"S" is for Secret, Stupid!
.
UPDATE: July 22nd- Bloomberg News posted a story today that "two top White House aides have given accounts to a special prosecutor (about how reporters first told them the identity of a CIA agent) that are at odds with what the reporters have said, according to people familiar with the case. Oh, I'd hate to see Karl in stripes-not flattering to the midsection.
The Washington Post is reporting today that the classified State Department memorandum in the CIA leak investigation "contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret." This is a "clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials." The CIA classifies as "secret" the names of officers whose identities are covert, according to former senior agency officials.
As for the bungling, vengeful crooks in the White House who are allowed to read such communications: they are asked to sign an oath of confidentiality at the start of their term. They are given a briefing book with what is called 'Standard Form 312'. Enclosed in the briefing book, it states: "Before...confirming the accuracy of what appears in the public source, the signer of"..."SF 312 must confirm through an authorized official that the information has, in fact, been declassified. If it has not...confirmation of its accuracy is also an unauthorized disclosure." So by Rove and Libby (Cheney's aide) confirming a story from Robert Novak or sharing information with Matt Cooper, is an unauthorized disclosure.
Eleven former intelligence officers have written a letter to Congress stressing the damage done by the exposure of Valerie Plame's covert status and in turn her colleagues, associates and cover corporation. All of which were trying to stop the proliferation of WMD's. Many years of work was scrapped hurriedly. That's nothing compared to the enormous profits made by Halliburton and the other 25,000 contractors in Iraq-where there were no WMD's. Now that is worth protecting, worth revenge and the endangerment of operatives lives. Get it?
posted by Lisa @ 8:01 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Whew! Tacky picture...:-)
I give up! Usually this stuff is down at the end of an article, but no, its the fouth paragraph. The headline says her identity was marked 'secret' but...
"Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said."
I'm sorry, but the Post is just throwing out crap and hoping something sticks to the wall without too careful a look. Get me the memo!!!
Greg, I don't think you're spreading the net wide enough. In so many areas, there's not enough difference between Democrat(Wish I was as witty on the insults...lets see...Demon-crats? Oh nevermind. It lowers the tone of the debate, don't you think?)and Republican elected officials as to how the law applies to them to make note. Philosophically, there are differences in what policy or position they support, and that might sway which way my vote goes. But in practice, their sense of entitlement and immunity from laws we have to abide by crosses over the aisle.
Post a Comment
<< Home