tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post2009712293423553134..comments2024-03-29T00:04:32.434-05:00Comments on Althouse: "So the Obama administration... deliberately put the life of a British agent in jeopardy... someone who had infiltrated al Qaeda."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87058570267660080432012-05-15T17:57:32.118-05:002012-05-15T17:57:32.118-05:00Libby was not pardoned. His sentence was commuted....Libby was not pardoned. His sentence was commuted. He should have been pardoned.ken in txhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345764031059905578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89651175634374385142012-05-15T17:40:04.550-05:002012-05-15T17:40:04.550-05:00Althouse,
yet another case where it was coear in ...Althouse,<br /><br />yet another case where it was coear in 2008 that John McCain would have been better as the guardian of US secrets, interests and allies. <br /><br />He, resident of a POW camp, son and grandson of Admirals, understands that:<br /><br />Lose lips, sink ships....The Drill SGThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16394309533144027391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60721178538644033272012-05-15T16:04:55.663-05:002012-05-15T16:04:55.663-05:001)Scooter Libby was not pardoned.
2)The leak came...1)Scooter Libby was not pardoned.<br /><br />2)The leak came out of the State Department, not the White House.rafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234144949583399000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-18486660992241524892012-05-15T15:26:10.829-05:002012-05-15T15:26:10.829-05:00Just a reminder that there was also a leak recentl...Just a reminder that there was also a leak recently giving away the fact that the Israelis were negotiating for basing rights nearer Iran. That leak in particular was beneficial to Obama's desire to see action put off until after the election.<br /><br />When Bush was in office we saw leaks that were meant to undermine him. Now the leaks seem aimed at bolstering Obama. It is not hard to imagine them coming from the same people in our intelligence agencies or being the result of the same rotten culture. Fellow travelers are always more dedicated to the cause than they are to their country.georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11402720592452236525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14229222042635342432012-05-15T14:37:28.931-05:002012-05-15T14:37:28.931-05:00At first glance, this looks like some system blowb...At first glance, this looks like some system blowback from the Kafkaesque nightmare of hypercomplexity that is the present US intel structure. <br /><br />DHS has been an unmitigated disaster for America's real strategic security, for reasons that have nothing to do with all the money being wasted on scanning children & seniors or confiscating nail-files & jugs of fruit-juice. <br /><br />President Obama has (shamefully) done little if anything to improve the swamp of noise & redundancy that he inherited from Bush, & in the current Keystone Kops context of far too many many listeners who largely avoid sharing whatever they hear, individual covert ops can easily be compromised despite what should've been clear basic input between two nations.<br /><br />Saying the exposure of one operative in one terrorist cell is more serious than Libby, Novak et al outing Plame doesn't pass the laugh test. <br /><br />Plame was a long-time CIA counterterrorism operative, directly responsible for cultivating & monitoring inside sources covertly seeking out attempts by terrorists to get things like bioweapons, nuke precursors, suitcase nukes & nerve gas throughout the Middle East, & her outing simultaneously killed any further input from multiple such arteries of information vital to US national security, in most cases permanently.<br /><br />Additionally, note that Plame's outing was not a slip-up but pure political dirty pool. The person inside the Obama Administration who exposed the British operative to needless danger should either resign or be fired, & Americans have every right to demand an independant investigation if this action does not ensue ... recall that in contrast, Bush summarily pardoned "Scooter" Libby with a shrug & a grin, acting as if the malicious compromising of Mid-East couterterrorism intel was mere fraternity hijinx - & that despite many indications that the impetus for Plame's criminal outing originated within the Executive branch at the top levels, no further investigations, indictments or convictions occurred.jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840719620959481121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-78513257033931352142012-05-15T14:36:56.101-05:002012-05-15T14:36:56.101-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840719620959481121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37466959046192130682012-05-15T12:43:44.798-05:002012-05-15T12:43:44.798-05:00Geesh. What's the big deal? If it helps Obama ...Geesh. What's the big deal? If it helps Obama get re-elected, what's a few dead secret agents? Get your priorities in order, guys.DADvocatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04621021178600799126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70394560205758447282012-05-15T12:20:20.765-05:002012-05-15T12:20:20.765-05:00The real crime, Pastaman, would be if my cynical m...The real crime, Pastaman, would be if my cynical mask slipped.MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49871863777395160102012-05-15T12:12:42.608-05:002012-05-15T12:12:42.608-05:00Valerie Plame was a bullshit story - a total lie -...Valerie Plame was a bullshit story - a total lie - and you guys bought it, hook-line-and sinker, leading to what we have today.