Why do you think the Obama administration leaked the CIA operation?

[mmonk]

Do you think he thinks it will make him popular for the 2012 election with a bloodshed addicted American public? Do you think it was for transparency? What is your opinion?

[Distant Observer]

1. I missed the "LINK." This is not Obama IMHO. This is the SBB BAU.

[mmonk]

4. My bad. Corrected.

What is SBB BAU?

[DemReadingDU]

13. BAU - business as usual?

What is SBB?

[mmonk]

17. No idea.

Thanks for interpreting BAU.

[SugarShack]

15. It keeps the topic ramped up and away from the MONEY while we sacrafice at home???

I don't see this as a military emergency for the U.S.

We have emergencies here at home...so they say.

Where's all of our money????????????

:shrug:

[HereSince1628]

2. We live in OZ, you must expect things to be a horse of a different color.

The NFZ was probably put in place to defend the investment made by the west to topple Kaddafi.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. To have wee-wee punch

to drink with the http://wonkette.com/441768/why-didnt-obama-just-tell-the-rest-of-us-he-thinks-libya-is-a-turd-sandwich">turd sandwich?

[H2O Man]

5. Two possibilities:

{1} To steadily introduce the American public to the real policies in Libya; or

{2} Someone who believes the public has the right to know the "no fly zone" is a mere cover story leaked it.

[mmonk]

6. The thought that someone leaked it for # 2 is intriguing.

[H2O Man]

7. There were

divisions within the administration when President Obama was determining what role the US would play. No US President can completely change the make-up of the bureaucracy that exists in the executive branch. I think that there is a good chance this "leak" was not intended to help the President.

[mmonk]

8. Do you think anything will come of it?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. {1} was my first thought.

[Tatiana]

10. #2! That's it, IMO.

Someone(s) is uncomfortable where this President is going and leaked the info. Probably someone in the PJ Crowley camp....

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. To cover his ass?

I think the story was going to be leaked because a CIA agent helped rescue that downed pilot last week (there were journalists all over that story at the time)....and more than likely, a journalist found the truth about who he was. The journalist was going to publish, hence the leaked story from the government. That's just my theory. :) You KNOW they didn't leak the story just to be forthcoming, right? They never do that. There is a reason they did it and it was probably to beat a news leak.

[mmonk]

14. Extremely plausable.

[pacalo]

12. Link, please? This thread is intriguing but obscure for those who missed the story.

Much thanks!

[mmonk]

16. Here are some reports.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13264595

http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=286577&cID=3

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/world/africa/31intel.html

[pacalo]

18. Thanks again!

[JoePhilly]

19. Its such a big secret that everyone knows about it.

Thus all of the breathless reporting.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. Kinda like bank robbers announcing a bank robber in progress. Hubris?

Or, incredible stupidity.

[Zorra]

21. Maybe because many "centrists", "moderates", independents, and conservatives

prefer authoritarian leadership and view the initiation of direct or covert violent aggressive actions as an indication of strength and power. So maybe WH staffers leaked the info in order to increase the President's popularity among these groups.

John Mueller's book, written in 1973 and entitled "War Presidents and Public Opinion", is a good read on this subject.

Or maybe somebody just pulled an Anonymous/Bradley Manning thing and blew the whistle.

But I like the idea of transparency, and hope that this is the case.

[jbnow]

22. To unnerve Gaddafi and his regime is surely part of it

I haven't heard anyone high up in military or intelligence or very knowledgeable about them from here or from Great Britain be in the least surprised.
Basic reaction was "Well I'd hope so" or assume so or whatever. Besides the ones that have been there for decades via embassy they say you have to send some in if you are even considering any action and named all the reasons why. They assume CIA equivalent fromn other countries have been in there too. That they'd want to scope things out even if action was unlikely to let governments know what rebellion is about, who they are and so on to help determine what stance to take. Like if it was a terrorist thing yuou wouldn't be saying Gaddafi has no standing

It is also likely a response to some of the wails going on here. "There was no planning", "they don't even know who the leaders of rebellion are" and so on