Valerie Plame Wilson and the Ultimate Betrayal
By Larry Johnson
Email: larry_johnson@earthlink.net
Site: http://NoQuarterUSA.net
About: Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. He left government service in October 1993 and set up a consulting business. He currently is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC (Business Exposure Reduction Group) and is an expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, and crisis and risk management, and money laundering investigations. Johnson is the founder and main author of No Quarter, a weblog that addresses issues of terrorism and intelligence and politics. NoQuarterUSA was nominated as Best Political Blog of 2008.[1] He has worked as a private consultant on issues of international terrorism and security for the U.S. Government and private companies. Johnson has appeared as a consultant and commentator in many major newspapers and news programs.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Views
2.1 1996
2.2 1998
2.3 1999
2.4 2000
2.5 2001
2.6 2003
2.6.1 Plame affair
2.7 2008
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links
[edit]Background
Larry Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. in 1979 to begin work on a Ph.D. at the American University. Although he completed successfully all coursework and comprehensive exams, he did not write a dissertation. In 1978 and in 1983-85 he worked in Latin America on community development projects as a community organizer. Returning to the United States in 1985 he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, thanks in part to a letter of recommendation from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that helped to "open doors" for him at the Agency.[3] Johnson entered on duty at the CIA in September 1985 and was a classmate of Valerie Plame. Every member of that class was undercover. After a year in the Career Trainee program, which included a stint with the Afghan Task Force, Johnson was assigned as an analyst in the Middle America Caribbean Division in the Latin American Affairs Office of the Directorate of Intelligence. He received two Exceptional Performance awards and was promoted ultimately to Senior Regional Analyst for Central America.
Johnson remained undercover in the CIA until October 1989, when he resigned from the CIA and started a new job in the Office of Counter Terrorism at the Department of State. Johnson played an instrumental role in launching the Terrorism Rewards program international advertising campaign (working with Diplomatic Security officers Brad Smith and Michael Parks). [4] Johnson also was involved in a variety of crisis management response operations, including the release of hostages from Lebanon and liaison with the Pan Am 103 families. He left government service in October 1993 and started his own business as a consultant.
After leaving government service, Johnson became a frequent guest on many major television news shows when a question of terrorism came up. He was first interviewed by CNN following the capture of Carlos the Jackal. Johnson subsequently appeared on CNN, ABC's Nightline, CBS, the BBC, MSNBC, the Jim Lehrer News Hour, NBC, and NPR. In December of 1999, for example, Johnson was hired by NBC to serve as its terrorist expert for the Y2000 and was in Time Square with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric ("a lot of fun and the best way to see in the New Year"). Johnson also was hired in January 2002 as a Fox News Analyst and remained under contract until February 2003.
Since 1994 a significant focus of Johnson's consulting work has been with the U.S. military special operations forces in scripting and conducting military counter terrorism exercises. He traveled under orders from the U.S. military to Iraq in May 2006 to work on a short term project.
A registered Republican who supported President Bush in 2000, Johnson became a strong critic of the Bush administration in May 2003 for its conduct of the war in Iraq and, a few months later, for its role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame.[5] He was also featured in the 2004 political documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. Since Robert Novak's controversial disclosure of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in July 2003, Johnson has contributed to public discourse on intelligence matters, often sparking further controversy. He has been interviewed by both the mass media and the alternative media and published commentaries on a variety of issues, including the Plame affair, the controversy concerning Mary McCarthy, and the resignation of Porter Goss as Director of Central Intelligence.
[edit]Views
This article or section may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline.
Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.
[edit]1996
In 1996, Johnson noted that terrorism worldwide was on the decline. "Terrorist incidents [both internationally and in the US] have fallen to levels not seen since the 1970s. Whether measured by the number of incidents, the number of fatalities, or the number of groups, raw statistics demonstrate that the level of terrorist violence has declined since the mid-1980s. In fact, the evidence suggests terrorism was more widespread and deadly 10 years ago."[6]
He also wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times suggesting that the newer and more deadly terrorist threat to the U.S. was embodied by "networks of terrorists, mostly foreign, working within its borders." Exemplifying this threat was Ramzi Yousef, one of the masterminds behind the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. In the article, Johnson suggests that enhanced cooperation between intelligence agencies, particularly the FBI and CIA, is mandatory to meet the growing threat of terror networks.[7]
[edit]1998
In 1998, Johnson argued that while overall terrorism was declining, the threat from bin Laden and al-Qaeda should be the focus of American counterterrorism policy:
The nature of the threat posed by Bin Ladin is highlighted by my final chart, number 7. Osama Bin Ladin and individuals associated with him have killed and wounded more Americans than any other group. This chart also illustrates that groups such as Hamas and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) prior to 1998 have killed more foreigners in the anti-US terrorist attacks. If we take into account the bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama's status as the most lethal terrorist is certain.[8]
In addition, he told USA Today that bin Laden had participated in "virtually every major attack of terrorism against the United States" in the 1990s. Johnson underlined the threat posed by bin Laden, saying that he was possessed by "hatred and craziness." If left unanswered, "he would continue to terrorize Americans around the world. He has no compunction about killing women and children. He's a complete egalitarian in his murderous attitude."[9]
[edit]1999
In an interview with PBS's Frontline for its 1999 program, Hunting bin Laden, Johnson discussed Osama bin Laden.[10] According to Johnson, Americans had "tended to make Osama bin Laden sort of a superman in Muslim garb." "Actually," he continues, "Osama bin Laden, in my view, represents more of a symptom of a problem, and the problem is this: the Saudi Arabian government, not just Osama bin Laden but many people in Saudi Arabia, have been sending money to radical Islamic groups for years." Johnson continued:
When you look at who's killed Americans in the last 10 years, the individuals he's supported and backed--I'm basing that upon the initial information that's been released in the indictments and conversations with others in the intelligence communities--Osama bin Laden has been the one killing Americans. No other terrorist group in the world has been out killing Americans except for Osama bin Laden.... Osama bin Laden remains out there as the one really targeting us. So, we recognize that he's the threat. He's serious about wanting to kill Americans, but as long as he's in Afghanistan, as long as he doesn't have access to a cell phone, as long as he can't just hop on a plane and travel wherever he wants without fear of being arrested, his ability to plan and conduct terrorist operations is extremely limited. We have to recognize [that] he would like to do a lot of damage. He would like to kill Americans, but wanting to is different from being able to, having the full capabilities in place.[11]
In the interview, Johnson doubted the ability of members of bin Laden's organization to plan and put their lives on the line:
There's not another Ali or Mustafa out there at this point and Osama bin Laden in my view has not been a very effective organizer or leader. He talks a great game and puts out terrific threats as far as stirring the passions in the United States and maybe firing up the imaginations of some young Muslims throughout the world. But when push comes to shove, can he get a group of people who are together who will say: we are going to plan an operation, we're going to put our lives on the line, we're going to go out and try and kill people and we don't care what the consequence is? It hasn't happened.[12]
Frontline asked:
[Is it] ... fair to say what you're saying is that the president of the United States, his national security advisor, his deputy national security advisor for counter-terrorism, are basically blowing smoke [about the danger posed by bin Laden] and his followers]?
