Who Gets the Prize for the Most Stupid Behavior in the Jane Harman Fracas?

We still don't know a great deal about the Jane Harman affair, in which she allegedly agreed to try to intercede in the Justice Department's investigation of two former AIPAC employees. But I believe we now have incontrovertible proof of the utter stupidity exhibited by some of the main players. Here are my current nominees for the top prize for ill-advised, self-destructive and/or witless behavior. Others are welcome:

1 ) Jane Harman. She is reputed to have spoken to a so-called "Israeli agent" on the telephone. At this juncture, it is not clear precisely when that conversation took place, but it apparently happened sometime in 2005. At the time, she was part of a tiny group of insiders who knew the National Security Agency was wire-tapping phones. She must have known, like many others, that an FBI investigation against AIPAC had been going on since 2002 and was still underway. So why in the world would she promise to try to influence the AIPAC case in a phone conversation with an Israeli that could have been tapped and taped easily by one of several federal agencies? Why didn't the alarm bells go off as soon as the topic came up? What made her conclude that this wouldn't come back to haunt her?

2) The Israeli "agent" who made the phone call. The same questions apply to him. Why in the world would he have a conversation on a telephone that, if disclosed, would indicate the Israeli government was trying to tamper with a federal espionage case?

3) Avigdor Lieberman. We don't know the identity of the Israeli on the other end of the phone. It may well have been Naor Gillon, the former Israeli embassy staffer who has been publicly implicated in the case. If it wasn't Gillon, it seems likely that he knew about the effort to enlist Harman's help. And guess who the new Israeli foreign minister wants to appoint as his right-hand man, according to Ron Kampeas of the JTA? Yep. Naor Gillon.

4) The Department of Justice. Many pundits have observed that the case against former AIPACers Stephen Rosen and Keith Weissman is deeply flawed. It was filed by people who did not seem to understand that what Rosen and Weissman did -- i.e., pass along "classified information" that was placed in their hands -- was standard operating procedure in DC. But none of those pundits, as far as I can tell, have used the "S word" -- stupid -- to describe the FBI and DOJ. So I believe I am breaking new ground here.

5) "Spectre". No, I'm not referring to the agency in the James Bond novels. This is a commentator who responded to a post called "The Real Reason for the Recession," on Business Insider. That post, by Joe Weisenthal, jokingly showed that recessions tended to coincide with sunspots. Here is "Spectre's" apparently serious response:

The real reason for the Depression is the amount of thieving going on for many decades by the powers that be from both Partys. They are bought and paid for as I have many times.

Bombshell: Rep. Jane Harman Caught on Tape Agreeing to Lobby for Alleged AIPAC/Israel Spies?

Harman was allegedly heard saying she'd "waddle into" the AIPAC case in return for support for her bid to become chair of the Intelligence Committee .

This last nomination is submitted without the benefit of much research. I found it after searching the blogosphere for about one minute. There are probably many other comments by conspiracy theorists and cabal watchers that are even more inane, and some that are insane. So I will keep this one as a placeholder.

This was originally posted, in slightly different form, on Realistic Dove.

Comments

[who38]

Why did you overlook Haim Saban when making your list? He is the person with the checkbook. Follow the money, remember?

[sher2x4]

I wish I could say something wise and hopeful.

[zius]

stupid ....is not the word ...the headline should be Who Gets the Prize for the Most dangerous Behavior in the Jane Harman treason case?

1-jane harman....because she tried (promised) to obstructed the department of justice efforts to bring down a network of Israeli spies in exchange for a political favor and betraying here constituency's trust by conspiring with another foreign country... (she was recorded saying she would "waddle into" the AIPAC case...In exchange for Harman’s help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections)

2-AIPAC for pressing (cough) asking a US representative to interfere with an anti-espionage case... they're spying on us .....AIPAC's loyalty is clearly not to the us..... but to Israel...

3-people who are trying to be apologetic for such actions that jeopardize the security of this country

i have always been a skeptic about AIPAC and its influence in our politics ....

lobbies that are involved with us foreign affairs should be looked at with a lot of skepticism and not given a free pass ....i am actually quite stunned by how this case got swept away so fast ....and now suddenly the cases is going to be dropped ....i am just stunned

yeah i don't think this will be posted ...still... i did my part...

[max08]

Why dont you guys drop it. There is a lobby. Some want to call it a cabal, fine, let them. But stop with this finger-in-the-cheek cutsiness about this case and every other one involving aipac. Someone is serving 12.5 years for being a part of this débâcle, and was fined. Harman went to bat for warrantless wiretapping in contravention of everything we stand for as a nation in some quid pro quo the FISA court authorized to find out about. You want to relegate this to the land of stupid? I dont. This isn't a local township issue. This involves the ranking member of the intel committee in two separate phone calls (today's news from CQ) memorialized in transcripts speaking to a "suspected Israeli double-agent:," not the cavalier and disingenuous brush-off you give it: "reputed to have spoken to a so-called "Israeli agent."' Shame on you for not putting US interests first in your discussion of it. We've got 19-year-old kids in this country in jail for 10 years for lighting a joint for the third time (CA) and you're whitewashing a congresswoman from the same state for what has been reported to be a "completed crime?"

[Taxi]

max08,

What can I say... you took the words right out of my mouth. Only you probably said them better.

This article is typical of the constant attempts at the dumbing down of the American people by certain sections of our media both left and right.

I would have thought Mr. Fleshler to be smart enough to at least wait for more facts to emerge before telling us how it really is out there in cloak-and-dagger Aipac lobyland.

I would have also thought he was smart enough to know the cravenness of most politicians.

Indeed insightful enough into the human condition to know without a doubt that greed and power are great motivators of most politicians.

[who38]

Thank you.

[paixa3]

Thank you. I have no idea how many stupid people could be implicated in this. However, it is rather daft of Harman to hardly complain. She help authorize these rogues to anything their heart's desired, she deserves to be part of the party.

It is time to end the nonsense. Reverse all of the acts that take away our freedom's and give them to government.