Posted on 07/20/2005 6:23:03 AM PDT by Perlstein
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame?s name was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson?s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this ?talking point?:
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, ?And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day.?
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, ?Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them.?
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, ?And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that.?
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, ?It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day.?
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who ?work at a desk? in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation?s security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation?s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends.
They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government?s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.
Larry Johnson
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
Note, the undersigned are from both the CIA's Directorate of Operations and Directorate of Intelligence.
Careful what you say to Perlstein. You might be quoted in the Village Voice. FR is his show prep like everyone else.
Have you ever seen him on CNN. Constantly foaming at the mouth about anything to do with this administration. Always spouting the DNC taliking points.
However, being angry with this administration doesn't mean he shares the political views of the opposition. That is a huge problem around here - being critical of the Adminstration equates one with 'liberals' - I can't remember when I last saw such lock step impulses.
But I've never seen him spout a 'liberal' political position. Unless you think that opposing the will of this Adminstration automatically qualifies as a liberal position.
Yeah, bang up. And between them and the FBI, neither was too concerned when Hillary, not even her hubby the president who also considered them as his personal reading section, took out files like they were library periodicals and left them lying around or gave out the info on people. But the RNC, well, shhhhh!
The below links relate to a brief filed on behalf of 36 news organizations, in the case where Cooper and Miller were seeking an en banc hearing at the Federal Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. The brief itself is a 1.5 Mb PDF file - fair warning.
March 23, 2005 brief filed by 36 News organizations <- Arguing "no crime committed"
http://beldar.blogs.com/beldarblog/2005/03/journalists_ami.html <- Commentary
The argument that no crime was committed is largely based on finding that Plame was not covert.
Good catch! I notice that he only started the thread, yet didn't post a single comment. A quick perusal of his FR posting history speaks volumes.
Guess who one of the letter signers in this thread's subject was. And I suppose he would be considered non-partisan, hmmm? Me thinks Mr. McGovern is a wee bit left.
Can't find a record of that, can you point it out please?
"A quick perusal of his FR posting history speaks volumes."
His name is Rick Perlstein and i'm surprised he hasn't responded to comments on his own thread. He hasn't hidden his identity in the past. He's a writer for the Village Voice. Here's an example from last Oct. just before the election...
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0442,perlstein,57696,1.html
She "uncovered" herself when she chose to promote her hubby.
You will notice that they are all formers...I wonder why. Maybe Clinton Administration people? Current duty people can't say squat, wouldn't it put them in danger?
What happens is these Government employees make grade and get promoted to HQ in Washington. They buy homes and then retire. Nothing to do but read the Washington Post with their morning coffee so they become involved in community affairs for the first time in their lives, and because Washington D.C. and the surrounding suburbs are populated by Democrats on the government dole, become little socialists themselves via osmosis. They can't come to grips with no longer being a 'Case Officer' or a 'Senior Analyst' so sit around bragging about the size of their government pensions and writing letters to the editor thinking people care what they think, or in this case, to their congressional leaders thinking they care. It is the Washington disease.
Do you think these zipper heads just gave up the ghost?
In their zeal to hammer the RNC they may have let slip classified information.....the fact that the CIA has covert agents doing domestic work. Makes you go hmmmmmmmm.....
JEDI.
"Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist
attacks against Americans at home and abroad."
And they did this, WHEN?
1975
Jan. 24, New York City: bomb set off in historic Fraunces Tavern killed 4 and injured more than 50 people. Puerto Rican nationalist group (FALN) claimed responsibility, and police tied 13 other bombings to the group.
1979
Nov. 4, Tehran, Iran: Iranian radical students seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. Fourteen were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan's inauguration.
1982–1991
Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.
1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 Marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.
Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring
1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.
Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. Two Americans killed.
1985
April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82.
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed.
Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.
Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya.
1986
April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9.
April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.
1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.
1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.
1995
April 19, Oklahoma City: car bomb exploded outside federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 people were killed, including 19 children and 1 person who died in rescue effort. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the antigovernment plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly two years earlier. (See Miscellaneous Disasters.)
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing five U.S. military servicemen.
1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. Thirteen Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.
1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. Four men connected with al-Qaeda two of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.
2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. Seventeen sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.
2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed two commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; two more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.)
2002
June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb exploded outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.
2003
May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers killed 34, including eight Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.
2004
May 29–31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American.
June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dec. 6, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate killing 5 before being subdued by Saudi security who killed five of the militants.
This is NO different than the full-page add taken out by Presidential 'historian' scholar/experts when Bill Clinton was impeached. Their add tried to lessen the impeachability of Mister Clinton's offense (i.e., turning it into a debate on whether a blow-j*b is an impeachable offense versus the real offense--lying under sworn testimony) Their "statement of concern" basically said that what he did wasn't impeachable because so MANY other presidents had done similarly (I guess, they meant BJ's are commonplace in the White House).
Nevertheless, these 'formers' are nothing more than Clintonese butboys trying to continue making a mountain out of a mole hill. They are 'formers' because they weren't worth keeping. Five will get you ten they are all liberals and Democrats.
The CIA makes the postal service look efficient.
And this passage deserves a comment:
The farcical "outing" of Valerie Plame therefore raises a genuinely frightening monster from the swamp: A subversive alliance between the intelligence bureaucracy, the Democratic Party and the media.The ironic thing is that back in the 60's and early 70's, the liberal's biggest bugaboo was the spectre of self-serving elements in the CIA, the "military industrial complex", the Republicans, and other parts of "The Establishment" working together in a "shadow government" sort of way to gain or maintain power for their own personal ends, to the detriment of the people or country of the United States.
And now the liberals themselves are the enablers, the Machiavellis, and the string-pullers in the very sort of power-for-its-own-sake, shared-goals comspiracy they were always terrified of Nixon and the Republicans doing...
Gee... Should former intelligence officers let themselves be used as political footballs?
I guess sooo... These 11 men are hacks and they have just dishonored their service to the agency. Wilson made it both public and political when he wrote the Op Ed... Wilson created the sh*tstorm for his wife... Plame should be sent down the street kicking rocks. And Larry Johnson, kiss my A$$.. You sell out!!
The irony is that even if it turns out that Plame was a "deep undercover" agent after all, Rove never *said* that she was undercover. He just said that she worked for the CIA, like a lot of other CIA employees. he didn't "out" her *as* an undercover agent.
If she actually *was* undercover after all, the funny part is that the people who made a fuss screaming about "oh my god, Rove outed Plame, how dare he, she was an undercover agent" -- *THEY* were the ones who actually "outed" her undercover status.
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