Johnson responded:
They're grossly exaggerating the problem. They are hyping it. They shouldn't be talking about rising terrorism. Instead of saying "terrorism's rising," it's not. "Terrorism is spreading," it's not. "More people are dying from terrorism," not the case. But what they should be saying is, "There's one individual out there that really doesn't like us, and he's made it his mission in life to kill Americans, and we've gotta deal with him." But we need to have a voice of reason in that process instead of putting ourselves out crying wolf, because this is essentially what's taking place right now. They call it the administration that cries wolf.[12]
[edit]2000
Johnson co-authored an article in 2000 with Milt Bearden which focused on the threat posed by al-Qaeda specifically, rather than terrorism trends in general. Beardon and Johnson note that new information emerging about the bombings at Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 points to the threat posed by Imad Mugniyah and Osama Bin Laden will require "a coordinated policy that will employ a full range of covert, clandestine, diplomatic, and military operations," concluding:
The Clinton Administration has shot its bolt on the terrorist problem with small effect, and no last minute show of force will change the record. A new administration can start afresh with a more sharply defined set of terrorism goals – Mughniyeh and bin Laden and their protectors for starters – and bring the full, coordinated force of American diplomatic, military, and intelligence capabilities to bear on the problem.[13]
[edit]2001
After Johnson's testimony to the special forum at the U.S. Senate, Gary J. Schmitt, executive director and CEO of the Project for the New American Century, refers in the Daily Standard (blog) to an op-ed piece Johnson wrote two months prior to the 9/11 attacks, claiming that Johnson argued that the US had little to fear from terrorism.[14]
In an editorial entitled "The Declining Terrorist Threat," published in the New York Times on 10 July 2001, Johnson says:
Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.... None of these beliefs are based in fact.... While terrorism is not vanquished, in a world where thousands of nuclear warheads are still aimed across the continents, terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way.[15]
Ten days after the 9/11 attacks, after quoting the above passage, Timothy Noah concludes a post in his "Chatterbox" feature at Slate: "Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong."[16] Johnson defended himself against such attacks:
The rightwing is resurrecting an op-ed I wrote in July 2001. I stand by the full article. It is still relevant today. I am accused, incorrectly, of ignoring the threat of terrorism. In fact, I correctly noted that the real threat emanated from Bin Laden and Islamic extremism. President Bush, for his part, ignored the CIA warning in August 2001 that Al Qaeda was posed to strike inside the United States.[17]
After September 11, Johnson appeared several times on FOX News to address the question of military action against terrorism. On 14 November, he defended the FBI's proposal to interview 5,000 students in the U.S. suspected of having information relevant to the September 11 investigations:
I think they should talk to everyone that they feel they have a need to talk to. I mean, look, this is war. This is not a legal proceeding. This isn't the O.J. Simpson trial. The folks that attacked us -- they murdered Americans. And we've got to recognize that in wartime, we should do things differently.[18]
[edit]2003
In January 2003, Johnson wrote an analysis of the relationship between the upcoming U.S. invasion of Iraq and the threat of transnational terrorism. According to Johnson, Bremer's response was to tell him that "it didn't matter what Saddam did or didn't do, we were going to war."[19] The paper warned that an invasion would "do little to destroy the infrastructure of radical Islamic terrorism responsible for the 9-11 attacks." Noting that Saddam Hussein's regime has been a longtime supporter of regional terrorist organizations such as the PLO, Johnson examines contacts between Saddam Hussein and transnational terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda:
There is no doubt that Iraq is a state sponsor of terrorism—i.e., a country that provides financial support, safe haven, training, or weapons and explosives to groups or individuals that carry out terrorist attacks. . . . According to Central Intelligence Agency data, there is no credible evidence implicating Iraq in any mass casualty terrorist attacks since 1991. . . .
Johnson notes that the period immediately leading up to 2003 saw a rise of activity surrounding terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suggesting that "Iraq is willing to help a movement that it would otherwise oppose on ideological grounds. Nonetheless," Johnson concludes, "it is important to understand that Iraqi entreaties to Al Qaeda, are most likely intended as a tactic to bolster Iraq’s ability to fight off a U.S. invasion rather than a deep-seated theological and ideological commitment to the terrorist agenda of Bin Laden.[20]
In that analysis Johnson also warns that the U.S.-led invasion was likely to backfire:
In fact there is a serious risk that a U.S. led war against Iraq may crystallize the diffused anger in the Arab and Muslim world — a heretofore unattained goal of bin Laden and his followers — and persuade more Muslim youths to take up the terrorist banner against America and her citizens.... If we decide to invade Iraq we must be prepared for the contingency that our attack will inspire young Muslims to pursue jihad against the West in general and the United States in particular. Just as the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan rallied many Muslims, especially young adults to the cause of jihad, a U.S. attack may enable Islamic extremists to attract new followers.[20]
Johnson also gave interviews on the topic of what to do with captured al-Qaeda leaders; while he did not condone torture, he suggested that a "sleep deprivation and reward system" might be useful for getting information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed:
I don't see a constitutional right to have eight hours of sleep. You shouldn't subject someone to freezing but they don't get to wear mink coats, either.[21]
In May 2003, Johnson joined members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) in condemning the manipulation of intelligence for political purposes:
It is a misuse and abuse of intelligence. The president was being misled. He was ill served by the folks who are supposed to protect him on this. Whether this was witting or unwitting, I don't know, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.[22]
[edit]Plame affair
After Robert Novak wrote a column identifying the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson as a CIA officer, the media invited Johnson to comment on the ensuing scandal because he had been a member of the same Career Trainee class with Valerie Plame Wilson. For example, in October 2003, he appeared on Democracy Now to discuss the Plame affair. He told interviewer Amy Goodman that Valerie Wilson's cover should have been respected whether she was an "analyst" or a "cleaning lady": "if she's undercover she's undercover, period. If the media allows themselves to get distracted with those kinds of curve balls, they ignore the issue."[23]
He told a Senate Democratic Policy Committee in October 2003, "My classmates and I have been betrayed. Together, we have kept the secrets of each other's identities a secret for 18 years. Each and every one of us have kept that secret, whether we were in the CIA, in other government service or in the private sector. But this issue is not just about a blown cover. It is about the destruction of the very essence, the core of human intelligence collection activities: plausible deniability, apparently, for partisan domestic political reasons."[24]
Johnson testified at a special joint hearing of Congressional and Senate Democrats on 22 July 2005 about the consequences arising from the Plame affair.[25]
[edit]2008
In 2008, Johnson emerged as a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton and a strong critic of Barack Obama. Larry Johnson's blog, NoQuarterUSA, became a rally point for Clinton supporters wary of Barack Obama's qualifications to be president. Supporters of Barack Obama insist that a story that first appeared on Johnson's blog--a report that Republican operatives have a tape of Michelle Obama making racially insenstive comments about caucasians--has been "refuted" Barack Obama's Fight the Smears website.[26]. However, Johnson never claimed to have the tape and reported that the Republican operatives controlling it intended to release the tape sometime after the Democratic Convention in August 2008. On October 21, however, he asserted that the operative in possession of the tape had been instructed by the McCain campaign not to release it.[27]
[edit]Notes
^ http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-political-coverage/
^ Larry C. Johnson, "About Me," No Quarter (personal blog).
^ "Former CIA Official Larry Johnson Delivers Democratic Radio Address," transcript posted on official Democratic National Committee's website for The Democratic Party, July 23, 2005], accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Interview with Larry Johnson, confirmed by his supervisor
^ "Ex-CIA official Blasts Bush on Leak of Operative's Name: Democrats' Radio Address Focuses on White House Aides' Role," CNN July 23, 2005, accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Gail Russell Chaddock, "Why Terrorists Pick On the French," Christian Science Monitor (5 December 1996) p. 1.
^ Larry Johnson, "Terrorists Among Us," New York Times (20 August 1996) p. A19.
^ Terrorism Today
^ Lee Michael Katz, "The Hunt for Bin Laden," USA Today (21 August 1998) p. 1A.
^ See Transcript of original interview with Larry C. Johnson, as broadcast on Frontline in 1999. Cf. "Interview: Larry C. Johnson," for Hunting bin Laden, transcript of interview broadcast on Frontline subsequently on 13 April 2001. See also dedicated PBS webpages for media links: Iraq and the War on Terror, Frontline PBS, online featured programs, accessed 19 November 2006.
^ frontline: hunting bin laden: interviews: larry c. johnson | PBS
^ a b [1].
^ As posted in [2].
^ Gary Schmitt, [ 07/25/2005 "Meet Larry Johnson: The CIA official Turned Democratic Spokesman Has a Pre-9/11 Mindset," Daily Standard (blog), July 25, 2005, accessed November 20, 2006.
^ *Larry C. Johnson, "The Declining Terrorist Threat," The New York Times 10 July 2001: A19.
^ Timothy Noah, "(Not Exactly a) Whopper of the Week: Larry C. Johnson," Chatterbox: Gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics (blog), hosted by Slate September 21, 2001, accessed November 20, 2006. Note the full context of this quotation:
It is, to be sure, a little bit cheap (and slightly at odds with the usual parameters of this feature) to criticize someone for making an erroneous prediction, particularly after a tragedy. Chatterbox is especially reluctant to tag Johnson because Johnson's op-ed was argued forcefully, backed up meticulously with factual data, and bravely at odds with conventional wisdom at the time of its publication. Add in that Johnson now makes his living as a consultant to corporations about terrorism, and therefore had everything to gain by exaggerating the dangers terrorism poses, and the guy practically looks like a hero. Chatterbox, who two decades ago was an editor for the New York Times op-ed page, would have published Johnson's piece had he still been an editor there this past July. In his capacity at Slate, Chatterbox might well have written up Johnson's prediction, and perhaps even endorsed it.
