03 October 2003
Son Of The Final Days
The Bush administration has committed high treason. And it's only getting worse for them every day.
Tonight I saw a first: five talking heads on Nightline and all were in complete agreement with one another. They were former CIA operatives--one of whom hid their identity--discussing the Bush administration's "unprecedented"(this word was used several times) outing of Joseph Wilson's wife, a CIA operative, as we all know by now via Robert Novak.
I have to pause for a moment. When this administration took power I predicted to friends that if it was ever brought down, it would not be from without but from within. But who the hell would ever have guessed this would be through Robert bloody Novak?
The guests on the show spoke with one outraged voice and said that the entire intelligence community is furious about this, and that if the administration attempts to cover this up or smear Wilson and his wife(the latter of which they are already trying to do; a Republican member of congress who was not named called it "slime and defend" and it's a classic technique of the G.W. Bush people), the former Company men will come out of the woodwork and speak against it. The fury was palpable. They compared it to a police station outing an undercover narcotics officer.
Does this sound like the Bush administration made a wise decision? Would you ever fuck with the CIA? No, you would not. So why did the Bush administration think this would pass without consequence? Can you imagine any president after Kennedy, in the time of Richard Helms--or even George H.W. Bush--daring to anger the Company?
Let's review what appears to be known so far.
We already know someone in the building Dick Cheney's office resides in, the Old Executive Office Building, is one of those who did this, and suspicion is starting to fall on a relatively unknown man, "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff. But in any event it was likely someone in the VP's office.
We know that this was leaked at least 11 weeks ago, because that's when Novak's column was published. So we know that Bush at least should have known then, but we can also assume he never read it because he rarely reads. But, probably assuming news cycle amnesia would take care of it, they took no action whatsoever and are only doing so because they're being pushed. (In fact, a statement to that effect was actually made by the administration this week)
We know five other journalists, who did not publish the information, were contacted. So there was a concerted effort to get Mrs. Wilson's name out there.
And we know the only possible motive here would be to intimidate Wilson, who was the most notable critic of the Niger uranium story--and had been sent to Africa by Cheney's office to investigate it, but came back with information that did not suit the president's agenda.
Isn't this more the way the mob operates?
And we know that someone else, overseas, is dead right now following having been outed as revenge by the Blair administration. Dr. David Kelly.
Could the Bush administration have been trying the same thing? And why would they do something so obviously stupid as disrupt international intelligence operations--because few will work with the CIA knowing they will have no protection--for such little possible political gain? Have they finally proven what I and others have said all along, that they care not in the slightest about national security but merely about their petty agenda?
Given that the GOP has historically been perceived as more competent on military and national security issues than the Democrats, they have usually had the military and the intelligence community on their side. Now, between their obvious contempt for the military and the CIA, they have thrown their greatest historical asset away, for absolutely nothing.
I have no respect for the GOP, but I would have previously assumed they were at least practical. But it seems they are not. They only know one way of operating: bullying. And when that ceases to work, and it is, what exactly can they do to save themselves short of assassinating someone?
Which they can't do anyway because just think what people would think. They could also allow another terrorist attack to happen to distract people. But it looks doubtful the CIA would help them cover that up, and again, it would not look like a coincidence now. It would have to be nuclear to overwhelm this issue.
Which may be why they're leaving North Korea to continue their nuke program apace. I assume a big nuclear strike in California would not only accomplish their aim but give Arnold a chance to look like a hero, like Giuliani; watch out if Arnold makes it in.
But that wouldn't work either, because we all know they've been neglecting the North Korea problem. The blame would fall squarely on Bush and the blood would visibly be on his hands. And he couldn't blame such a thing on Osama Bin Laden either, because everyone knows he hasn't really been pursuing the murdering pig.
If Bush attempts to fall back on "Shucks, I ain't that smart" that wouldn't help either. His spiked approval ratings(now in the mid-40s and dropping, however) had entirely to do with a perception he was strong and concerned and competent on national security. But a deliberate leak of a CIA operative's identity only compromises that, at best. If he tries to rely on low expectations again, it can only hurt him now. He scared people and it will come back to bite him on the ass.
They're in an amazingly narrow corner. The one and only thing Bush can do is come clean quickly, and that will not be what he does. When have they ever? This is the most secretive administration in our history. Their first, middle and last impulse is always to conceal, never reveal. And they don't seem to have much in the way of flexibility.
