Redstate

There's another thread started on this over on the sidebar, but I am seriously steamed by this development, so I'll cross post some thoughts on the topic here also.

So I caught a bit of news talk on MSNBC about this on the drive home.Bob Strumm going on about how this was sending a message to employees at the CIA on how leaking was bad and the real evil here was not the leak but the detention centers.

Where is the White House, Republican Leadership and others pointing out the simple fact that this CIA employee broke the law and broke an oath to protect classified information. This is not about freedom of the press, this is about a person that  broke the law, plain and simple. The Federal Prison has a room reserved for this person and that room needs to be filled soon. It's not about the politics, it's about a system of trust, and someone who has broken the trust placed in them.

When you are granted access to US government secrets, you make and Oath to protect these secrets, you give a promise to protect information which those above you have deemed to be interst of National security and must be protected. You don't get to choose which secrets you agree with or don't, political aspects of those secrets you agree with or disagree with, it's about trust.

I hope to see a Republican Senator, the CIA director and other administration officials hammering the heck out of this issue of those who are privileged to be trusted to protect the secrets of this country breaking the trust this nation has shown them.

Nothing has been said about her getting arrested.  I'm not holding my breath.

I hope to see a Republican Senator, the CIA director and other administration officials hammering the heck out of this issue of those who are privileged to be trusted to protect the secrets of this country breaking the trust this nation has shown them.

The Republican leadership is too busy playing kissy-face with the Democrats. I think they are afraid the Dems won't like them anymore if they raise a stink.

Leaking information damaging to the Bush Administration is not a crime; it's whistle blowing.  It's heroic, valiant, and patriotic.  This firing will have a "chilling effect" on other courageous sources in the Agency.

That is hilarious. I had heard they weren't releasing the officer's name in previous accounts then this shows up in the MSNBC account: "Intelligence sources tell NBC News the accused officer, Mary McCarthy."

What use is it if the individual is no longer an assett?

$10 says she was a democrat...

someone has the nerve, or the lack of common sense, to leak the name of someone dismissed for leaking.

Does this give anyone a clue as to what is the real problem out at Langley? Does cluelesssness mean anything to anyone?

Poetic justice and all that.

to be done.

Like crafting an amnesty program for 12 million undocumented employees.  And making sure that the border patrol gets an additional three officers on the South and one on the North so we won't need a fence.

The 3 have to go on the North and the 1 on the South.

Frist wants to get right on that old immigration "thing", no fooling around, ya shure ya getcha' Sven.

"We need to get this fixed, otherwise Teddy, Harry, and McCain will be unhappy with me. And don't give me any of that 'wall' cr*p, we do not care what the American people want, the Democrats and the illegals want an amnesty and an amnesty they will get 'cause I really enjoy those Friday after-work drinking sessions with Harry and Nancy and the gang."

Give them all a disposable camera so it can be called a high tech virtual fence.

'leaking' or 'whistle blowing'.

Unauthorized disclosure of classified material is a very serious crime and needs to be prosecuted as such. An extensive investigation of all personnel involved - including McCarthy, Priest, and any other WaPo employees who were involved.

Just because a CIA officer disagrees with a policy or procedure - does not allow that officer to disregard the law.  Likewise the WaPo has a duty not to publish information that it knows is classified.

If she was not arrested, she should have been.

That's what you do to traitors, like Aldredge Ames, Johnny Walker and this piece of human excrement.

Ames & Walker didn't expose the Bush Administration's war on human rights.

On the other hand, old cynic that I am, I'm not holding my breath.

The incompetence of this administration in these situations never ceases to boggle my mind.  Why wasn't someone from DoJ sitting in the personnel office at CIA to serve a warrant for her arrest?  So she walks and the Democrats and the Media (sorry for the redundancy) get to paint the evil BusHitler vs. the Courageous and Patriotic Whistleblower for the next week or month.

Another great job of coordination and PR.

has the rule on profanity been lifted?

Not that I'm against it, just curious, that's all.

Maybe she'll get a $5000 fine (that she'll never have to pay) like some of the treasonous Iraqi human shields did. Even in the unlikely event she did have to go to jail for a few months, it would probably be worth it for the awesome book deal that would result.

She gave $2000 to Kerry.

The just need a lot of garbage bags so they can pick up after the illegals and protect the enviroment.

To think such a brave whistleblower might have a partisan connection.

Suspicions, i.e., the failing of a polygraph exam, would well justify a firing but not justify a prosecution.

Presumption of innocence, you know.

Is that the presumption of innocence does not apply to a criminal investigation, but only to a criminal prosecution. It's a legal standard against which conviction must be judged.

Point taken. I do assume she's guilty of betraying America and want to see her keel-hauled.

But what do I base that assumption on?

• The awful damage that the Washington Post's coverage has done to national security, e.g. revelations about "secret prisons" in eastern Europe.
  
• The requirement that CIA agents sign non-disclosure agreements.
  
• Her firing by the CIA.

Beware the rush to judgment, is all.

But which is reported via anonymous sources, whose reliability we cannot ascertain.