But boy, is he glad he didn't! Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong. Sadly, a mistake this embarrassing cannot be ignored. As a fellow skeptic, Chatterbox in all sincerity wishes Johnson better luck next time.
^ Larry C. Johnson, "Johnson vs. President Bush," re-posted and updated by SusanHu at DailyKos (blog) July 25, 2005.
^ FOX News Interview with John Garrett (14 November 2001) Transcript #111405cb.260.
^ [3].
^ a b Larry C. Johnson, "Setting the Record Straight on Iraqi Terrorism," posted in Booman Tribune: A Progressive Community (personal blog) 27 January 2003. accessed 19 November 2006.
^ Qtd. in Toby Harnden, "CIA 'pressure' on al-Qa'eda chief," The London Telegraph 5 March 2003: 16.
^ Qtd. in Nicolas D. Kristof, "Save Our Spooks," The New York Times 30 May 2003:A6.
^ Democracy Now (3 October 2003)[4]
^ U.S. Senate, Democratic Policy Committee Meeting on the CIA Operative Leak, (24 October 2003).
^ Letter to the Senate.[Needs full source citation; see "References" section.]
^ Tumulty, Karen (2008-06-12). "Will Obama's Anti-Rumor Plan Work?", Time Magazine. Retrieved on 20 June 2008.:"a story that apparently first made a big splash on the Internet in late May in a post by pro-Hillary Clinton blogger Larry Johnson"
^ Whitey Tape, API, Phil Berg, and Andy MartinSee Authors Posts (1090) on October 21, 2007 at 8:50 PM in Current Affairs
[UPDATE: On Larry King Live tonight we learned that George Tenet told Larry that he has the highest regard for Valerie (or some crap like that, I'll pull the transcript). Isn't that precious? And what did the asshole do to show support or solidarity for Val when it might have made a difference? ZERO, ZIP, NADA. Tenet, you are despicable. Also, www.fairgameplame.com is up and running.]
Valerie’s problem is her decency and humanity. She has reasons most Americans don’t know to be really angry with George Bush and George Tenet but she has contained her rage. In a new tasty nugget in her book, Fair Game, she gives some details on the 2004 Al Qaeda threat to kill her. The response of the Administration, or more accurately, the lack of any response, is enough to make the Pope curse. What the Bush Administration failed to do and what George Tenet, CIA Director, failed to do, goes beyond cowardice.
What am I talking about? In 2004 the FBI received intelligence that Al Qaeda hit teams were enroute to the United States to kill Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Valerie Plame. The FBI informed Valerie of this threat. This was just more “good” news piled on the fact that her intelligence career was in shambles, that intelligence assets she had recruited/managed were destroyed, and that she was unable to rebut publicly false and malicious smears of her character and reputation by a bunch of partisan Republican hacks. As the mother of two pre-school children, her first thoughts were about protecting her kids. She took the threat seriously and asked for help.
When the White House learned of these threats they sprung into action. They beefed up Secret Service protection for Vice President Cheney and provided security protection to Karl Rove. But they declined to do anything for Valerie. That was a CIA problem.
Valerie contacted the office of Security at CIA and requested assistance. They told her too fucking bad and to go pound sand. They did not use those exact words, but they told her she was on her own.
Before learning of this I credited George Tenet with doing a good job of restoring morale at the CIA but criticized him strongly for playing politics with the White House and helping set the table for scamming the American public into the Iraq war. Now, in light of this revelation, I realize the man is a despicable coward. He refused to come to the aid of one of his CIA officers who faced a specific death threat. In fact, Georgie boy never once reached out to Valerie to provide any comfort or encouragement. He wanted to stay on good terms with the White House so he effectively cut her loose.
So if you have wondered why Joe and Val are a little pissed off, this might help shed some additional light on the matter. Not only did the Bush Administration out a covert intelligence officer working on the most sensitive national security issues in a time of war, but when that officer faced a direct threat to her life and her family’s safety because of that public exposure, they did not do a goddamn thing to help. I don’t know about you, but that fries my ass.
(small, medium and large sizes; for both dogs and cats)
+ 
Its hard to imagine her death at the hands of AQ helping the administration avoid further contempt for their actions… but expecting them to do otherwise would require intelligence on their part.
Our administration is so shameful. Every month, I am further astounded that their actions over the course of the last 6 years are even lower than previously known.
No morals. No ethics. No principles. No true patriotism, and not even a shred of human decency.
What kind of animals are these?
Whatever we want to call them they’re simply the worst tyrants this nation has ever had to deal with, they’re not done yet and the worst of their tyranny has yet to come. Just wait and see how long the pardon list will be, talk about astounding!
Jcricket, they’re not animals. Animals act by the natural decency of their inborn instinct. Even if they’re predators, they act by their nature. This gang is worse. They must be the most corrupt, treacherous lot to hold power since the Emperor Nero. Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you find out something like this. How much lower can we go?
Just a question - any reason for the choice of targets? It seems odd - why those 3?
I think just because they were in the news. No real idea.
Could also be that her work is viewed as working for the Great American Satan, no? Spies aren’t viewed as good simply because Cheney outs one.
I don’t have such a stupid thought about spying because I’ve been taught what purpose Spies have in maintaining peace as well as succeeding in warfare. But to AlQaida, she’s someone who was working for the US spy system I guess.
Yes, it’s certainly an odd three, isn’t it? Almost makes me wonder if Tenet just didn’t take the threat seriously due to its seeming absurdity. I don’t think that excuses his inaction, but it might help to explain it.
I forgot to add thanks to the Wilsons for being great examples to all, they exude integrity! I am also very exited about Mrs.Wilsons book, it will let us understand much more about how vital her work was.
How about some of the slander that she wasn’t covert? The post above just makes all of that look even more insane. Why would she be up for a hit by AQ when she was only a desk jockey?
Great segment on 60 Minutes. I don’t guess Val’s book tour will be bringing her to Houston?
We should bring her to Houston. I can help sponsor and promote it.
that would be great if she came to Houston! Keep me posted or let me know if I can help in any way.
I was given the proper reference today from Simon Schuster to set something up here. You can contact me at: mizyongyi7 - at - hotmail
to help set it up and get the word out.
I’d love to have Larry here on panel too, perhaps moderating the discussion, and have put some people to task to find timings and settings. Perhaps at the local University of Houston.
There are a good core of people here who would come. And I’m sure KUHT and that yellowbelly KPFT would advertise the event.
I can see if Amy Goodman would want to come down and cover it for Democracy Now.
anyway, tons of options, just be in touch.
I cought part of Valerie’s interview tonight on 60 Minutes. (http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/103/valerie_plame) She is just great!!!
As for those who wish her ill, karma will catch up with them, specially that taritor Tenet.
yes, that traitor Tenet…
She was the last article, but it was good to see. I missed the Today show, because Matt Lauer sucks, and the show is so long, caught Olbermann.
Larry still has the best interview, and npr.
To try to echo the outrage Larry so eloquently said above would be futile by my poor writing skills.
So Larry thanks for expressing what all of us feel for Valerie and her family and please pass along our thanks to them, true American Patriots.
BTW, Valerie did an excellent job on 60 minutes..
And in the 60 Minutes interview, I thought both Valerie and Joe responded with grace, dignity and great rhetorical skill when Katie Couric acted like a rightwing tool and tried to push both of them in turn into admitting that they were partisan hacks or taking advantage of all the publicity or enjoying it all.
Both Valerie and Joe were great.
Valerie did such a fine, measured, professional job on 60 Minutes tonight, even when faced with some of the lamest questions by Katie Couric making it seem as though it was somehow her fault that the most senior officials in the White House would cavalierly out a CIA officer. She did us all proud tonight, and I hope the interview and her book prompt a whole new raft of questions about these weasels.
George Tenet shouldn’t have received the Medal of Freedom…he should have been awarded the Medal of BrownNoseDom, for his sucking up to and blindly doing the bidding of the criminals in the Bush White House.
The Bush administration is an abomination, a bloody and vile stain on American history…that will have evil and far-reaching repercussions for years to come.
The Bush/Cheney crimes are too numerous to list all of them here.
