Plame Was Covert

[Lemur]

I wonder if fatboy Rush will issue an apology? Probably not, eh? Anyway, I'm putting this out there (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924679/) for the Backroomers who declared that the Plame thing was a witch hunt. Whatever else you think of it, Plame is now confirmed to have been undercover when she was outed.


The unclassified summary of Plame's employment with the CIA at the time that syndicated columnist Robert Novak published her name on July 14, 2003 says, "Ms. Wilson was a covert CIA employee for who the CIA was taking affirmative measures to conceal her intelligence relationship to the United States."

Plame worked as an operations officer in the Directorate of Operations and was assigned to the Counterproliferation Division (CPD) in January 2002 at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

The employment history indicates that while she was assigned to CPD, Plame, "engaged in temporary duty travel overseas on official business." The report says, "she traveled at least seven times to more than ten times." When overseas Plame traveled undercover, "sometimes in true name and sometimes in alias -- but always using cover -- whether official or non-official (NOC) -- with no ostensible relationship to the CIA."

[Gawain of Orkeny]

And in what capacity was she working? Thus is just so much drivle. Everyone with a brain knew she worked for the CIA long before Novak said anything. Weve been over all this. Besides the CIA is trying to cover its butt over 911. Its also proven that her husband is a liar.


A retired Army general says the man at the center of the CIA leak controversy, Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, revealed his wife Valerie Plame's employment with the agency in a casual conversation more than a year before she allegedly was "outed" by the White House through a columnist.

Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WorldNetDaily that Wilson mentioned Plame's status as a CIA employee over the course of at least three, possibly five, conversations in 2002 in the Fox News Channel's "green room" in Washington, D.C., as they waited to appear on air as analysts.

Oh no in the FOX greenroom. It must have affected the Generals thinking.

On top of that Fitzgerald knew the truth with days after the investigation started but kept this up for it seems political reasons.

Now this is a better article to support your ideas I think

LINK (http://www.rawstory.com/news/2005/Outed_CIA_officer_was_working_on_0213.html)

[Seamus Fermanagh]

If Lemur is correct -- and he usually is -- then Richard Armitage broke the law. Libby lied about it in a discernible fashion during the investigation and so he caught the chop.

Was Plame's covert status less than completely "hush-hush?" Absolutely. It is actually rather unlikely that, in 2001 or 2002, any meaningful "covert" status was retained by Ms. Plame. But apparently she was still "covert" according to the relevant laws/regulations.

Was the effort to "get Rove and Cheney" politically motivated? Absolutely. Since 1968, however, politics by witch hunt has become the norm -- and its not as though Bush, Cheney, Rove and crew are credible as political naifs. The administration were foolish to let something like this provide easy ammunition for their opponents.

[KafirChobee]

Understand one thing. Once a person becomes involved in covert activities for the CIA, they become a covert operative. After that, they are always a covert asset - they are a re-usable resource. To devulge their name (s) is treason, because it isn't just outing them - but everyone associated with them in their operations.

An entire network had to be reformed because of Plame's name being devulged. A loss of manhours and potential new information vital to our nations security was lost (or atleast delayed by time unknown). Who knows (outside the CIA classified files) what became of the foreign agents she had acquired that were associated with the cover businesses being employed to protect their information gathering. They (Skippy) gave our enemies information they didn't need to know.

It's that simple. It takes years to establish these "links".

THINK! It's why the CIA memorial wall is simply a buncha gold stars without names. Even in death the secret of their identities is necessary for national security.

Shame the Bushys didn't realize this before outing her, to make her hubby look bad? What? What were they thinking?

Oh, sorry - we all know these guys (Bushys) can't think. They just respond like the spoiled children they are.

National security by any other name, is still national security. Pity the morons that outted Plame didn't realise it. Of course they sure do like using the term (NS) to limit peoples freedom, trample the Constitution, invade peoples privacy, argue the virtues of torture, and justify "rendition". Shame, really. If only they understood what it really means.
:balloon2:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

To devulge their name (s) is treason, because it isn't just outing them - but everyone associated with them in their operations.

So then arrest her husband. He did it first.

[Odin]

Understand one thing. Once a person becomes involved in covert activities for the CIA, they become a covert operative. After that, they are always a covert asset - they are a re-usable resource. To devulge their name (s) is treason, because it isn't just outing them - but everyone associated with them in their operations.



KC is 100% right on this, I would find it hard to counter point it on any level really. Personally i think the admin got off light, libby got a slap on the wrist, and will most likely be pardoned later on.

this whole affair was shameful :shame:

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I'm not quite as vehement as KC on this, treason for me requires a level of intent that simply wasn't there, but its rather obvious that the Administration screwed the pooch on this one.

Gawain, I agree she was "outed" before this incident -- at least from what I've read -- but that simply does not excuse the folks who are actually in charge of national security from violating these regulations. On issues such as these, the administration should do what's right EVEN where the other parties are not.

Heck, if they wanted to punish him politically, the administration should have had him arrested for his violation of this regulation. Or maybe go after her with the Hatch act. Or both. The administration itself choosing a course that had the potential to compromise intelligence assets is not acceptable.

Playing political football with this was wrong.

[Xiahou]

To devulge their name (s) is treason, because it isn't just outing them - but everyone associated with them in their operations.
Not in this country it isn't. It isn't even a crime unless it can be shown that it was done willfully.



KC is 100% right on this, I would find it hard to counter point it on any level really.Countered. :wink:

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Gawain, I agree she was "outed" before this incident -- at least from what I've read -- but that simply does not excuse the folks who are actually in charge of national security from violating these regulations. On issues such as these, the administration should do what's right EVEN where the other parties are not.

You wont get any argument out of me on this point. The administration messed up thats pretty clear. It was so stupid and useless however. So why hasnt her husband been charged?

[Odin]

Not in this country it isn't. It isn't even a crime unless it can be shown that it was done willfully.

Countered. :wink:

bah, here you go screwing up my effort to effectively squash any debate that runs counter to my thinking.

But i counter: The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (Pub.L. 97-200, 50 U.S.C. § 421-426) is a United States federal law that makes it a federal crime to intentionally reveal the identity of an agent who one knows to be in or recently in certain covert roles with a U.S. intelligence agency.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_Identities_Protection_Act

Now the term tucked in there "certain" makes it ambiquous enough that you have an argument, but i submit its a thin one.