Valerie Plame is dead right in defending a Navy Seal's right to give a true account of the raid which took out Osama Bin Laden (Huffington Post Sept. 14).
No exposure of intelligence sources or methods is involved. The whole world has seen the graphic television coverage of the event.
Can classified information be involved? It is hard to see how.
The real issue at stake is the right of enlisted personnel and junior officers to tell the truth about their combat experiences. That truth needs to be known by a free people.
From sad experience we know it is commonplace for high-ranking military officers to cover up the truth, particularly if they fear criticism from political leaders.
The cases are legion -- from the scandal of MyLai to the cover up that Ranger and football hero Pat Tillman was actually killed by fellow soldiers in Afghanistan.
The devastating aerial bombardment of Laos and Cambodia remained unknown until revealed by the affidavits of young lieutenants who still remembered the concept of Duty- Honor- Country taught at our service academies.
We have gone to war at least twice in the past half-century based on deceit by our leaders. Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense had good reason to believe that the Turner Joy and Maddox had not been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964. Yet they told the Congress and the American people otherwise.
George Bush and Colin Powell knew the facts they alleged were untrue when they wanted public opinion to support going to war in Iraq.
Faith in the truthfulness of our leaders remains an essential element in the country's strength. The abuse of that faith by high-ranking officers and politicians strains the fabric of our political system.
Often it is only the lower ranks of our military who tell the truth. Officers of Field Grade and above, presidents and defense secretaries cannot be expected to be candid about combat casualties, operations and embarrassing failures.
The need to support the troops should never obscure the need to distrust generals and presidents until the voices of the lower ranks can be heard.
Ms. Plame was a loyal and patriotic public servant who had a promising career cut short by Vice President Dick Cheney's exposure of her covert CIA status. Cheney sought to discredit her husband Ambassador Joe Wilson's report to the nation that the president had been untruthful.
Wilson, serving as Acting Ambassador to Iraq under president George H.W. Bush, had been the hero of Baghdad when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. It was a sad and disgraceful day when our Supreme Court ruled that Vice President Cheney was above the law that made disclosure of covert CIA agents illegal.
Blessed be Ambassador Wilson, Valerie Plame and the Navy Seal who chose to tell the truth. They should have the respect and gratitude of the nation.
Pete McCloskey
Mr. McCloskey earned a Navy Cross, the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts as a Marine Lieutenant in the Korean War. As a Republican Member of Congress, he made the first floor speech suggesting that President Nixon be impeached for obstruction of justice. He is now a farmer in Northern California.
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McCloskey's Navy credentials are admirable but he is still wrong. Perhaps it is due to his age, but regardless of that, he is flat wrong when he says that it is acceptable that men of honor can disavow an agreement that they have given to their officers. Our word, our signature is our Bond. Disavowing an agreement is a dishonorable act, and men of character and integrity would not do it. This Navy Seal was dishonorable and without integrity, making him unfit for military service or support for his book.
Even now as the Republicans are seeking to lie us into yet another ruinous war with Iran that will start a regional conflagration leaving many, many thousands of civilians and our brave troops dead and wounded and double the price of petroleum (is this for their multinational Oil corporation handlers or just to urge the point that Obama is weak for not joining in the run to war?)
So let the real heroes speak. They put themselves in harms way for our nation. They deserve to tell the story in their own words.
when you don't post them all?
The White House is lying for political gain, we have all the generals and admirals either serving the media and/or serving on the boards of the Military Industrial Complex for millions of dollars, we have the Military Industrial Complex with their BILLION$ in profits and theft from the American taxpayers for $10,000 toilet seats and $250,000 jeeps and then no less the contractors and subcontractors making million$ and billion$ in a self-destructive war that’s going no place.
This guy is not only a hero for what he did for his country but a hero again for having the guts and leadership to tell the story as it should be told to us Americans. After all, aren’t these very qualities and virtues and principles we originally set about to save?
-USN/USMC First Marine Division, Vietnam, 1967-68
HONOR,.INTEGRITY, COURAGE LOYALTY - all four are expected. not only one
What is courage without Honor?
What is courage without Integrity?
What is courage without loyalty?
Military organizations and success in battle depend upon discipline and a high sense of honor.” ––GEN Omar Bradle
This Seal has neither. Temptation overcame him - but not his fellow Seals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY
The proposed 2013 defense budget to include off budget items, wars, intelligence, Homeland Security, and etc. is nearer $1.2 trillion. THAT’S 45% OF TOTAL US REVENUE OF $2.7 TRILLION! This is morally criminal and treason since it’s destroying the country economically. Investment in technology and the economy trumps everything. Five years after WWII the whole war could have been won with one US aircraft carrier.
This American War Machine is a crime against humanity and especially the American taxpayer as the Soviet Union war machine was to the Soviet Union:
tomdispatch.com/archive/175361/
We (US) are now a “‘garrison state” destroying the very qualities and virtues and principles we originally set about to save.
I was a patriot when I went to Vietnam and a patriot when I returned and protested and demonstrated against the war, Military Industrial Complex, the Pentagon and Johnson.
-USN/USMC First Marine Division, I-Corps, Vietnam, 1967-68
PS: Our little war habit has already ruined our democracy, now it's killing the economy.
Obama 2008/2012
In this case, I appreciate his point, but I recoil from the precedent of elite service people turning their special services into profit opportunities in quick order. Truth was not the motivation in this case, I believe.
Oddly Obama making millions in book sales is right on and truthful, but anything written against him is lies, falsehood, and possible criminal charges regardless of past awards of heroism, bravery, and exceptional good character via their peers
Why is it progressives refuse to acknowledge it was Obama and or his staff that personally condoned criminal charges, and massive investigations for four seals for allegedly slapping a terrorist subject in custody. Oddly after eighteen months all charges were found exonerated via a jury or dismissed via prosecutory abandonment for lacking credibility and legal foundations.
The Military vote this year is thus far the lowest on record, but oddly proves nothing toward voter suppression as per Obama. The Dr. that allowed us to kill Osama is jailed for thirty years were simply regrettable and nothing more.
NO sadly naval seals have far less rights than single moms, union teachers, and common citizens.
Freedom of speech is now restricted via minority interpretations and tolerances. Why anyone would serve this country today has me truly befuddled and amazed. Perhaps its time for our Military to UNIONIZE as well.
All those with superior educations like MD's and our military personnel have no rights above their entitlements and desires, simply because their needs supersedes all other rights to freedom of choice, etc.
In American today our military has the least voter participation in recorded history. Sadly our president, and our majority in congress cares less because they're not considered certified minorities.
I've Norwegian citizenship thus I understand the Scandinavian system of government. American minorities love our social entitlement, yet despise our mandatory contributions and employment/educational appointments based solely on prior performance and national needs.
They sadly belief everything required to sustain life must be free, with NO PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS ATTACHED for minorities. Sadly our middle class struggles to survive, while our ghettos thrive.