Outing a covert NOC CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson, destroying her career and busting up her intelligence-gathering network which had a nuclear counter-proliferation mission, not only endangering the lives of any overseas contacts made by Mrs. Wilson, but also endangering the lives of every man, woman and child in America, because of this major national security breach.
Blowing a British counter-terrorist effort involving a Mr. Kahn in Pakistan who was providing a way via the internet to track down al Qaeda operatives worldwide, a Bush administration leak done solely for political gain, that (just as in the Valerie Plame Wilson case) blew a highly-successful covert intelligence operation…that didn’t involve torture.
Some of these captured al Qaeda operatives caught in this British/Kahn dragnet are probably among the 14 “high-profile” al Qaeda detainees at Gitmo, who are going to be trotted out in political “show trials” next year just before the 2008 presidential election, in an attempt to politically boost the chances of Republicans running for office, in “show trials” that are already being called “war crimes tribunals,” as Republicans try to equate the trials of these “state-less” al Qaeda gang members with the Nuremberg trials.
Too bad that at the same time this Republican political campaign trick is being pulled the U.S. Congress will not be conducting its own “war crimes tribunals,” holding the war criminals in the Bush administration accountable for all their lying, cheating and thieving, for all their “tortured” policies and obstruction of justice, for all their outright treasonous and traitorous acts against our country.
I do hope, though, no matter how many record-breaking pardons Bush and Cheney issue as they leave the White House, that the incoming president (who I hope is a true rule-of-law progressive liberal Democrat…like Sen. Chris Dodd) will immediately launch thorough and open investigations into the criminal acts of the outgoing Bush administration, leaving no stone unturned. This is the only way that all the damage done to our democracy can be revealed and hopefully reversed.
Oracle,
I consider the Medal of Freedom to be akin to the Booby Prize. The King of Siam was on to a good thing when he gave Ministers who displeased him a White Elephant. This honor was no honor at all, since the gift was considered sacred and couldn’t be gotten rid of. The victim of the honor was condemned to go broke feeding the darn thing until one of them died.
Wonderful etymology lesson, Montag, many thanks.
I first encountered the phrase “white elephant” as a teenager when the local pastor shocked his congregation by pointing out in exasperation that no church wants a donated “free piano” (they’re always hopelessly detuned, string-shy, unmaintained monsters).
Scandal ensued.
[...] in another posting today, Johnson gives us some details from Plame’s new book, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by [...]
Couric asked Valerie questions that would let her answer the slanders the rightwingnuts are sure to repeat now that she’s able to defend herself. “Lame” questions? Sure. But Couric didn’t pull them out of nothing; she just fished them out of the wingnuts’ swamp.
[...] This from Larry Johnson at No Quarter, Valerie Plame Wilson’s colleague and friend for twenty some years since they met in CIA boot came: In 2004 the FBI received intelligence that Al Qaeda hit teams were enroute to the United States to kill Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Valerie Plame. The FBI informed Valerie of this threat. This was just more “good” news piled on the fact that her intelligence career was in shambles, that intelligence assets she had recruited/managed were destroyed, and that she was unable to rebut publicly false and malicious smears of her character and reputation by a bunch of partisan Republican hacks. As the mother of two pre-school children, her first thoughts were about protecting her kids. She took the threat seriously and asked for help. [...]
It’s amazing, isn’t it? Bush, Cheney, Tenet, Rove….they all think if they don’t talk about any of this….it won’t really exist in anyone’s minds. Really, to me, this is one of THE most shocking stories (and I haven’t received my book yet!) in modern history. Because it DOES go all the way to the top. Because it DOES amount to TREASON. Shocking. And, all the more so, because nobody (translate Democrats) is doing anything about it. You have impeachment proceedings for a blow job…..but not for outing a CIA agent working on THE most sensitive issues — war capabilities….DURING A TIME OF WAR….and there ARE no impeachment proceedings? What? What? What?
By now people are just so numbed by the surreal numbers of criminal activities and corruption….(maybe that was their strategy all along….) that every thing is just allowed…..and just keeps on going. It’s quite amazing, actually, that there even WAS a Scooter Libby trial given the ways in which they get out of everything. Of course, his sentence was commuted….so it was quickly forgotten.
But not by us. Oh no. We do not forget. I only hope that Valerie’s book….and hopefully the coverage it gets….will start some things moving.
Valerie was wonderful on 60 Minutes…..she DID contain herself amazingly when Couric needled …..stupidly….and so obviously tried to trip her up. She didn’t know who she was dealing with! Cool! Composed. Very impressive.
Straight from the heart…..honest…..genuine. My heart goes out to both of them and all they’ve been through. It’ll all come out….eventually.
Thanks, Larry. They are lucky to have you and your colleagues as supportive, loyal friends. They need them. They’ll have to go through a lot of stupidity….that goes with being “out there” in the public eye…being scrutinized. We haven’t heard yet from the Coulters and her Swift-boaters. sigh
Congratulations, Valerie and Joe! We’re behind you all the way. So proud of your patriotism and service to this country. Thank you for that.
When will we see the last of Katie Couric? This waste-of-womanhood has the demeanor of a poison-pus cobra. That she was rude, boorish and mindless in her questioning certainly added nothing but insult to Valerie Plame’s plight. I’m sure Katie is in the back-pocket of the wingnuts anyway.
Just send Katie back to the Today show where she can discuss . . . recipes or something and not do any damage.
Katic Curic is no Barbara Walters.
I sure hope CBS is getting their 15 mil worth.
Yeah, Katie Couric proved that in her smear tactics with Elizabeth Edwards….who had just learned her cancer was back. The time for get-tough interview tactics….riiight. She can’t be too smart, obviously. What a twit!
Just thought I’d come back and tell everyone that Valerie is over at Huffington post with a blog and inviting comments there. Fun to see all the positive comments she’s already gotten from everyone. No Swift-boaters yet.
Valerie did a great job acting calm during some of those odious questions that Couric asked. I woulda kicked her in the shins.
Can’t wait to get the book!
Couric has to use the plausible line and ask her questions she knows the right wing skeptics would regurgitate, so cut her some serious slack.
What she did is help typecast a recruitment film for future prospects, with the help of the dazzling Ms.Wilson.
Valerie speaking is a plus for the Agency, in the long run.
In the news, chatter banter, and of course a way of providing perks and possible clearances to Karl he’d otherwise not get, in the twisted nether regions of new legislation such as the Patriot Act, etc.
They’d really want to Kill Karl Rove, who helped elevate dubya, lie about Iraq to bring down Saddam who was a barrier to Al Qaeida, and of course to swell their own recuritment numbers, give them almost 200k AK 47’s in Persia, and break NATO’s back in Afghanistan. BTW Pakistan is about to go up in flames, and Osama’s strongest support is there.
Please don’t let them throw Karl Rove in the briar patch!
Not surprising a bit.
Yes, we’re all getting conditioned to expect the worst from our White House - that they lie, that they steal, that they murder,etc.
We seem to think it’s normal and are happy when they just don’t - yet again - redefine the limits of “worst”.
The world is changing its definition daily, the notion of America as we once knew is gone too.
Deck chairs on the Titanic, quite a view, just before we go under.
Couric’s defining work was the colonoscopy.
The climax of which was the discovery of her head…
Valerie Plame on 60 Minutes…
Valerie Plame was on 60 Minutes on Sunday Night. C&L reports:
In the first segment, Plame Wilson spoke frankly about being betrayed by this administration, as well as her assessment of the damage done to the nation’s security by revealing her ide…
I’m a daily reader of your blog, Larry, and greatly value your thoughts and courage. What I cannot understand is that you still call yourself a Republican. Why?
The party brand that Teddy Roosvelt and Dwight Eisenhower wore with pride and honored, is no more. What remains is largely just an evil conspiracy. There may be some good Americans who are Republicans, but few who truly understand where the Junta is leading them. And you understand what is being done to our country.
I grew up an Eisenhower Republican, but have come to detest all that the modern GOP stands for. And I don’t think they intend to turn over the keys, on !/20/09 to anyone, especially the Democrats. The Neo-cons know what’s coming….they’re sure Bush is going to attack Iran….the blowback from that may give the Junta the excuse they are seeking to “postpone” the elections and stay in power indefinitely. In 51 years as a current events junky, I’ve never feared for my country; I now think it may be too late. I’m an enraged Independent, who can’t gladly support the Democrats….they’re spineless. Jim Webb is the only one I could support enthusiastically, but he’s not in the running.
