Plame: ex-CIA agent Jim Marcinkowski explained the real damage

[welshTerrier2]

when Valerie Plame was outed, serious damage was done to the US intelligence apparatus ...

in testimony to a small committee of Democrats (e.g. Dorgen, Waxman and Conyers plus more), several ex-CIA agents did a great job, a non-partisan job, describing the real damage that the Plame outing caused ...

Jim Marcinkowski said that it is incredibly difficult to develop "assets" overseas ... "assets" are foreigners who are willing to work undercover to help the US ... he said the essential ingredient in building a relationship that could potentially put lives at risk was trust ...

Marcinkowski told the committee that when the US government intentionally sabotages its own operations putting all connected at risk, trust is destroyed and it is virtually impossible to rebuild it anytime soon ...

the point of all this, and it goes way beyond politics or merely "getting Rove", is that not only was Plame's WMD operation compromised, but ALL operations have been jeopardized ...

Marcinkowski also discussed the whole issue of the special prosecutor ... he said that while we, in America, believe justice will only be served if all the facts are evaluated through our legal system, this is not the case for those considering putting their lives on the line to help the US ... they are not interested in hearing that the US system of justice could take many more months or even years ... what they need to hear, with their lives on the line, is that those who apparently blew the cover of covert operatives have been purged from the government ... they want these people out now and don't want to be at risk until all the facts are in and every trial has been completed ...

so, the standard, if trust is to be rebuilt, has to be putting the protection of covert operatives first and the process of assessing criminality, a legal determination, second ...

the consequences of the exposure of the covert Plame operation will likely be felt throughout the US intelligence community for generations ... this was far more than a political crime; this was treason against the United States ... both republicans and Democrats should see to it that those who did this damage are punished to the full extent of the law and are removed from their positions of power and authority in the interim ...

[Bullwinkle925]

1. Very eloquently put- let's just hope that 'Middle America' hears and

understands the full impact of what these treasoners really did to our country.

[havocmom]

2. He laid it all out very well. The leak of Plame's identity destroyed more

than just her network and personal peace of mind. It destroyed our intel's ability to do the job it needs to in order to keep us all safe.

Our children and grandchildren will live in a world which is much more dangerous so Rove/Libby/Cheney could play bullies.

The cabal who accuse all who dissent from their propaganda of playing partisan politics are the ones guilty of that very thing. The good men and women working in service to our nation and people deserve better than that. Our progeny do too.

[henslee]

3. That was my gut reaction when I first heard it. And I didnt need

degrees and think tank experience to figure it out. It's simple street ethics. The disgusting, damning part of all this is THEY ALL KNOW BETTER. Funny how we don't see a shred of Papa Bush on the news. Being an ex Agent -- I'd love to hear a reporter squeeze him to weigh in.

[welshTerrier2]

4. "THEY ALL KNOW BETTER" ??

well, they may all know that "anything goes" ethics are wrong for the rest of us but they clearly believe "winning is the only thing that matters" ...

the question for Democrats in opposing a "win at any cost" mentality is whether they will feel compelled to respond in-kind ... too many have argued that we can worry about all that "principled stuff" once we get back in power ... it's crazy to think like that ... bad principles make for bad polices and bad politics ...

even if we win short-term victories with such "sell-out" strategies, we will not have won a long-term mandate to govern ... and that's what it's all about ...