Monday, October 31, 2005

U.S Agents Could Be in Jail or Dead Thanks to Libby, Rove & Cheney


The idea that the Bush administration, led by Scooter Libby, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, plotted its revenge of a critic by endangering the life of his covert CIA agent wife is irresponsible and reprehensible enough. But this despicable, treasonous act also put at grave risk and danger the lives of countless other agents, presently stationed overseas on highly sensitive missions. And for this crime someone needs to go to jail. Let's hope that's what special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald meant after announcing the Libby indictment when he said the investigation "is not over."

Valerie Plame, wife of former Ambassador Joe Wilson, was outed in a July 14, 2003 column by conservative pundit Robert Novak. The outing was an act of revenge by Libby, Rove and Cheney in retaliation for Wilson's July 6, 2003 NY Times Op-Ed in which he refuted the Bushies' claim of an Iraq-Africa Uranium connection after his CIA-sponsored fact-finding mission to Niger proved nothing. Subsequently, it was inadvertently disclosed that Plame "worked" at Brewster Jennings & Associates, a front company set up in Boston for covert agents. Plame was surely not the only agent to have used Brewster as a cover, and its disclosure has likely put many in serious jeopardy. The company's identity became public because it appeared in Federal Election Commission records filled out in 1999 by Plame after contributing to Al Gore's presidential primary campaign.

Plame, a specialist in WMD, and like many agents, was a "non-official cover" operative, or NOC. As one former CIA official, Larry C. Johnson, explained, "that meant she agreed to operate overseas without the protection of a diplomatic passport. If caught in that status she would have been executed." NOCs are not attached to a U.S. embassy or the State Department. Therefore they have no diplomatic immunity if caught spying.

On CBS's 60 Minutes Sunday, correspondent Ed Bradley interviewed Jim Marcinkowski, a deputy city attorney in Michigan and former CIA agent who trained with Plame in the late 80's. According to Marcinkowski, NOCs "are out there, what they would call "naked." With diplomatic immunity, the worst that can happen to you is that you get kicked out of the country. You don't have that kind of protection when you're a NOC."

Bradley cited the case of Hugh Redmond, "a NOC who was caught spying in Shanghai in 1951 and died after 19 years in a Chinese prison. To this day, the CIA denies he was an agent."

Bradley also spoke with Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) about the potential harm that CIA agents worldwide now face resulting from the exposure of Plame's identity.

Bradley: "Have you had assurances that the agency is handling the fallout from this leak?"
Holt: "They have taken the usual procedures to protect the damage from spreading."
Bradley: "Is it possible that someone overseas, someone is going to jail because of this?"
Holt: "Sure, it's possible."
Bradley: "Is it possible that somebody lost their life?"
Holt: "It's possible. I don't know. There hasn't been a formal assessment. If there were, and I had been briefed on it, I couldn't talk about it."

The Plame outing could have serious lasting effects on the ability of agents to remain undercover. As Marcinkowski pointed out, Plame is the wife of a former ambassador, and that foreign intelligence agencies will be making the assumption that wives of other ambassadors could be CIA agents as well, exposing a large number of individuals to risk.

As for Plame's safety since she's been exposed, "There have been specific threats, beyond that I just can't go," said Wilson.

That these faithful, loyal U.S. servants, who put their lives at risk for the nation's security, have been undermined by the highest officials in their own country is a damn shame and one of the worst acts of treason imaginable.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rove, Libby and others weren't elected- they were appointed. They took no oath to uphold the Constitution. Their only loyalty is to their higher-ups - and to the money they expected to make as a result. Although Libby is a lawyer, there is indeed a low-grade faction of those too in this country. Many of whom live primarily for the money and skirt the law any way they can because they know the in's and out's of it. I bet Libby's investments include oil and natural gas, hence his middle east concerns.

I'm surprised people are so surprised about this. My hope is that Fitz has a couple more aces up his sleeve. And they doesn't get suicided in the process. The Reich-wing has ways of making people get REAL depressed - enough to kill themselves -usually with several shots in the head. (One is never enough)

All_I_Can_Stands said...

This is a lame point since Wilson and Plame had the high profile Vanity Fair photo shoot. Being in the CIA she would know if exposing 75% of her face to the world was a danger. If she deemed that not to be the case, then her name must not have been a big deal.

The quotes here only show it is "possible". Anything is possible. Someone like a John Hinkley could see the pictures of Plame in the photo shoot, fall in love with her and attempt to assasinate someone because of it. Both possible scenarios are equally as lame.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with all_i_can_stands on the fact that the Wilson's probably weren't smart in doing the Vanity Fair photo shoot. I would think they would have used more caution than this.

However, it would also seem that Fitzgerald's comments about "not done" may have merit. I can't see how only Libby is tagged for something - perjury. Either a crime was committed or not. If Fitzgerald is going forth I tend to think a crime was committed...

Anonymous said...

All_I_Can_Stands point is ludicrous. Just because someone is CIA does not mean they are invisible. To the contrary, to have a cover, one must have a persona. To travel in higher circles, one must have some kind of entre or celebrity.

The other thing about Rove/Libby and others disclosing Plame's identity to the press is that it has a chilling effect on anyone considering joing the CIA as an undercover agent.

If one is going undercover, the first and most important safety consideration is that their identity will be kept quiet.

At the actions of this White House, anyone considering this line of work knows that a CIA agent whose status was Classified was outed by team Bush. And according to Fitgerald's indictment, Plames CIA status was classified at the time Novak wrote about iit.

Large among the the fault finding post 9/11 is a lack of agents on the ground getting information.