Thanks for all the patriotic work that you do Larry. Unlike today’s Repulicans, you believe in the Constitution, the rule of the Law, and all the other values sent down to us by our enlightened founders. The Junta and its supporters don’t. As Cheney stated, they believe in the rule of men, not law. That is damning…. And portends a ruinous conclusion to this nightmare.
Comment by Rick…
“….I don’t think they intend to turn over the keys, on !/20/09 to anyone, especially the Democrats. The Neo-cons know what’s coming….they’re sure Bush is going to attack Iran….the blowback from that may give the Junta the excuse they are seeking to “postpone” the elections and stay in power indefinitely.”
Exactly what I have been saying for months but so many people are so awed with Hillary they can’t see the Forest for the Trees where Robin Karl and his band of merry men are planning the take over of the entire country by the Junta (BTW that is an excellent term to call them) how ever they have too, steal it, declare martial law or whatever is necessary. Someone on another blog said the following “if you think these people (the Neocons) are going to go quietly away in the night and let the Democrats take over, think again.”
Personally don’t think they even have to worry about losing the WH.
Why?
Because unless my math is bad I believe Bush got more votes in 2004
then 2000. So I ask the Dems where are your extra votes going to come from in 2008?. Dissatisfied Republicans, if so where are they? Yeh there has been a lot “news” about retiring and unhappy Republicans and various Repug pols saying there are going to “distance’ themselves from the WH.
But Robin Rarl isn’t about to let this happen. They are lying low to first see how the Repug pres candidates cluster f**k is going to shake out which won”t take much longer. When Rudy has the edge they’ll get behind him, push the democrats-are-weak-on-national-security-soccer-mom-nascar-dad buttons and all those who have strayed will come running back to fold.
Then after the last Democratic primary slugfest when Hillary comes out on top (karl etc are praying that Hillary wins) they will rev up the ol’ slime machine and the rest will be history.
Even then, the Democratic party will be so fractured after the bloody primaries that Hillary will have to spend all her time trying to unify the party prior to the Dem Convention in Denver.
Does Hillary really believe that all the Obama supporters, and all of us who are pissed off at the Dem Congress for their wimpy-kissing-bush’s-ass record in congress are just going to roll over and blindly follow her into the unset? If you believe that I got a bridge……..well you get the point.
The Dem Convention will hardly be a love fest for Hillary, but she can revel in it for about 3 days because at the Repug convention, which starts AFTER the Dems, Robin Karl and his minions will be whipping the masses behind MR 9/11, Rudy, Rudy, Rudy…who will win easily and then the entire slime machine lead by Rush, Sean, Bill O, etc will go after Hillary like a junk yard dog chasing someone trying to steal a car at noon on a cold day in Hell opps I mean late Jan 2009, the Chief Justice of the Supremes will be saying,
Mr. Guilliani, Do you swear to…….
[...] cultivate sources in operations to thwart the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the threats put upon her and her family by her outing. Finally, she says, she is able to tell her side of the [...]
The interview with Val was pretty good.. To bad 60 minutes couldn’t find a good interviewer on thier staff.
Shame on Tenet for thinking about himself instead of his people. I now think he has another serious character flaw to go along with everything else we have learned about him since he sat behind Colin Powell at the UN that fateful day. I wonder how the other CIA agents feel about him learning the newest revelation from the FAIR GAME book.
[...] Seixon stalker Larry Johnson: Valerie’s problem is her decency and humanity. [...]
I consider Couric’s interview of Plame in the context that Couric’s employer CBS news, and Plame’s publisher Simon Shuster, are both owned by the same parent company.
So Couric’s interest is career, CBS’s is economic, and Plame’s is personal. It looked to me from watching the interview that Couric’s ‘devil’s advocate’ questions allowed Plame an opportunity to present her perspective.
In this context, whatever other failings Couric may have, the interview looked like a win-win all around.
An interesting exchange occured in the 60 Minutes interview when Joe Wilson was briefly brought in.
Wilson described how bad it was that WH went after his family, while no one went after the families of Rove Libby Armitage and Fleischer. Couric started to question that their wives were not covert… at which point Wilson leaped in said “HOW do you KNOW” repeatedly. Then he said, the answer is you DON’T know, and THAT’S the way it SHOULD be! …at which point the interview moved on, but it was a powerful moment.
I agree that this was a powerful moment. But I don’t agree that Couric was merely playing devil’s advocate in the interview. If you as a journalist are trying to be objective and neutral, you would phrase the questions differently, i.e., “What do you say to your critics who charge that you’re being overly partisan by claim x, y, and z?” Couric wasn’t doing that. She was making the charge of partisanship, etc., herself.
And while I’m at it, Larry didn’t explicitly state the most treacherous implication of this whole affair. “Will no one rid us of this troublesome agent?” Lo and behold, here’s a chance that maybe the designated bad guys will do it for them if they just stand aside.
Joe and Valerie better be damn careful.
Again, thanks, Larry, for fleshing out the story the WH thinks they can stifle. I can’t imagine you get much satisfaction from it beyond knowing the truth will out. The level of disappointment in the government you served must be deep and I value your effort tremendously.
[...] with the CIA. These comments were originally printed at Mr. Johnson’s blog, No Quarter. http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/10/21/valerie-plame-wilson-and-the-ultimate-betrayal/#more-975 His comments are also in a DailyKOS diary this morning. [...]
Larry, that had to make you furious, to see a friend and former co-worker basically thrown to the wolves. I don’t, however, imagine that by then it surprised you at all.
It’s good to know that Joe and Valerie have each other, and have been strong throughout this all, and that they have loyal friends like you. Their government that they spent many years defending now sees them as just so much inconvenient truth.
Do you know if they have security, Larry?
The Betrayal goes beyond one person, Valerie’s instance is simply a crucible to highlight focus upon.
The Betrayal is about a sham of a gov’t in Iraq being propped up, as was South Viet Nam in its heyday.
Money and political capital wasted for war profiteering. Anyone in the way gets attacked on a personal and professional level.
The problems we’re breeding in Iraq will come home soon, not just that of neglected troops. The contractors, the mid level management and distribution thieves, the subculture of selloffs and buyouts along the lines of a black market or brothel atmoshpere… they’re coming back to get GOP appointments.
This is not the end, it’s only the beginning.
[...] And through it all, Plame has made considerably little noise, though she would be most definately justified in doing so. What am I talking about? In 2004 the FBI received intelligence that Al Qaeda hit teams were enroute … [...]
Why should we take at face value Ms. Wilson’s comments regarding the CIA and Administrations’ “cutting her loose?”
Really?
If we don’t believe her, then who should we believe?
Also why would she lie?
Just to write a book and make a lot of money?
Let’s see..
Who has a proven track record of lying…….the Bush Admin or
Ms. Plame??
Hmmmmmm….
That might take a while….
Guess I will have to get back to you on that.
…..Really? If we don’t believe her, then who should we believe? Also why would she lie? Just to write a book and make a lot of money? Let’s see.. Who has a proven track record of lying…….the Bush Admin or
Ms. Plame…..
Excellent comments, Bill. I’m going to start writing my book too! Let’s see now, it might open something like this. “It was October 30, 1996. Snow was already on the ground in Billings and the children were shivering in their light Holloween costumes as they….”
[...] Intel Community leftist Larry Johnson, offers a hair-raising (and characteristically foul-mouthed) story of poor Valerie, a mother with two pre-school children, abandoned to the mercies of Al-Qaeda by the [...]
TROLL ALERT!!!…..TROLL ALERT!!!!!
I went to your website and I found, this quote by you apparently describing yourself as……
“Another Right-Wing Web Aggregator”
You sure got that right, at least you admit who you are!
But take your fucking right wing agitating bullshit and put it where the sun don’t shine and get he hell off this site and take your trash talk else where!
Valerie’s book tour dates for you lucky people in the DC area…
Confirmed events
Thursday, October 25, 7:30 PM
Borders
5871 Crossroads Center Way , Baileys Crossroads, VA, 22041
I just left a message with Valerie’s publicist at S & S to see if she has any info on where Val is scheduled to be on her tour.
Will update if I receive anything.