Remember, it's always the lie and cover-up that gets you, never the scandal in and of itself. And they're more prone to do that than even Nixon, or so John Dean--who should know--has said. For one thing, Nixon never tried to threaten anyone's life--which outing Wilson's wife amounts to, else why would you out her? The intended, thuggish message to Wilson was, "Shut up or your wife gets it." To out a CIA operative is to put her life and that of other agents who may have worked with her at threat. But then, this is the same administration who dared enemies to attack US troops in Iraq, which they subsequently did and still do. This is an administration that cares nothing about the lives of those who they extol as "heroes" when it suits them.
This is, to use Bush's own phrasing, an evil act. The very fact that it happened--and that it happened is beyond contention, because if it had not we wouldn't be hearing about it in the first place--makes this the single pettiest, nastiest, and most corrupt administration in American history.
I wonder still what Bush's dad, an old Company man, or for that matter Republican voters think of a president who values his party's political agenda over the lives of Americans, both in the CIA and out. How can a conservative defend this act? I can't wait to see them try. Novak's contortions over this already are amusing, as they raise far more questions than they answer.
I'm not a huge fan of the CIA, but its agents are like the military: people ready to sacrifice their lives for this country if necessary. I must respect that. But Bush, it seems, cannot. The world has turned upside down.
How much more is necessary to bring this illegitimate--and they've never once acted like a legitimate--administration screaming down in flames and back to hell where they came from? What they have committed here is an act of treason. Just how can a Republican defend that?
This is the time the Republican party can disprove the idea they care more about themselves than the good of the United States. Bets on whether they'll just lapse back into their old, vile playbook.
Hubris: it has destroyed many a leader. Bush's worst anxiety is this--The system works.
What a disgusting gang is in power. What fun to see that there is justice in the world. I can only scratch my head at their utter venality and stupidity. Truly astounding.
I have lived now through five Republican presidents, my first introduction to politics being Nixon. And I can tell you this: none has ever, ever done anything as simultaneously repulsive and stupid as this. Explain to me how anything Bush's administration has done, up to and including especially this, has restored anything resembling "honor and integrity" to the White House. Unless the GOP think that just not getting a blow job in the Oval Office is enough to qualify. Many can say about Nixon "they all do it." Maybe. But Bush's administration has now done something no administration ever has done, or, hopefully, will do again.
What complete fools. The shame will take a generation to fade. Meanwhile they have given the military and the CIA every reason to go Democratic. Recall that the overseas military ballots were a huge factor in the votes Bush got.
They have sliced their nose clean off to spite their face.
The Bush administration has committed high treason. And it's only getting worse for them every day.
Tonight I saw a first: five talking heads on Nightline and all were in complete agreement with one another. They were former CIA operatives--one of whom hid their identity--discussing the Bush administration's "unprecedented"(this word was used several times) outing of Joseph Wilson's wife, a CIA operative, as we all know by now via Robert Novak.
I have to pause for a moment. When this administration took power I predicted to friends that if it was ever brought down, it would not be from without but from within. But who the hell would ever have guessed this would be through Robert bloody Novak?
The guests on the show spoke with one outraged voice and said that the entire intelligence community is furious about this, and that if the administration attempts to cover this up or smear Wilson and his wife(the latter of which they are already trying to do; a Republican member of congress who was not named called it "slime and defend" and it's a classic technique of the G.W. Bush people), the former Company men will come out of the woodwork and speak against it. The fury was palpable. They compared it to a police station outing an undercover narcotics officer.
Does this sound like the Bush administration made a wise decision? Would you ever fuck with the CIA? No, you would not. So why did the Bush administration think this would pass without consequence? Can you imagine any president after Kennedy, in the time of Richard Helms--or even George H.W. Bush--daring to anger the Company?
Let's review what appears to be known so far.
We already know someone in the building Dick Cheney's office resides in, the Old Executive Office Building, is one of those who did this, and suspicion is starting to fall on a relatively unknown man, "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff. But in any event it was likely someone in the VP's office.
We know that this was leaked at least 11 weeks ago, because that's when Novak's column was published. So we know that Bush at least should have known then, but we can also assume he never read it because he rarely reads. But, probably assuming news cycle amnesia would take care of it, they took no action whatsoever and are only doing so because they're being pushed. (In fact, a statement to that effect was actually made by the administration this week)
We know five other journalists, who did not publish the information, were contacted. So there was a concerted effort to get Mrs. Wilson's name out there.
And we know the only possible motive here would be to intimidate Wilson, who was the most notable critic of the Niger uranium story--and had been sent to Africa by Cheney's office to investigate it, but came back with information that did not suit the president's agenda.
Isn't this more the way the mob operates?
And we know that someone else, overseas, is dead right now following having been outed as revenge by the Blair administration. Dr. David Kelly.
