Bush Administration's Worse-than-Nixonian Tactic: The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives

FindLaw ^ | August 15, 2003 | John Dean

[MEG33]

How is it that Dean is now a respected commentator?

[El Che Vive]

How is it that you only look at the messenger and not the message?

[Mr. Bird]

Dean is omitting one very pertinent detail: if the DCI authorized the leak, it ain't a crime. And my guess is he did. And a congressional inquiry will reveal this. But only to the members.

I also like how Dean says "senior administration officials" almost always means VP, Cabinet, or "top White House officials". Thanks for the clarification, Deano.

[El Che Vive]

Legal or not, it is a dangerous and morally repugnant form of retribution, if true.

[Mr. Bird]

"What happened is very dangerous to a person who may be a CIA operative," Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL),

Now there's a guy who knows about criminal activity.

[Mr. Bird]

Legal or not, it is a dangerous and morally repugnant form of retribution, if true

Maybe. Let's be clear here: Wilson's trip to Africa is well documented as superficial and casual conversations over drinks in public areas. He no more went to Niger to actually investigate than he did to water ski.

Now, any good intelligence agency will flag an agent when the spouse is pursuing political agendas. Wilson's very public calling out of the administration would have had to trigger a routine review of his wife (if she's an agent). That review could reveal several things detrimental to the agent, especially if she is of one mind with her husband. Spies shouldn't do politics.

For all anyone knows, Wilson's wife was burned on purpose but for entirely valid reasons.

[Zack Nguyen]

This article is worth considering. I'd like to know, too, just why the heck people in the Administration think they have license to reveal the names of covert operatives, if that is what they did.

[MEG33]

Welcome to FR.I do consider the source when he calls it the "worst".Are you a friend of John's?

[sauropod]

I agree. If this Administration did this, it is worthy of Clintonian scorn.

I despise Dean and all he stands for. But if this is true, some re-evaluation of certain stances is called for.

[steve50]

Wilson's trip to Africa is well documented as superficial and casual conversations over drinks in public areas. He no more went to Niger to actually investigate than he did to water ski.


I've seen partisans rant about this on the tube but I've never seen any documentation. Even if so, it in no way justifies outing CIA operatives. The people this leak came from need dealt with

[ravingnutter]

Oh please, there is no proof that the info came from the administration and the question asked of McClellan was basically a "when did you stop beating your wife" question, he is not stonewalling. He answered the question by replying that the administration does not work that way, and until these liberal idiots who have lied time and again to make the administration look bad can prove otherwise by naming these so-called "officials", they can kiss my butt.

[IGOTMINE]

Vive El Che Guevara?

Looks like DU is short one today. He was only able to be a sleeper since the 12th.

[MEG33]

So noted.

[Mr. Bird]

Even if so, it in no way justifies outing CIA operatives

You're right, of course. But as I say in my post, if the CIA wishes to out its own operatives, they can. We have no idea why this woman was identified as a spy. None.

I do think it's funny that she was known by her friends as an "energy analyst at a private firm". That screams "I AM A SPOOK".

[El Che Vive]

Nope. But as my grandfather said about hypocrites (as Dean may well be), "Funny thing about that pot who called the kettle black... he was right."

[El Che Vive]

I agree that spies shouldn't do politics, but the opposite is true -- politicians shouldn't 'do' spies, either.

[El Che Vive]

The name is a joke. If there is one thing Che is doing, it ain't vive-ing, if you follow me.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Well, it's interesting that someone with a far-left nickname suddenly turns up on a thread from a far-left source.

For your information, El Ché is dead as a doornail and has been these thirty-six years. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Civilization took a step forward when that Bolivian sergeant finished him off.

I suspect what we are actually seeing here is the wife catch it for recommending the husband for the gig. You know, the gig he dropped the ball on, and then made a political football of. She, after all, according to these news reports, worked WMD and is likely to have been involved in his hiring. He then went on to put politics first.

It's amazing that a felon like Dean doesn't understand that actions have consequences. Interesting also that he names the Morison case (he had the spelling wrong), although several of his facts are wrong. (The case did expose a very particular intelligence capability, and Morison did it for money and prestige). Morison was, of course, pardoned by Slick Willy. The essence of the Democratic mainstream is to reward traitors.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Cyber Liberty]

John Dean sees a Nixon behind every rock. Puh-leeze.