I wonder. Plame was CIA. The CIA has not always been the friend of truth and justice. Most often not, in the view of many. Her husband Joe Wilson was Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq from 1988 to 1991 in the period from the end of the Iraq-Iran War to the beginning of first Gulf War when various ‘ambiguous’ messages, to put it charitably, were delivered to Saddam Hussein about the US attitude towards his problems with Kuwait. By the interpretation of some informed analysts at least, a green light.
Now today on NBC’s Today show Plame says that “there is no doubt that Iran has intent” to obtain nuclear weapons. Intent, said Yehoshafat Harkabi in _Israel’s Fateful Hour_, means actually taking action towards a goal, as opposed to having a wish for some outcome.
If indeed there is “no doubt” that Iran is taking such steps why does the IAEA have no evidence of this? And see Hersh’s interview with Remmick at the New Yorker site:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/festival/2007/HershRemnick
regarding the utter failure of US intelligence to come up with any evidence for Iranian action to obtain a bomb.
And of course there is the problem of the ‘grand bargain’ proposed by Iran in 2003, a negotiation of everything, rejected out of hand by Bush.
Finally Ms Plame says that Iran is “malevolent.”
ma·lev·o·lent 1 : having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred 2 : productive of harm or evil
An entire country “malevolent.”
She is a very bright woman, and can be assumed to have chosen her words carefully. So what is she actually saying?
What side is she on, really?
Leading up to the 60 Minutes interview, they had on their website a trailer stating Valerie monitored the proliferation of WMD’s specifically in Iran. However, not once was Iran mentioned in the horrible interview Couric did. We need to ask CBS why that particular piece of profound information was edited out.
There are also other reports surfacing that suggest Cheney purposely outed Valerie, not because of her husband’s op-ed piece, but because of his involvement via Halliburton of selling nuclear components to Iran via Dubai & Turkey. And isn’t it interesting how Pakistan’s AQ Kahn (sp?) was able to just disappear into the sunset?
Valerie wasn’t outed because of what her husband wrote…she was outed because her organization could have exposed American involvement in supplying Iran with nuclear technology.
Comment by Oilwellian | 2007-10-22 16:01:16
Valerie wasn’t outed because of what her husband wrote…she was outed because her organization could have exposed American involvement in supplying Iran with nuclear technology.
A very astute observation…I am putting it over on Huffpo in the hopes that Valerie will see it if she doesn’t see it here…obviously, what she thinks of your observation would be very interesting, and of course, she probably won’t say, knowing Dick Cheney’s record so far on her behalf.
OT:
Last night before the Plame segment they did a segment on starving children in Africa.. Doctors without Borders came up with a peanut butter, vitamin, sugar mix that is working miracles for childrens hunger. It had a funny name..Can anyone recall that name?
I don’t know about any of you folks but that segment really touched my heart..It is so sad that there is such misery in our world living next door to such wealth. I’m going to search the internet and see if there is an opportunity to contribute to this miracle for starving children.
While we are OT..let’s go all the way..
Did anyone see the postings of that Robert Thair guy here?
Man Larry tore his ass up..well i flamed him alittle too, but it seems once a week a nutjob posts here and somebody has to bury the jerk..
I think it’s pretty funny..After about 6 months or so of being a blogger i’m beginning to catch the drift of trolls and assholes..
You know what i found cool? I asked larry a question the other day and he replied to me..Now that’s cool for me..As an expert in counter-terrorism and former CIA he said he agreed with me…Damn..my head won’t hardly fit through a doorway anymore..
I really enjoy this blog and think leslie, susan and larry do a bang-up job on today’s current events.
although i bring a light-hearted version of the world it is only because after raising 6 children i have kind of a laid back view of the world..( esp. 4 big, bad boys )
But i have a son in Iraq so our family lives in tensions that only other families in a similar situation can appreciate.. i sleep a couple hours a night and wake up wondering if Jordan is Ok and what he is doing..Thanks to Bush and his pals i feel like we are in Hell..I catch my wife crying for no reason..she packs care packages to keep sain and you can just see the pain in her eyes..
That’s our life..that’s our family..that’s our government…that’s our world.
Kind Regards No quarter..keep up the good work.
Hoosier, I think the stuff they’re feeding the starving children is called “pumpynut,” although I won’t swear to it. It was an amazing story.
Hoosier,
It was called Plumplynut.
Plumpy’nut, more commonly known as Plumpy, is a peanut-based food for use in famine relief which was formulated by André Briend, a French scientist in 1999.
It is a high protein and high energy peanut-based paste in a foil wrapper that can be distributed to children at home rather than in specialist feeding stations and can be eaten without any preparation. It tastes like a slightly sweeter kind of peanut butter. It is categorized by the WHO as a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
Could not beLIEVE the Couric questions and implications. Valerie did well with what she was given, and I’m truly pissed about the non-security allowed her, along with everything else flung at her and her husband.
Please, Larry, give them both my best. Is the lawsuit still in the game? I know one court threw it out, but aren’t there other options?
I read Valerie’s book yesterday and she was over at FireDogLake earlier today.
She and her husband are owed a great deal by this country.
I was hoping to see Larry pop in at the lake this morning, it was a great time.
“George Tenet shouldn’t have received the Medal of Freedom…he should have been awarded the Medal of BrownNoseDom, for his sucking up to and blindly doing the bidding of the criminals in the Bush White House.”
Oh, haven’t you heard? That is the new definition for freedom now.
That fries my ass, too!
I used to be able to understand Republicans, but they no longer give a shit about our country, just their own power and fame.
I just heard Valerie on All Things Considered,on NPR. She said outing her was treason! Finally it’s entering the national dialogue.
PLUMPYNUT.
Hoosier
I think it was “Plumpynut?”. Powerful show. Love this site and it was great to visit FDL and see Valerie, Joe and John Dean there — what great people. Thank you Larry for all you do.
Speaking of treasonous bastards.
they are running a hit piece on Valerie and Joe on FAUX NEWS’s Hannity and Colmes tommorrow reavealing “the truth” as they see it …They are insinuating that she is not who she says she is and are implying they have “the papers” to prove it.
Larry is there any way to get her to go into the belly of the beast and request to be on that show?
I would love to see her carve up Hannity with this one sentence.
“Sean, you know not of what you speak.
Amazing,,,,
on larry king just now he told Valerie he had dinner with Georgie boy (tenet) who said he (tenent) had nothing but praise for Valerie.
Valerie a great classy lady said..
“I wish him well…….”
What else can you say….
Sorry Larry, but immediately anyone mentions AlQaeda hit squads roaming the Globe, I switch off. Where have these squads disappeared to?
Looking at the situation as I do, I don’t know if the ficticious power centre you call AlQaeda would have any objective in assassinating Plame, Rove or Cheney. But 2004 was too long ago for me to remember all the power plays then.
Mind you she certainly has her name in the headlights.
Also Larry, loyalty is not decency. If you look at the history of World problems it is hard to find an instance where loyalty doesn’t creep in. Loyalty in some ways is the most despicable behaviour, for it implies double standards, where conscience can take a back seat to duty.
What happened is Valerie got shafted by her own and her pride has come before a fall. She has been mercilessly disposed of by a system she dutifully served to protect. By being dutiful she continues to protect that same system that failed her [and presumably everyone else]. I don’t think there’s too much to congratulate here.
Saddness for her predicament, but no feeling of empathy with her from me. Of course, if she takes an about turn and plays hardball, she might win a supporter in me yet.
In addition to forgetting 2004, you also seem to forget that all of the people Valerie was working UNDERCOVER with at Brewster Jennings were compromised as well. When intelligence operations are compromised (and the lives of the operatives are put in danger, in case you can’t catch the drift) that’s denagerous for the United States.
But don’t let reality get in the way of your theories. That might be inconvenient.
I am somewhat baffled by this reply.
What’s your point?
I have no theories, that’s done by those who personify a hush hush agenda. Theories, frankly, shoefone are the basis of your comment. And I feel sure you are absolutely correct in your summary of the compromises.
However what’s dangerous for the United States of America is what is dangerous and not what’s supposed to be dangerous.
Personally, I have no wider agenda, so you won’t get double standards with anything I say [touch wood]. Therefore I stick by it.
The Biggest “NATIONAL DISASTER” We Have long Endured..is the George W. Bush administration..
It IS Dangerous..
Agreed PH, but it stretches far, far wider than Bush.
Hard to play hardball when you don’t have a safe space. Valerie Plame Wilson has played nothing but hardball her whole career. The lack of meaningful counterterrorism support for employees in the CIA is breathtaking.
