John Dean- The Bush Administration Adopts a Worse-than-Nixonian Tactic

[Dudley_DUright]

Subtitle: The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives

On July 14, in his syndicated column, Chicago Sun-Times journalist Robert Novak reported that Valerie Plame Wilson - the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, and mother of three-year-old twins - was a covert CIA agent. (She had been known to her friends as an "energy analyst at a private firm.")

Why was Novak able to learn this highly secret information? It turns out that he didn't have to dig for it. Rather, he has said, the "two senior Administration officials" he had cited as sources sought him out, eager to let him know. And in journalism, that phrase is a term of art reserved for a vice president, cabinet officers, and top White House officials.

On July 17, Time magazine published the same story, attributing it to "government officials." And on July 22, Newsday's Washington Bureau confirmed "that Valerie Plame ... works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity." More specifically, according to a "senior intelligence official," Newsday reported, she worked in the "Directorate of Operations undercover officer."

In other words, Wilson is/was a spy involved in the clandestine collection of foreign intelligence, covert operations and espionage. She is/was part of a elite corps, the best and brightest, an among those willing to take great risk for their country. Now she has herself been placed at great - and needless - risk.

more...

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030815.html

Thanks to Buzzflash for this article.

[Bolo Boffin]

1. This article is SMOKING!

Bush is going down.

It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fascists.

[Rooktoven]

2. I hope, but--

This has been out for a month and there have been no nibbles on the how's and why's of this. It won't happen on any television network for sure.

<sigh>CNN might have caught this back when Ted ran things...</sigh>

[TacticalPeek]

3. John Dean has done several good articles for Findlaw.

Here's his archive: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/archive.html

It includes an article considering impeachment for lying to war:
link: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030606.html

snip
As I remarked in an earlier column , this Administration may be due for a scandal. While Bush narrowly escaped being dragged into Enron, it was not, in any event, his doing. But the war in Iraq is all Bush's doing, and it is appropriate that he be held accountable.

To put it bluntly, if Bush has taken Congress and the nation into war based on bogus information, he is cooked. Manipulation or deliberate misuse of national security intelligence data, if proven, could be "a high crime" under the Constitution's impeachment clause. It would also be a violation of federal criminal law, including the broad federal anti-conspiracy statute, which renders it a felony "to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose."

It's important to recall that when Richard Nixon resigned, he was about to be impeached by the House of Representatives for misusing the CIA and FBI . After Watergate, all presidents are on notice that manipulating or misusing any agency of the executive branch improperly is a serious abuse of presidential power.

snip

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

4. people will die because of this

and Smirky an friends just smirk about it...
he- he- he- ha ha ha.

How cute,
just punish your political opponents by not only endangering their lives and ruining all hopes of a future career, but expose others undercover who are affiliated in vulnerable positions around the world.
Not to mention all the years of work--

-the cost of trust just blown?-- major--
The cost to U.S security? priceless-

-what about the "war on terraism"?

Another act of Treason for Shrubco.

[bigboy]

5. Would someone please impeach this guy

I want to smile again

[bigboy]

6. But then again

He looked pretty nervous bs ing about the power outage.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

7. I heard him on the radio

He didn't sound particularly nervous; no more than he usually does when working without a script, anyway.

[LoneStarLiberal]

8. California Gusts

You should have seen him at NAS Miramar yesterday speaking. A good gust of wind came along and blew the pages to his script a few ahead of where he was in his speech.

Just for a second I seriously thought I was going to see the Chickenhawk in Chief crap all over himself right then and there!

[proud patriot]

9. Must Read !!! Wow

The Espionage Act of 1917....This is actionable ..

After watching the PBS Documentary on Watergate..
I noticed bush made the same mistake nixon made
Now he's made a second Nixon mistake ..

Guess rove/cheney haven't learned from history .

[realFedUp]

10. Novak should be subpoened

There should be lawsuits directly at the White House
for this one.

Kick this one.

[proud patriot]

11. The more I think about this

The more pissed off I become ..

:grr: