NYT reports former CIA operatives call for inquiry

[Cheesehead]

It's hitting the fan, folks. The intelligence establishment is getting impatient and wants immediate and public attention to the case of the outing of Valerie Plame. As reported in the New York Times:

A group of former intelligence officers is pressing Congressional leaders to open an immediate inquiry into the disclosure last summer of the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer, Valerie Plame.

Their request, outlined in a letter on Tuesday to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and others, reflects discontent and unrest within the intelligence services about the affair, along with concern that a four-month-old Justice Department investigation into the matter may never identify who was behind the disclosure. The syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who first identified Ms. Plame as a C.I.A. officer in a column last July, has identified his sources only as Bush administration officials, and the Justice Department inquiry has not yet produced any public findings.

<snip>

The 10 former intelligence officers who signed the letter include respected intelligence analysts and retired case officers, including at least two, John McCavitt and William Wagner, who were C.I.A. station chiefs overseas. The former analysts include Larry C. Johnson, a former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department's intelligence branch, and Ray Close and Ray McGovern, former C.I.A. analysts in the agency's Near East division.

"The disclosure of Ms. Plame's name was an unprecedented and shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, has damaged U.S. national security, specifically the effectiveness of U.S. intelligence-gathering using human sources," the group wrote in the two-page letter.

<more>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/22/politics/22INTE.html?th

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I really don't think it is a good idea to get the spooks riled

Novak, especially, should watch his back. What really surprises me is that the CIA ops haven't accidentally 'leaked' information about Bush's stupidity in retaliation-but then maybe they feel it is so obvious, they don't want to take the trouble.

[Stephanie]

2. Too bad this story is buried on page A21

However there's a nice chart on the front page showing that discretionary spending has increased sharply since Bush took over. The chart is by the Heritage Foundation!

I was hopeful that Fitzgerald was going to make a dent in this. What happened? I haven't heard anything since he issued statements for WH staff to sign releasing reporters from confidentiality agreements. THEN what happened? Did anybody sign? Has there been any news?

[maddezmom]

3. haven't heard a peep from Fitzgerald n/t

[Cheesehead]

9. David Corn has some opinions on this topic (The Nation)

It seemed as if the Justice Department was finally--after months of delay--bowing to requests from Democrats calling for an independent inquiry aimed at discovering who in the Administration blew Valerie Wilson's cover, possibly compromising national security. Not quite. In naming Fitzgerald a "special counsel," Comey violated (or disregarded) the department's own regulations. Those regulations state, "The Special Counsel shall be selected from outside the United States Government." Fitzgerald was a current Justice Department employee and thus ineligible to be a "special counsel." Comey could have chosen Fitzgerald to run the investigation without bestowing upon him the "special counsel" title. But the point was to create the impression that the Administration had taken action to guarantee that this sensitive investigation would be free of political manipulation.

<snip>

...it's hard to get a fix on whether the gumshoes are making headway. This criminal investigation is being conducted, as is routine, confidentially. There have been few leaks about the investigators' progress--or lack thereof.

<snip>

Leak investigations are notoriously difficult to prosecute. To make a case, Fitzgerald's crew will have to prove that a specific official had a specific conversation with Novak and intentionally divulged Valerie Wilson's undercover CIA affiliation.

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http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040202&s=corn

[Loonman]

4. To jail, Novak!

That would be sweet!

[Stephanie]

5. Check out LBN - Novak also printed info stolen from Dem Judiciary Commi.

They were stealing docs from a shared server for months due to Dem docs not being password-protected that should have. Just STOLE them and no apology.

[Loonman]

6. That's where Hannity got that strategy, memo, right?

When the Fox cretins and the Freeps were making a big stink over nothing.

[IADEMO2004]

7. Mr. Novak quit your profession resign your job do the right thing.

Say that as an American you have to stop these people. You can make a living dong something else.

[Loonman]

8. Maybe Daschle and the Dems

Will take their tutus off and actually do something about this.


Maybe.