2004 was not so long ago. The last time I was summoned by a member of al qaeda was about two months ago and I first met him in 1995. Does that span the period of currency, at least for terrorism in Florida, for you?
….But 2004 was too long ago for me to remember all the power plays then….
I bet you would rememer what was going on if you were affected. When in 2004 was Valerie in danger? There were a whole lot of power plays happening during the 4th quarter — September to December.
I just watched Larry King too…For some reason..They cut into Joe and Valeries Scheduled HOUR on Larry King..and The first 45 Minutes of his show was about Our Next Disaster..and Katrina type event going on with the Massive Fires in california..which HAS been dominating the MSM News for Two days now..Then they did several breaks the last 15 minutes with VAL and remnote with Joe…and even said that AC would be doing MORE big coverage of the Fire..following Larry and Val..and I even though His questions were Bad for the short time He had her on..
WHY..?? Why Cut into Vals time and Her Important TRUE Story..about BETRAYAL..and WHITE HOUSE Mis ~Deeds..and the TRUTH about the CORRUPTION of Government.. for another 45 minutes of Coverage of the Fires.. when we all know there is a massive fire in Cal…and the BREAKING NEWS is long Past..and has been well Covered..The Fire will be “The News” when we go to bed and again when we wake Up..
Real BREAKING NEWS..More PROOF of White House LIES..
and BAD GOVERMENT..and Wasting US Taxpayer Dollars
Over Seas Instead of Spending all that Money here at HOME..To Insure DOMESTIC SECURITY and TRANQUILITY..
They ought to be reporting on the fact that even after 9/11…Katrina..Tornados..Droughts..Massive Infrastructure damage NATIONALLY ..Falling Bridges..Descructive and violent Storms..and Massive Amounts of Money throw around..wasted..Spent on WAR..IRAQ..CONTRACTORS Costs ..and leaving the United states for Bush’s Adventurisim..
Where is the MASSIVE National response to these 9/11 type Disasters..They had years to get “HOMELAND SECURITY” Organized..and to coordinate Agencys..Corporations..Military and civilian response Unies..Heavy equipment..manpower..Fire fighters..First responders..Mass Evacuation Efforts..Food..Water..Shelter for Thousand or even Millions of Victims/Citizens..Isn’t that what Homeland security was suppose to do..Get Organized on the Federal..state and Local Level…. Well Funded..and HIGHLY EFFECIENT..and Able to respond on a massive SCALE to ANY DISASTER..
So..What HAPPENED..since 9/11..??
What has the Bush administration priority been..??
Where is ALL the money Going..?? IRAQ.&CORPORATIONS
Homeland Security..?? HA.. IRAQ & CORPORATIONS
Infrastructure..?? Nope.. IRAQ
Health care for elderly..and other Citizens..??
Paying for Health care for Children..??Nope BUSH VETOED .that .a few weeks ago..
You Know…CONSERVATIVE THINKING..
Bush thinks e money could be Best Spent elsewhere..
WHERE..??
Hmmmm..
Could it Be ANOTHER REQUEST for Oh..Lets see…How About another $$ 48 BILLION.$$$$ Bucks for
IRAQ..?? The NEO~CON WAR..
Which gets us back to Valerie and Joe and Thier story..and Her Book and the TRUTH..
They and the American people were BETRAYED by the White House…
When Joe and Val were Betrayed..so were Our American Institutions..and so were WE..THE PEOPLE..
With NO ACCOUNTABILITY..Look What happened to America..since then..
Nothing But CORRUPTION and ABUSE of POWER..LIES & ALIBI”S..COVER UPS..and a Lazy Biased MSM that is FAILING the American People and JOURNALISM..
IN MY OPINION..
..Thats the BIG STORY..The “BETRAYAL”..and its Consequences..The CORRUPTION OF GOVERNMENT..
OUR GOVERNMENT..
So Far..Only Val..Joe…Larry and a handful of Brave
and HONEST Americans and PROFESSIONALS are willing to tell the TRUTH..Expose the Bush Administration
and whats been Done to COVER IT UP..While stepping on the Backs of the American People..
Starting with VAL and JOE..
Where is the NEW Highly Organized and Mobalized NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM..Mr. BUSH.. ??
What lessons did you Learn from Katrina..??
Is this how you are preparded to respond to those WMD..CBW events you keep telling us the “TERRORISTS” are determined to pull off in the United States..? Your people keep telling us its not a Question of “IF” But “WHEN..”
Well..We Have another DESTRUCTIVE DISASTER..here at Home..
What difference is the damage being done in California and the damage and required Responses to another Terorist attack..?
Fires..property damage..Loss of Life..Evacuations..Medical emergencies..First responders..all at the Local level..
BUT NO FEDERAL MOBALIZATION..
Why..??
Bush Prioritys..SENDING THE CHECKS TO IRAQ..and favored CORPORATIONS….
Heck of a Job…BUSHIE..
My God..How You have failed the United States and the American People..
Shame on YOU ALL..
It looks like President George W. Bush..The
“Compassionate” Republican ..is Finally getting
His “THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT”..starting with California..
What a Legacy..
Oh..Right on Cue..Three days later..just like katrina..Bush is sending in FEMA..to do an evaluation..
GAG…
I think someone in the Main stream Media and in Congress needs to ask these questions..
Where has ALL the Money gone..??
After all the Hugh natural disasters..Fires..Floods..Storms..since 9/11..all we have gotten out of the Bush administration in response to Domestic Problems .. is
alot of Scare talk about terrorism..The “Patriot Act”..alot more useless and expensive expansion of government and Power.. an undermining of our agencies..and NO Real Homeland security as far as Emergency responses .. real funding..or co-ordination of Emergency response agencies..We are no better off now than we were on 9/11..
What corporations who are making BILLIONS in Iraq are responding or offering help to the Disaster in California..??
Where are the Surplus Aircraft and Helicopters that have been Modified..Incorported ..Made available for Fighting fires with Retardents..and Water..or available for evacuations and rescues..??
Where are the Volunteer Groups of Professionals and Pilots..Specialists..Medics..Field Hospitals..Shelters..food and water stock piles..Builders..heavy equipment operators..?
Why is none of that NOW in place..?
These are the things that SHOULD have been Prioritys of the Bush Administration and Our Government in response to 9/11..or even KATRINA..
NOT Outting Valerie..Smearing Joe..fabricating excuses to start a WAR with IRAQ..letting Bin Laden get away at tora Bora..and creating HUGH Nastional DEBT ..just to make Bush administration INSIDERS..RICH..
Where is the OUTRAGE..??
Whwere are the INVESTIGATIONS..or HEARINGS..??
Are we so Hopeless and Helpless we just have to sit back..and Watch..FRUSTRATED..
While AMERICA BURNS..and BUSH & CHENEY Fiddle around..??
What is Wrong with CONGRESS..??
Patrick, a constructive suggestion:
your most heartfelt comments might stand out better if you used more effort to summarize concisely.
I know this because I often struggle to do it myself.
I saw that Larry King and thought it was a disaster, too. And, I don’t mean the fires, either. Whose decision was THAT??? Shortchanging her (and husband) like that. VERY suspicious. Someone at CNN trying to keep her quiet. Or, quieter. VERY annoying. They (CNN and Larry King) made fools of themselves! As if the fires ….we’ve heard about ALL DAY LONG….and then on Anderson Cooper….JUST HAD TO take priority….over THE story of all stories. Give me a break!
They both did a great job with the little time they had. And, I was hoping she would use the word TREASON….so I’m glad to hear she did on NPR. She ought to….they ought to….just keep saying it loud and clear. NO QUESTION that is what it was. No question. I’m glad to see them fight the good fight. AND, I got my book today! (Hope I get some sleep tonight….)
Oh, I sent a strongly worded (and quite crappy) letter to Larry King’s show last night over that. Relegating Val and Joe to 20 mins that was chocked full of commercial breaks. God, the WH must be terrified of what she could say.
I still hope that when the Dems wins the 08 presidential election, they’ll put Val in charge of the CIA and Joe in charge of the State Dept.
You can tell who the Arrogant Bush HAWKS, BUZZARDS and TROLLS …actual FEAR..
The Ones they have consistently attacked in various and dirty ways..
VALERIE…JOE…LARRY..
Why They Tell the Truth..and Give NO QUARTER..
America’s REAL Patriots and Freedom Fighters..
