Investigate the CIA - It was the CIA's bizarre conduct that led inexorably to Ms. Plame's unveiling

Wall Street Journal ^ | November 3, 2005 | By VICTORIA TOENSING

[Jim Robinson]

In a surprise, closed-door debate, Senate Democrats demanded an investigation of pre-Iraq War intelligence. Here's an issue for them: Assess the validity of the claim that Valerie Plame's status was "covert," or even properly classified, given the wretched tradecraft by the Central Intelligence Agency throughout the entire episode. It was, after all, the CIA that requested the "leak" investigation, alleging that one of its agents had been outed in Bob Novak's July 14, 2003, column. Yet it was the CIA's bizarre conduct that led inexorably to Ms. Plame's unveiling.

When the Intelligence Identities Protection Act was being negotiated, Senate Select Committee Chairman Barry Goldwater was adamant: If the CIA desired a law making it illegal to expose one of its deep cover employees, then the agency must do a much better job of protecting their cover. That is why a criterion for any prosecution under the act is that the government was taking "affirmative measures" to conceal the protected person's relationship to the intelligence agency. Two decades later, the CIA, either purposely or with gross negligence, made a series of decisions that led to Ms. Plame becoming a household name.

• First: The CIA sent her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, to Niger on a sensitive mission regarding WMD. He was to determine whether Iraq had attempted to purchase yellowcake, an essential ingredient for nonconventional weapons. However, it was Ms. Plame, not Mr. Wilson, who was the WMD expert. Moreover, Mr. Wilson had no intelligence background, was never a senior person in Niger when he was in the State Department, and was opposed to the administration's Iraq policy. The assignment was given, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee, at Ms. Plame's suggestion.

• Second: Mr. Wilson was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement...

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

If the CIA desired a law making it illegal to expose one of its deep cover employees, then the agency must do a much better job of protecting their cover.

Kind of obvious, isn't it?

It's amazing to me that nobody is commenting on the obvious...that the CIA is at war with the White House.

[clee1]

I never was much of a sports freak... seems like a lot of work for little reward. However, I do like Braves baseball.

There are three levels of priority for me: Gotta do, need to do, and wanna do... Sports ranks way at the bottom of wanna do.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Assess the validity of the claim that Valerie Plame's status was "covert," or even properly classified, given the wretched tradecraft by the Central Intelligence Agency throughout the entire episode.

I agree with that.

[Liberal Bob]

The question asked by jonrick46

One last question: If Saddam Hussein did acquire uranium, where is it now?

I refer you back to the article.

The U.S. Energy Department considered that stockpile so dangerous that it mounted an unprecedented airlift operation four months ago to remove the enriched uranium stash from al Tuwaitha.

Date of article Friday, Oct. 8, 2004 11:16 a.m. EDT

[caveat emptor]

One last question: If Saddam Hussein did acquire uranium, where is it now?

Secured and safely stored in Iraq by US forces. You have other new messages about your post to Jim Rob, BTW.

[Enchante]

"The CIA conduct in this matter is either a brilliant covert action against the White House or inept intelligence tradecraft. It is up to Congress to decide which."

How about BOTH inept tradecraft AND a covert action against the WH..... although it would never be regarded as any 'brilliant' covert action if the MSM had done rudimentary due diligence on Joe and Valerie before turning Joe Wilson into a faux-hero of the left.

[jonrick46]

This information must be too highly classified to reveal openly--like the identity of Valerie Plame (I am trying to make a connection as to why the Bush Administration cannot reveal to much due to the classified nature of it).