Posted on 01/03/2006 5:23:36 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
January 3, 2006 - 07:58
Katie Couric's just-completed interview with NY Times Reporter James Risen, who broke the NSA surveillance story and is now publishing his book on the matter, 'State of War,' offered a treasure-trove of insights into the matter. And give Katie a gentlelady's 'C' for her questioning. Couric earned the bulk of her credit by posing this seminal line of questioning:
"Did [the leakers] have any sympathy or understanding about this new climate this country finds itself in and the criticism the Bush administration took prior to 9/11 for not putting the pieces together and figuring out that a terrorist attack was imminent? In other words, did they acknowledge that tough times may call for tough measures?"
In other matters:
Whether wittingly or not, Risen seemed clearly to tip his hand to the fact that the leakers were disgruntled career employees. People will recall that State Department careerist Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff, recently claimed there was "a cabal between the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made.''
Along similar lines, Risen alleged that "the checks and balances that normally keep American foreign policy and national security policy toward the center kind of broke down. You had more of a radicalization, in which the career professionals were not really given a chance to forge a consensus within the administration. The principals: Rumsfeld, Cheney Tenet and Rice were meeting constantly, setting policy and never allowing the experts, the people who understand the region to have a say."
Cooed Katie: "You suggest there was a lot of power-grabbing going on."
"Yes," responded Risen, only too happy to concur.
"Power-grabbing?" How is the exercise of power by the people the president explicitly put in charge of foreign and national security policy a "grab"? Only in the minds of the liberal establishment, who believe that power rightly resides with the career 'wets' in State and the intelligence agencies.
As with Wilkerson, it sounds as if at the origin of this leak were career employees, disgruntled at being shut out of the center of the action by appointed officials.
Further to her credit, Couric did ask a question along such lines, stating 'many critics alleged your sources had serious axes to grind."
Time and again, Risen defended his sources as having the "purest" and "best" motives, springing entirely for their concern for the rule of law.
As to whether he was concerned that in light of the Justice Department investigation into the leaks he might be forced to reveal his sources, Risen was quick to claim that this was "the complete opposite of the Plame case."
True, but surely not in the way Risen meant it. The Plame case involved the 'revealing' of the identity of someone apparently already well-known in many DC circles to be a CIA employee, and a desk jockey at that who had not worked abroad in many years. The NSA affair involves the compromising of a current intelligence operation aimed at America's deadliest enemies.
"Risen seemed clearly to tip his hand to the fact that the leakers were disgruntled career employees."
Friends of VIPs.
Ray McGovern: Can we please get some leaks from the CIA?
The Slimes actually believe that Libs and Dems have pure motives while Repubs are evil...it's an upside down 'Alice in Wonderland' sort of thing! LOL
'Alice in Wonderland' sort of thing?
Well, in that case, I'm a RED pill taker and I want to see how far down this demonrat-hole goes! LOL
Wow! Great, great writing. This one is a jaw dropper.
Bookmarked.
Words fail me.... "toward the center"??? What in God's name is "the center" when it comes to the national security of the United States? And are these "career professionals" that Risen talks about people like Jamie Gorelick and that ilk? The same "career professionals" who brought us September 11th, 2001?
When I was in the military I was very disgruntled at the 2 am drills without having any coffee but at no time would I have ever thought it legal to go tell the NY Slimes how much this upset me.
"Risen says that career employees risked their lives (pretty much literally, they could go to jail for life without parole if discovered). He says they did so for pure motives, I presume that means they thought it was imperative that they STOP this move by Bush as quickly as possible.
Except that, instead of talking to a beat reporter for a newspaper that would publish their story the next week, they talked to a guy writing a book that held the story for over a year.
Further, this guy, who seems to agree with them that their motives are pure and americans were having their rights trampled, decided that the rights of americans wasn't really nearly so important as his making a lot of money on his book sales.
In other words, if we accept at face value everything Risen is saying, we are left with the inescapable conclusion that the leakers are idiots, and he is a self-centered, greedy money-grubber. "
Frankly my dear, I wish you were in charge of talking points for the RNC! So I'm emailing your excellent points to Mehlman right this minute!!!
"Time and again, Risen defended his sources as having the "purest" and "best" motives, springing entirely for their concern for the rule of law."
That's the new line. They're not leakers, they're "whistleblowers".
Thanks, Lancey. When will the left realize we are in a fight for our lives?
That encapsulates the basic difference between a grunt and a career beauracrat.
Good one!---LOL
One name is Jefferey Sterling, a disgruntled CIA employee from O’Fallon, Missouri who at a point during the Clinton Admin held the post at the Iran desk; he wanted to get revenge on the CIA for not approving for release his memoir, I think... also claimed he was discriminated against because he’s black and the CIA thought he would not make a good undercover operative or some such junk.
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