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=mccart
hy%2C+mary&txtState=MD&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2
004=Y&Order=N

So no doubt we'll soon hear that the Bush administration is going after anyone who exercised their right to donate to political campaigns of their choice.

The other line I'm sure we'll soon hear is "If only Bush were going as hard after the Plame leaker as he was after this poor woman..."

I hope you like Harpoons.

unless the Bush Administration and CIA is totally inept.

Reason:  Ms. McCarthy will have to submit her book to a full prepublication review.  Given the DC bureacracy--especially a hostile one--that could take quite a while.

So no, Ms. McCarthy, don't hang your hat on an Oprah Book Of The Month Club selection anytime soon.

Plus, IIRC, convicted felons often have to forfeit proceeds from business ventures (e.g., book deals) related to the crimes they committed.

From a NY Times article "The dismissal of Ms. McCarthy provided fresh evidence of the Bush administration's determined efforts to stanch leaks of classified information. The Justice Department has separately opened preliminary investigations into the disclosure of information to The Post, for its articles about secret prisons.."

So where is the Administration getting out the other point of view. Loudly and Strongly!

"Government Employees, CIA agents, Serving Military, and those on the Hill who have access to classified material will be held to their Oaths and commitments to protected classified material. If they think the agency is doing something wrong or illegal based on access to classified material, there are legal ways within the system of classification to report their issues and concerns. Failing that avenue, they can contact the Senate or House Permanent Committees on Intelligence. "

These people are putting the American Peoples lives at stake by leaking National Security Secrets...full stop.

Culture of Corruption my ARSE, Culture of destroying our country from within and ignoring the law.

but her husband gave another $2500 , so together that's $10,000.  That Fundrace Neighbor search shows that she lives in a very Blue neighborhood, but that may just be because it's in  Bethesda.

I thought one of those names looked familiar. One of the few red contributors in her neighborhood is one of the powerline blog guys.

and your point is?  </snark&gt

with an arrest warrant.  And a stakeout outside Dana Priest's home.

If they were picking up after the terrific messes illegals leave as they come over the border, they'd probably be doing more good than they currently are under our 'catch and release' policy.

unless it's enforced, and enforcement in cases like this is more a case of celebrity than what the law says. The media will be defending her nonstop on the theory she was a whistleblower, and I doubt the Bush administration has the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing and push for a prosecution. But if they don't, there will be little incentive to prevent other leakers to continue on their merry way. And given the culture at CIA, this is only the start if there's to be any hope of cleaning it up and making it a useful tool again.

the most useful function of the CIA is as the comedic cover for a real intelligence agency.

Sort of a TV series thing, CIA, Intelligence Stumblebums.  "Watch the hilarious antics of America's ace intelligence agency as they fiddle their way through major crises. Watch Maxwell Smart as he solves the riddle of the super-secret Rhode Island nuclear weapons program."

Meanwhile the actual intelligence agency, (AIA for short) operates out of the basement of an abandoned strip mall outside Ottumwa Iowa and produces "actual" intelligence without ever speaking to the New York Times.

Dana, in the forward to her 2003 book entitled, "The Mission" expressed her gratitude to General Wesley Clark for the logistical support and access to the military that he provided her with in doing the research for her book. She also acknowledged the assistance of General Zinni in helping to make the writing of her book possible.  It appears that there may be no end to expressions of Ms. Priest's gratitude to these now retired generals.

I'm S0 t0tally surprized.  ;)

I think our best bet would be to blow up the CIA and start over from scratch. Like all bureaucracies, they're too procedure-laden and worried about self-perpetuation to actually accomplish the mission of gathering intelligence to support the country. Starting from scratch would allow us to throw out the decades of calcified procedures and embedded bureaucrats. It's not a perfect solution, but I think it might be the only way to clean up that disaster that is the CIA.

People are too far embedded to ever give it a "redo."  The reason it doesn't change is that the people involved like it the way it is.

like all bureaucracies the only way to "fix" it is to create another one in parallel and gradually allow this one to stagnate. The old one never "goes away" but it gradually becomes less and less dangerous.

I concur that it will never happen. I just think it's our only real shot at getting a useful intelligence agency, because I don't believe the CIA can be that any longer.

I'm not certain we'd know if they were, because truly, if you want real information, do you tell the public?  I agree with what you said though.  It will be interesting to see what happens with it, if not a bit unsettling.

here.  I think our government has a lot of things that have outlived usefulness and need to be swept out or revamped, but I don't see it happening in my lifetime.  

I hope it is possible to clean out the CIA of all the Clinton/Kerry supporters. They want to influence policy, or even hand whole policy to the Executive branch. That ain't your job, Mary (and the rest of you who will be ferreted out soon.)Get the info on our adversaries (the ones overseas and here in the country, not the adversaries in the White House), interpret it fairly and hand it over to the Prez, not the press.

 

There's a good post on Group Intel Blog  about this development, and he points out how high up McCarthy was and how she didn't take any neccessary or fruitful steps to air her concerns and frustrations.