<br /><br />Really, if it was me having made so many foolish mistakes - all based on misinformation - I would be so ashamed I wouldn't be capable of showing my face in public.<br /><br />But Democrats LOVE showing their faces in public.<br /><br />They also loved being the KKK so what am I saying,...?<br /><br />Nevermind,...The Crack Emceehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08366101526773588864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45679627663936678622012-05-15T12:10:12.565-05:002012-05-15T12:10:12.565-05:00"The double-agent hadn’t been recruited and p...<b>"The double-agent hadn’t been recruited and placed by the CIA, but by British intelligence, who also managed the operation. In fact, the Americans had only recently been made aware of the joint British-Saudi effort."</b><br /><br />Well, we could blame THEM for trusting us.<br /><br />"You know I can't keep a secret, baby" - Barack Obamadamikeschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133230009952160269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38281955977560697652012-05-15T11:17:15.433-05:002012-05-15T11:17:15.433-05:00Now all they have to do is somehow pin this on Sco...Now all they have to do is somehow pin this on Scooter Libby. Then it'll be Bush's fault.Michael The Magnificenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03820094319077676224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-67836645002912905952012-05-15T11:16:24.352-05:002012-05-15T11:16:24.352-05:00Bruce: The White House has been very, very harsh o...<i>Bruce: The White House has been very, very harsh on whistle blowers. They've fired two or three IGs as well for not finding in their favor. Another thing that a Republican administration could not have gotten away with.</i><br /><br />Which may be part of the reason that the DoJ IG does not seem to have worked very hard to uncover who authorized Fast and Furious, and who knew of the operation. Rather, she seems to be running interference for her old boss, AG Holder (she used to work for him, and did so closely, when he was USA for DC).Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68470790613270593312012-05-15T11:14:45.319-05:002012-05-15T11:14:45.319-05:00Re: Pastafarian:
I'm waiting for your alterna...Re: Pastafarian:<br /><br /><i>I'm waiting for your alternative explanation. If this wasn't leaked by the Obama administration, then who leaked it? Was there anyone else who stood to gain from such a leak, other than POTUS or AQ (but I repeat myself)</i>?<br /><br />Well, there's an assumption that the leak was deliberate built in there. The innocent explanation here is incompetence -- some junior official or administration man inadvertently let key facts slip to a journalist over drinks or something, the administration (somehow) wasn't able to pressure the media into killing the story the way they've done in the past, so they decided to make lemonade out of the lemons.Balfegorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08012196656096263507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25065122471952188412012-05-15T11:10:06.288-05:002012-05-15T11:10:06.288-05:00Romney needs to come out and say unlike the Osama ...Romney needs to come out and say unlike the Osama raid, my administration would never do this.Wincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002449963597087316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-88975032123111853502012-05-15T11:09:20.271-05:002012-05-15T11:09:20.271-05:00MadMan: "Don't be credulous when a websi...MadMan: "Don't be credulous when a website tells you what you want to read."<br /><br />I'm waiting for your alternative explanation. If this wasn't leaked by the Obama administration, then who leaked it? Was there anyone else who stood to gain from such a leak, other than POTUS or AQ (but I repeat myself)?<br /><br />Careful, MadMan. Your "centrist" mask is slipping. You need to nudge it just a bit to the right. When you have to criticize sourcing on something like this...it reminds one of the left's propensity for demanding to know the credentials of someone making an argument, rather than examining the argument itself.Pastafarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008215139954260401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89383798595334145312012-05-15T11:03:45.666-05:002012-05-15T11:03:45.666-05:00From the article:
