"WASHINGTON - Eleven former intelligence officers are speaking up on behalf of CIA officer Valerie Plame (search), saying leaking her identity may have damaged national security and threatens the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering.
In a statement to congressional leaders, the former officers said the Republican National Committee (search) has circulated talking points focusing on the idea that Plame was not working undercover and deserved no protection.
There are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who work at a desk in the Washington, D.C., area every day who are undercover as Plame was when her identity was leaked, the 11 former officers said in a three-page statement."
First, I wonder how many of them were "in the kitchen cooking" with Ms.Plame when she made the suggestion for hubby to go to Niger with the pre-determined report. Don't know, they won't give their names, but I'm going to bet they were part of the WMD group that cooked this the whole, "Negative on the Yellow Cake Sir...can I have another cup of tea?", plot in the first place.
I bolded the last paragraph because it is just "Plame" wrong. It is NOT true that "desk person" is undercover nor covert. Under CIA regulations you must be designated covert (protected), AND you must be working UNDERCOVER OVERSEAS, NOT at a Desk at Langley.
Valerie was neither - at the time of Novak's article, nor for several years before in a protected covert status. No more than working as a dispatcher in a police department makes you a cop!
I'm making a few calls today to buds at Va, to see if I can get the names and 'priors' on these "ex-agents". But I'm gonna bet they're playing CYA right now at the CIA. I can hear the shredders now....
UPDATE: Yes I'm aware of the State Department Memo that has supposedly has Valerie's name on it in a paragraph marked with a "S" for what "experts" say means "Secret". If that is true, in nearly two decades of service I had never seen such a memo. It just isn't done. For instance, during my stint I had a Top Secret Clearance. Documents with sensitive information were Always appropriately marked in relation to their level of access:e.g: Secret, Top Secret, Confidential, or Eyes Only (reserved for the top brass).
Again, I haven't seen the memo, but this still doesn't prove her status, nor does it necessarily mean it referred to her. The article in the WAPO conceeds that:
"Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said."
Therefore Valerie wasn't the subject of the memo, the trip was.
"The description of Wilson's wife and her role in the Feb. 19, 2002, meeting at the CIA was considered "a footnote" in a background paragraph in the memo, according to an official who was aware of the process.
I also notice that this article lacks the reference to the bi-partisan Senate Intelligence Report that brands Wilson as a liar with "literary flair". What else is new.
I'm telling ya, I'm smelling a WHOLE lot of CYA going on here! I will yell this from the roof tops, Karl Rove is a decoy, placed by the CIA, to throw the "scent" off them! Read this from American Thinker to see what I mean. Also here for my comments on the article.
See Captain Ed's take on the "S", also Tom Maguire's thoughts.
I'm hoping that converavatives wake up to what is REALLY going on here. The WSJ was right - Karl IS the hero.
Update: here.
Filed under: judith miller valerie plame karl rove Valerie Plame PlameGate
Subscribe by Email
Follow Updates Articles from This Blog via Email
No Comments