Just an Opinion (But it's all mine!)

Like the title says: Just an Opinion (But it's all mine!). No one else's, raw, uncut, maybe unsettling to some. If you are unsettled by mine, good. Research, learn, self-educate and form your own.

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Originally from The Canal Zone, I moved to the US in 1985 and later joined the Army. Most of my Army time was overseas with the exceptiongof my last two assignments. Recently retired, I now work in computer networking and security related fields. Pretty much same stuff I was doing in the Army with better pay!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Go Valerie Plame! Go!


Those of the hard right aren't going to like this one. I am about to blast my president, vice president and their aides for the criminal conspiracy to betray the trust, safety, and security of an intelligence agent and by extension the security of this nation. A trust they swore to uphold. And of course, Robert Novak, a man I once considered an honest news reporter.

On 13 July, Valerie Plame and her husband Joe Wilson filed a federal civil lawsuit against VP Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby, and Karl Rove. While Novak (for obvious reasons) is not part of the suit, I would have sued him and the other reporters involved, too.

Quick recap of the news in case you've been living in a hole. About 3 years ago, Novak made Valerie Plame's covert identity public via a news article, effectively ending her career as a CIA operative. This took place about two weeks after Plame's husband Joe Wilson wrote an article casting doubt on one of the reasons cited for the second front in Iraq and about 3 days after CIA Director George Tenet, announced that the Intel behind said claim was in fact wrong. The suit claims she was outed as revenge for Wilson's article.

Let the bashing begin. Not only has "W" violated our trust by openly lying about WMD capabilities of Iraq, he then sent out his henchmen to defame an opposing diplomat and expose a CIA agent's cover. At the same time, putting at risk all of the Intel and operations said agent has been involved with. Not to mention all of the other agents with whom she has come into contact. Local governments will view, as potential agents, anyone seen with her or Wilson, while overseas. All of that data, all of that Intel, wasted. Just to get back at one man for telling the truth at an inconvenient time.

From what I have read on this, Lewis Libby was the obvious primary leak. In the next few months, I'll wager, it will become clear that on VP Cheney's or the president's behest, Libby sprang the leak.

Libby told a grand jury that Bush had authorized the release of classified information to rebut Wilson, which Cheney's office considered a "direct attack" on the credibility of the White House, according to court papers released in April. From CNN


The mastermind? Karl Rove, a long time GOP strategist. This is a fancy way of saying, a "dirty tricks" man. Moreover, knowing that journalists require two sources he conveniently pops up as the second source. All claiming that they didn't know her status was classified.

Come on guys, this is a CIA operative, you don't need to know whether her status was classified or not. An operative in the field has to be protected at all times. Anyone who has had even limited exposure to the Intel community is aware of that.

Early on in all of this, Pres. Bush stated he would fire anyone involved in this leak.

In reference to the investigation, Bush told reporters last week that "If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration." From CNN


Ok, Mr. Pres, we're waiting for the firings to start. You've been talking a good talk all through the investigation. You're talking a good talk at the G8 summit. Time to see you walk the walk too. Like that is really going to happen, right? My opinion of you is sliding very fast, too.

This brings me to Robert Novak, a seasoned journalist who has covered many stories on national security. How can he justify publishing this information on the basis the leak to him was "unintentional"? Unintentional or not this is an obvious lapse of protocol that should have keyed in his mind not to spread it. When the CIA asked him not to reveal Plame's status that should have been enough.

The media has to stop misusing its First Amendment rights as a blanket to publish everything and everything. Especially when common sense tells (should tell) them otherwise. The open publication of information critical to national security or the protection of an intelligence agent should raise red flags in the mind of a journalist. A journalist should not need an expressed statement of what should be protected information. The experience of journalists should raise those red flags on their own. If said journalist has doubt, then ask about the information rather than just blurt it out for the entire world to see.

At the top of this article, I mentioned that I once considered Robert Novak an honest reporter. His handling of this issue, with such careless disrespect of our national security and the lives of all the operatives in the field, now in my opinion, relegates him to that infamous list of yellow journalists. An acrimonious list headed by Geraldo Rivera, the staffs of the National Inquirer and NY Post, paparazzi and the team responsible for the CBS story of Pres. Bush's military service.

I wish the Wilsons the best of luck in their civil suit. Stick it to 'em Valerie!


NOTE: I drew all of my sources for this piece from CNN simply because it was easy. This is not to be seen as an endorsement or affiliation with CNN. I was just lazy and it was easy to collect the information from them.

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