I’m Proud to support them..
Looks like most of you —most especially Prince Valiant— have gone plum loco. al-Qaeda “hit teams” that would come and try to rub out Valerie Plame? Whatever!
It unusual that I agree with a redneck troll, but I think that was a mistake of Larry’s, er Prince Valiant, to focus on conjecture.
I did check out your partizan blog, Toby. Comparing 2 accounts of mediocrity does not make one better than the other. The President sucks and so does the Democrat front against the Republican rash.
It is interesting that more and more of the far right wing bloggers are failing to include commentary on your beloved President. They are focusing on positive things like the continued slaugter of Iraqis and Afghanis in the National interest (which never gets explained).
You will notice, though often upbeat, how scathing this board can be of Democrat progress. Whereas, you on your board Toby, struggle to do anything other than blame the statisticians for ‘Republican failings’. I guess dead people have faith.
Toby..
The only thing is..and you may not ‘get’ this..
REAL CIA agents with deep contacts live a life of danger..People do kill them and/or thier people. ( our allies..if you’re keeping score)
Spy’s die all the time..Russians in England, I6 deaths..We don’t know about most of them..
One time Saddam tried to kill our president…either way..and try not to take this wrong..because i am guity also..
But we sit on our couches and poo poo real life..REAL wars..life and death and we expound our learned opinion colored by the life we live.
Val performed real life service to this country and paid alot of prices in her life long before she was outed..A high personal price, training and unknown efforts to help our country. Those must have been long, difficult, dangerous periods of time oversees in terms of her job (CIA…you’re still with me right?) and her personal life..By the looks of that classy lady she could have been on the cover of Vanity Fair 20 years ago if she wished..
She became a Civil Servant to serve our country..our way of life..for you..for the hoopster
She didn’t do anything wrong..
If you ask me, you and alot of other people should start showing alittle respect for our heros.
and Val is a hero..
hoosierhoops says:
“Val performed real life service to this country and paid alot of prices in her life long before she was outed..“
Exactly. This is why no crime other than perjury was committed. She was not a covert operative for years. Anyone who buys this book believing she’s some sort of 007 in a skirt is a sucker, but hey it’s not my 20 bucks.
you’re simply obtuse.
CIA Chief Hayden - She was covert
Pat Fitzgerald - She was covert
Judge Reggie Walton - She was covert
Judge John D. Bates - She was covert
Do you read anything but rightwing blogs? I read court cases, and unless you are going to call the head of the CIA wrong, the prosecutor, the agent herself, and the two judges so far who have heard her case….wrong….then you simply must be rightwing to the point of being lost.
DO YOU have any evidence of this ongoing lie you drop and run with? Do you have any evidence other than that idiot Toensing telling you this? Give me a source, just one good solid source, not National Review or principle subject Traitor Robert Novak. You cannot.
Good luck.
Hit teams on their way? Sounds like one of those “confessions” extracted out of Gitmo.
The real purposes of disclosing the hit teams were: A. scare the shit out of the American People, B. Sympathy for Cheney, C. Scare Valerie and Joe into hiding.
B. and C. failed, A. probably helped the administration a little at the time.
Just watched Val on Keith Olberman. So what was up with the coffee cup in her hand that said “4W”? Is that what I think it is?!
Positively brilliant!
Keith blushed, and so would I. Val’s top notch. I am hearing repeated lines, but the interviewers ask the same thing….save…LARRY J!
Larry, yours has been the best interview.
We gotta get you guys down here to Houston, the belly of the beast to discuss this in forum.
Thanks for the great interview.
And did you guys catch Michael Hayden on Charlie Rose? It can be downloaded if you want…
wow…what a little equivocator…’…uh…well depends on how you view what….torture is…Charlie’. He tried to compare the moral relative nature of bootcamp as experienced by a 60yr old talk show host and military bureaucrat to the perspective need to decide….is…this …torture?
“obviously I can’t describe techniques”
THEN! described a technique I used when friends lie, show you know more than they do about it and they start singing closer to the truth when you show you have fairly omnipotent access to their reality. but now…when a guy is getting his nose bloodied because he really doesn’t know anything and no matter how much they know he knows this is the game….well…there’s that technique out the window. So why not just tell us about waterboarding KSM and how he confessed to knocking up Britney Spears and Posh Spice at the same time in a Nascar race to Seattle. I don’t believe a word he says.
I used to have an abusive babysitter who was a militant. She used to make me stand in the corner with my hands in the air. After a while I learned to become defiant and when she said, did you have enough…”what is enough”. “ONE MORE HOUR!”
She’d always let me down just before my mom got home because that wouldn’t fly. I hated it, but I learned to outlast her. Not at first, but in time. It has stayed with me in many other situations, so I can imagine it would take a lot to break a real operative.
anyway, thanks for the work Larry, the interview was great. above the rest….(about to check the NPR interview, but doubt it will be better)
from the belly of the beast….
Chris - where in Houston are you?
a la norte
This was a good one everyone here may enjoy:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102307B.shtml
Plamegate Finale: We Were Right; They Were Wrong
By David Corn
The Nation
Monday 22 October 2007
Four and a half years ago, after reading the Robert Novak column that outed Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA operative specializing in counter-proliferation work, I wrote an article……
(excerpt)
Oh God. We have to hear more from this publicity whore. Great. Please go buy the former CIA “operatives” book. Hubby needs a new yacht.
Suckers.
is that you Karl? Guess since you’re no longer at the White House, you’ve got lots of free time now.
I suppose Rich G is waiting for Scooter Libby’s book…
I’m not going to allow idiot, rightwing troll attacks on Val and Joe. Ass clowns like jagoff, oops, I mean JagCap, are not free to ignore the volumns of data demonstrating beyond any level of doubt that Val was undercover and was working as a NOC when outed.
Exactly Larry..
You work 20 years for the CIA..Get outed by a corrupt administration and then every rightwing idiot feels he can insult and belittle your service.
It really reveals the true colors of the neo-cons.
Bless you for that!
I abhor spending so much time tracking down the lies and fabrications of this case, but I’ve tried to be as ubiquitous on the “tv news” sites and editorial boards where people smear and lie. Drop a tone of first sourced facts on them and they shut up. I don’t get my shit from talking points. I call the DOJ, Senate Intel, HJC, etc and get them. This stuff is public now and we know that Novak knows less about the CIA than EggHead idiot Hayden and our valiant hero Val Plame.
Finished the NPR interview, and have to say, it and Larry’s interview are an excellent pairing. But nothing beats hearing Larry and Val visit the days at “the farm” and hear this real person share her enthusiasm.
Thanks for smackin down the trolls LJ
I still think and this just reinforces my thoughts that the real target of the smears was Valerie herself and her husband was just an excuse.
I bet she could shed lots of damaging info on this administration but is “Not allowed to” by the CIA and this administration.
The way the Bush administration treated her was awful enough, but the way the CIA treated her as well is a double betrayal. Now she can finally fight back.
And the hit squad speculation just keeps on coming. Here’s my two cents. Multiple possibilities.
1. at face value, a hit squad was on the way, and was subsequently discovered/thwarted
2. ‘chatter’ was released about hit squads with no one actually going anywhere, so as to f**k with secret service
3. a hit squad was dispatched as misdirection; like when someone starts a building fire to occupy civic response, while a bank robbery is executed
There is a 4th
The hitsquad was part of a wider campaign of baseless information to present a dangerous AlQaeda to America and the people of the World. The “official” information has been useful to draw upon by Mrs Plame as it firstly highlights her importance (why would she be assassinated?) and secondly it validates her patriotism.
Both the left and the right are milking the above. I feel that with the wealth of material available, the post might have done better avoiding anything to do with the incredible AlQaeda organisation.
Roger That Leslie..
And she deserves a Briefing from them on the Damage estimate of her OUTTING..
Too damn many Walls and claims of Executive priviledge and Need to Know..SECRECY can Often Mean COVER UP..
Sometimes People have a RIGHT TO KNOW..
[...] and crank calls. She gives no details, but her former colleague, Larry Johnson, writes on his blog, NoQuarterUSA “in 2004 the FBI received intelligence that Al Qaeda hit teams were enroute to the United [...]
Troll talks about yachts, must be a Randy Cunningham(R-Jailhouse)staffer, a Rep.Jerry Lewis lobbyist, or someone who wanted Goss’ gambling buddies elevated…