkers down on indictment watch, Congress should take a look at political ­ and possibly illegal ­ activity by agenda-driven intelligence operatives.

Whatever fate befalls White House adviser Karl Rove, Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Lewis Libby and any other administration official caught up in the prosecution over the leaked name of a CIA officer, there's a back story to this case that should not be ignored.

It's about the CIA itself.

This is a story that most of the media will be trying hard not to cover. They share former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's stated desire to see Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald "frog-march" Rove out of the White House in handcuffs.

So Congress should leave the media no choice. Hold hearings. Put the CIA on the spot and blow the lid off any politically motivated funny business. Bring some transparency to what has become a very murky issue.

We believe that someone needs to answer the questions raised recently by Joseph F. DiGenova, a former federal prosecutor and independent counsel:

Was there a covert operation against the president?

If so, who was behind it?

These aren't the musings of the tinfoil-hat brigade. A sober-minded case can be made that at least some people in the CIA may have acted inappropriately to discredit the administration as a way of salvaging their own reputations after the intelligence debacles of 9-11 and Iraqi WMD.

(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...

[WildTurkey]

Bush has been fighting the 'established' in the CIA and the military in his quest to reform these entrenched societies. He is fighting the big battle. But if he doesn't cower to the radical right wing on every issue, they dump all over him and talk about how he never does anything and that Bush is a closet liberal. It started right after he was elected and appointed Ashcroft. "No spine" were the posts. "If Bush had any spine he would have not appointed Ashcroft. Ashcroft has no spine since he didn't take his disputed election to the courts" and so on.

[Jim Robinson]

Also appears to me that the overzealous Fitzgerald was a dupe for the leftists. Leftist democrats are embedded in all government agencies and with their more than willing counterparts in the leftist media basically are the domestic enemy.

[You Dirty Rats]

CIA = Clintonista Infiltrated Agency

[Cicero]

Every American can't do a damned thing about the CIA. Only Bush can. You can't fight them in the press or the courts, but you can FIRE the SOBs, and that's what Bush should have done long since.

The same is true of the FBI, which is full of high-level clintonoids. Mueller hasn't done a damned thing about it. He even gave out medals to clinton's favorite butt-boys.

The same is true of the Justice Department, which was responsible for this Fitzgerald fiasco. Ashcroft was so traumatized by the press that he never took hold of anything while he was there. He's a good man, but he was useless in that job.

It's very late in the day for a housecleaning, but Bush should certainly do something, rather than leave the mess for his successor to cope with.

[Matchett-PI]

LOL bttt

[Grampa Dave]

Ask Judy Miller?:)

[Grampa Dave]

As usual Jim, you are right on target.

This so called crime reeks from DC to California of eu da Rat.