Could the Bush administration have been trying the same thing? And why would they do something so obviously stupid as disrupt international intelligence operations--because few will work with the CIA knowing they will have no protection--for such little possible political gain? Have they finally proven what I and others have said all along, that they care not in the slightest about national security but merely about their petty agenda?
Given that the GOP has historically been perceived as more competent on military and national security issues than the Democrats, they have usually had the military and the intelligence community on their side. Now, between their obvious contempt for the military and the CIA, they have thrown their greatest historical asset away, for absolutely nothing.
I have no respect for the GOP, but I would have previously assumed they were at least practical. But it seems they are not. They only know one way of operating: bullying. And when that ceases to work, and it is, what exactly can they do to save themselves short of assassinating someone?
Which they can't do anyway because just think what people would think. They could also allow another terrorist attack to happen to distract people. But it looks doubtful the CIA would help them cover that up, and again, it would not look like a coincidence now. It would have to be nuclear to overwhelm this issue.
Which may be why they're leaving North Korea to continue their nuke program apace. I assume a big nuclear strike in California would not only accomplish their aim but give Arnold a chance to look like a hero, like Giuliani; watch out if Arnold makes it in.
But that wouldn't work either, because we all know they've been neglecting the North Korea problem. The blame would fall squarely on Bush and the blood would visibly be on his hands. And he couldn't blame such a thing on Osama Bin Laden either, because everyone knows he hasn't really been pursuing the murdering pig.
If Bush attempts to fall back on "Shucks, I ain't that smart" that wouldn't help either. His spiked approval ratings(now in the mid-40s and dropping, however) had entirely to do with a perception he was strong and concerned and competent on national security. But a deliberate leak of a CIA operative's identity only compromises that, at best. If he tries to rely on low expectations again, it can only hurt him now. He scared people and it will come back to bite him on the ass.
They're in an amazingly narrow corner. The one and only thing Bush can do is come clean quickly, and that will not be what he does. When have they ever? This is the most secretive administration in our history. Their first, middle and last impulse is always to conceal, never reveal. And they don't seem to have much in the way of flexibility.
Remember, it's always the lie and cover-up that gets you, never the scandal in and of itself. And they're more prone to do that than even Nixon, or so John Dean--who should know--has said. For one thing, Nixon never tried to threaten anyone's life--which outing Wilson's wife amounts to, else why would you out her? The intended, thuggish message to Wilson was, "Shut up or your wife gets it." To out a CIA operative is to put her life and that of other agents who may have worked with her at threat. But then, this is the same administration who dared enemies to attack US troops in Iraq, which they subsequently did and still do. This is an administration that cares nothing about the lives of those who they extol as "heroes" when it suits them.
This is, to use Bush's own phrasing, an evil act. The very fact that it happened--and that it happened is beyond contention, because if it had not we wouldn't be hearing about it in the first place--makes this the single pettiest, nastiest, and most corrupt administration in American history.
I wonder still what Bush's dad, an old Company man, or for that matter Republican voters think of a president who values his party's political agenda over the lives of Americans, both in the CIA and out. How can a conservative defend this act? I can't wait to see them try. Novak's contortions over this already are amusing, as they raise far more questions than they answer.
I'm not a huge fan of the CIA, but its agents are like the military: people ready to sacrifice their lives for this country if necessary. I must respect that. But Bush, it seems, cannot. The world has turned upside down.
How much more is necessary to bring this illegitimate--and they've never once acted like a legitimate--administration screaming down in flames and back to hell where they came from? What they have committed here is an act of treason. Just how can a Republican defend that?
This is the time the Republican party can disprove the idea they care more about themselves than the good of the United States. Bets on whether they'll just lapse back into their old, vile playbook.
Hubris: it has destroyed many a leader. Bush's worst anxiety is this--The system works.
What a disgusting gang is in power. What fun to see that there is justice in the world. I can only scratch my head at their utter venality and stupidity. Truly astounding.
I have lived now through five Republican presidents, my first introduction to politics being Nixon. And I can tell you this: none has ever, ever done anything as simultaneously repulsive and stupid as this. Explain to me how anything Bush's administration has done, up to and including especially this, has restored anything resembling "honor and integrity" to the White House. Unless the GOP think that just not getting a blow job in the Oval Office is enough to qualify. Many can say about Nixon "they all do it." Maybe. But Bush's administration has now done something no administration ever has done, or, hopefully, will do again.
What complete fools. The shame will take a generation to fade. Meanwhile they have given the military and the CIA every reason to go Democratic. Recall that the overseas military ballots were a huge factor in the votes Bush got.
They have sliced their nose clean off to spite their face.
Labels: politics
¶ October 03, 2003
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