Transcript: Baer (Ex- CIA) on Buchanan and Press (Yesterday)

[Cush]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/975503.asp

towards the bottom:

PRESS: So yesterday evening on our show Larry Johnson was here, former CIA agent. You may know him. And Larry, like you, said looks like vice president’s office to him. Definitely old executive office building, which I think is now called the Eisenhower Building. And when we mention - - Pat and I mentioned the name Scooter Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff, Larry said I’m coming close to quoting him directly-that the FBI should start by looking at him. Is that what your sources tell you?

BAER: I’ve heard that rumor that this whole thing was Scooter Libby and the vice president and then taking it to the president. I can’t substantiate that, of course, but I’ve heard that.

[dkf]

1. Baer on WMD

I thought this was interesting also:

PRESS: Hey, Bob, on a related question, David Kay up on the Hill today says they’ve looked, they found zero weapons of mass destruction. Did the CIA blow it on prewar intelligence?

BAER: I don’t think so because when I was in the CIA...

PRESS: Where are they?

BAER: ... we knew that we didn’t know anything about the weapons. We left it to the U.N. up until ’98 until the U.N. was thrown out, and after that, you know, it’s this Washington political mechanism that filled in the vacuum...

[grasswire]

2. this part to me was the most interesting

I gotta say that Buchanan is head and shoulders above Bill Press as a newsman. He catches small remarks and goes back to pull out more. Look at this, Press is trying to move on, didn't even catch the news about the NSC, and Buchanan goes back like a bloodhound:

BAER: Those names are not out there. I’ve checked (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Washington and if they’re-you know the journalists that were called, obviously know who they were called by, but it does seem to be systematic. It does-and I’ve never seen this happen before. I’ve seen names come out accidentally...
BUCHANAN: Right.
BAER: ... or by hostile power, but never by the White House or the National Security Council.
PRESS: Hey, Bob, on a related question, David Kay up on the Hill today says they’ve looked, they found zero weapons of mass destruction. Did the CIA blow it on prewar intelligence?
BAER: I don’t think so because when I was in the CIA...
PRESS: Where are they?
BAER: ... we knew that we didn’t know anything about the weapons. We left it to the U.N. up until ’98 until the U.N. was thrown out, and after that, you know, it’s this Washington political mechanism that filled in the vacuum...
BUCHANAN: All right, Bob...
BAER: ... that the CIA couldn’t fill in.
BUCHANAN: ... let me interrupt you. You mention the National Security Council, and I’ve heard the vice president’s office and the White House. Are you suggesting that somebody on the National Security Council may have been the leak?
BAER: Staffers, they’re usually the hit man...
(CROSSTALK)
BAER: I mean...
BUCHANAN: What do you mean? NSC people are the last people I would suspect because some of them, quite frankly, are vetted by the CIA and have been in the CIA. Are you suggesting somebody at the NSC did it?
BAER: Why not? They’re political appointees. They have got political agendas. We’ve seen...
BUCHANAN: Well they’re not all political appointees...
PRESS: OK.
BUCHANAN: ... are they?
PRESS: All right.
BAER: A lot of them are. A lot of them are.
PRESS: All right, Bob Baer...
BAER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
PRESS: ... thanks for joining us. The plot thickens...

[NoKingGeorge]

3. Makes sense, Condi is authorized has need-to-know clearance.

I saw that too. Buchanon was sharp. Hope he continues to dig. I read him althouth I do not agree with his isolation views, because of how perseptive he is.

The head of the NSC and thedeserter are authorized on a need-to-know level. If Rove made phone calls ,someone gave him the details and that person comitted TREASON.