Team Bush made sure that anyone considering this type of service might be sold out by people at the very top of this administartion.

The Ostroy Report said...

Just ignore the Repugs who post here. Nothing but a bunch of brainwashed fools who spew nothing but partisan talking points. The simple fact is, Libby did not lie, impede and falsify because he was/is innocent. I rest my case.

All_I_Can_Stands said...

The inconsistency of the reaction to the indictments are hilarious. First, before the indictments Fitzgerald is the 'prosecutor's prosecutor'. He's going to get Rove and Libby for outing a covert agent and other charges. He is going to investigate the war and take it all the way to the top. It's going to be Fitzmas!

Then comes a couple of lame charges against Libby, not Rove. Neither for outing a covert agent. Fitzgerald should be a complete failure in the liberal's eyes, yet he still has their good graces. If outing a covert CIA agent is so obvious, why did he not charge anybody with it? So Fitzgerald is unable to prosecute on what is so obvious, yet fails to do so. He charges Libby for items he will probably walk away from. Yet somehow no criticism for Fitzgerald from the left.

Somebody is brainwashed and spewing talking points, but it isn't me.

Oh, for the poster citing shots to the head: here is a link you might find interesting:

http://emporium.turnpike.net/P/ProRev/WWDEATH.HTM

Anonymous said...

There is nothing funny about this case, and it is far from over.

The only reason Rove is not already under indictment is because he agreed to co-operate with the prosecution - and that means finger his boss and others involved in this national security fiasco.

Fitzgerald's MO is to start with the small fish and work his way up to the big whales. Go and check out his other cases for examples.

Keep hoping All_I_Can_Stands. That is all you poor self deluded Republican fools have left.

All_I_Can_Stands said...

I guess you libs have to keep hanging on to some twisted kind of hope. The fact is that even assuming the Bush administration is half as corrupt as you say he is, Bush and Libby are the two most loyal as they are the right hand men. Any trial will last near to the end of this presidency just in time for Bush to pull a Bill Clinton pardon spree. If they were corrupt as you say, Rove and Libby would know this. Nobody would flip.

This billowing smoke of claiming they are corrupt on lame charges that don't hold water is more likely partisanship and hardball politics than that they are as corrupt as you say. So either way, the indictments stop here and my money is on an acquittal.

It is funny how liberals always accuse and label conservatives for being exactly what they are. They accuse us of doing the things they do.

Once again this case shows that liberals invest in something so deeply that it is too late to change. Liberals invested so deeply in Fitzgerald being the "prosecutor's prosecutor" (Fitzmas) they now can't criticize him for failing to deliver without looking foolish so they keep holding on to self deluded hope.

KingCranky II said...

Benedict Rove & Lewis Libby put political payback ahead of keeping this country & people safe from threats foreign & domestic, just like President Jr put his desire to oust Saddam Hussein ahead of trying to avenge the 9-11 attacks & gain some measure of justice for the victims from that day

People with this inability to practice any kind of self-discipline or self-control are the LAST people who should ever have access to any kind of classified information

So, it's a real easy series of questions I've got for any pushing the BS that Plame's outing is just politics as usual

Valerie Plame's job consisted of disrupting the transfer of WsMD to rogue regimes, groups & individuals, and by blowing her cover, then Libby & rove have directly placed this nation at a greater risk of a WsMD attack on US Soil than existed before they used Plame as a political pawn

Please elaborate how, thanks to Rove & Libby's hissy fit, it's now EASIER to recruit double agents & overseas operatives?

Why, logically, should anyone in the CIA's intelligence division have ANY trust in this Administration, and how, logically, have Rove & Libby's efforts ensured a better working relationship between the White House & The CIA?

So, logically, for any who defend Rove & Libby's ethical treason, how have their efforts ensured a SAFER US?

The selfish brats in this Administration who put their own desires ahead of keeping the US & its people safe need to be given a big time out and forced to sit in the corner by the adults in the room, the US voters & taxpayers

Anonymous said...

Remember the bible commands YOU not to cut your facial hair! Seriouly it's true. Luckly for you, YOUR standard is to only follow parts of the bible that only fit to your advantage. In my Book we call that slimmy.


Un-slime yourself with a dose of reality: Libby is facing a max of 30 years, as Bush said "this is a serious investigation." Veteran lawyers agree it's strong case. It's plain to see that Libby is acting as a fire wall for Cheney. as David Gergen notes, "The wheels have come of the cart on this adminstation."

Bottom line:

Libby has two choices to SING or SWING.

It's only going to get worse as the facts come out in trail about how we where sold a pile of bull shit by the Whitehouse Iraqi marketing group. Personally I'm looking forward to learn what Cheney knows and when did he know it. Put them on trial what do they have to lose? American deserve an explination.

Consevatives are just sore losers because they are now viewed as a extreme minority among the public. Hypocritical and missguided, ditto heads, unable to think for themselves, can not hande the fact that their village idiot, boy in chief, has failed... name one accomplishment?

Don't get me started.

Medicare reform? The red states say yes yes, cut cut, then Bush rolls out a medicare reform plan and they say yes cut spending, but no no, not from me. Hyprocritical flip floppers in plain site.

The list of failures just goes on and on.

Consevatives have made our country less secure, more in DEBT and totally divided. In the market place of ideas the consevative movement has nothing to offer but anti-abortion hate. As they end up killing us all, at least the unborn will be safe.

Remember now your not supposed to shave!


Hyprcritical bible thumbers are required to study this video:

Where IS Osama?
Follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/?v=9G6sM4Bfsb4