"The double-agent hadn’t b...From the article:<br /><br />"The double-agent hadn’t been recruited and placed by the CIA, but by British intelligence, who also managed the operation. In fact, the Americans had only recently been made aware of the joint British-Saudi effort."<br /><br />I remember Jim Spice, I think, dropping by with the sneering comment "Thanks George Bush!" when news of this foiled plot first came out -- implying that this was another great victory for Obama and we conservative commenters just couldn't give him credit for his mad terrorist-bustin' skillz.<br /><br />I'm sure the fact that this was a British operation that Obama wasn't even aware of will get lots of play in the media.Pastafarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008215139954260401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30124142929005428562012-05-15T11:02:44.706-05:002012-05-15T11:02:44.706-05:00Which, if you really want the truth, you should be...Which, if you really want the truth, you should be game for. If you think that the media and the government are lying, and that the leak did not originate with intelligence officials in the administration, then a special prosecutor will clear their names and find how our intelligence has been compromised. If it did not come from the administration, that's an even bigger story.<br /><br />So, if it wasn't the administration or the intelligence community (one in the same, mind you), who do you think leaked it? And, mind you, convinced ABC and others to say it was the administration.Matt Sablanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15885240752820005149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14545326804366138022012-05-15T10:56:40.906-05:002012-05-15T10:56:40.906-05:00"Who in the Obama administration leaked the i..."Who in the Obama administration leaked the information?"<br /><br />-- Sounds like a job for a special prosecutor, which I'm game for. Good luck seeing one actually happen. They started the one on Plame for less.Matt Sablanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15885240752820005149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39318669992520912872012-05-15T10:55:39.413-05:002012-05-15T10:55:39.413-05:00@Nathan, my comment was more on the business side ...@Nathan, my comment was more on the business side of blogging -- on how to generate hits.<br /><br />Don't be credulous when a website tells you what you want to read.MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63583534960640242482012-05-15T10:55:09.060-05:002012-05-15T10:55:09.060-05:00We don't know for sure, but we have plenty of ...We don't know for sure, but we have plenty of evidence, that all points in one direction, overwhelmingly so, in fact. But, alas, you can't be 100% certain because it would be inconvenient to have to admit the ball was dropped during this particular football spiking.Matt Sablanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15885240752820005149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60934497367163697302012-05-15T10:54:36.969-05:002012-05-15T10:54:36.969-05:00Matthew Sablan said...
"Yet, you seem to ins...Matthew Sablan said...<br /><br />"Yet, you seem to insist on talking about this instead of the fact that the Obama administration is so full of leaks that we harmed valuable intelligence assets (a running theme in the administration)."<br /><br />Who in the Obama administration leaked the information?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64640996261915214422012-05-15T10:54:12.963-05:002012-05-15T10:54:12.963-05:00Re: Matthew Sablan:
Yet, you seem to insist on ta...Re: Matthew Sablan:<br /><br /><i>Yet, you seem to insist on talking about this instead of the fact that the Obama administration is so full of leaks that we harmed valuable intelligence assets (a running theme in the administration)</i>.<br /><br />Actually, one welcome trend in the Obama administration is that they have been <i>ferocious</i> about <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/sunday-review/a-high-tech-war-on-leaks.xml" rel="nofollow">prosecuting government officials who leak to the press</a>:<br /><br /><i>That does not seem to be the view of the Obama administration, which has brought <b>more prosecutions against current or former government officials for providing classified information to the media than every previous administration combined</b></i>.Balfegorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08012196656096263507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-27813736255818202972012-05-15T10:53:41.208-05:002012-05-15T10:53:41.208-05:00Bruce: The White House has been very, very harsh o...Bruce: The White House has been very, very harsh on whistle blowers. They've fired two or three IGs as well for not finding in their favor. Another thing that a Republican administration could not have gotten away with.Matt Sablanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15885240752820005149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60558655697656011762012-05-15T10:51:56.633-05:002012-05-15T10:51:56.633-05:00Balfegor said...
"So we don't know."...Balfegor said...<br /><br />"So we don't know."<br /><br />Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40384366899440548152012-05-15T10:51:36.072-05:002012-05-15T10:51:36.072-05:00Balfegor - this leak business is going to be inter...Balfegor - this leak business is going to be interesting. In the past, the press was pretty much immune when it came to leaks. Think Woodward and Bernstein and the Pentagon Papers. Think of how that would have played out under the Obama Administration. They would have been subpoenaed, and their sources demanded. No "deep throat". Etc.<br /><br />But, what goes around, comes around, and the Obama Administration has built precedent that there is no real press shield law from the FBI. So, just wait until the next time that the Republicans are in power, and something important to national defense is leaked, and watch the NYT and WaPo scream like stuck pigs, when their reporters are forced by this precedent to give up their sources. It may not be this election, but will come in the next couple, when a Republican retakes the White House.Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.com