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The Growing Politicization of America's Intelligence Services
Now on the fourth day of my book tour for Fair Game and I am delighted because I have been given abundant opportunity to discuss something I feel passionately about: the politicization of our intelligence services. There has been an increasing trend to allow politics to spill over into the world of intelligence and I believe that it degrades the intelligence mission, its product, and is detrimental to our national security. Americans of all political stripes want to know that whatever intelligence lands on the president's desk is devoid of ideological taint and political pressure. As we now know, Vice President Cheney and his then Chief of Staff Scooter Libby made an unprecedented number of visits to CIA Headquarters in the run-up to the Iraq war to meet with analysts. Apparently, the vice president kept asking the same questions until he began to hear the answers he wanted. Although there might not have been overt pressure to slant intelligence toward the administration's stance on Iraq and its perceived WMD threat, the very fact that the vice president had taken time out of his day, come into Headquarters and asked a certain line of questions invisibly and insidiously has the effect of conveying a high level of dissatisfaction with what the CIA has already produced. CIA analysts are not dumb.
So, if I were Queen for a day, here's just a few of the things I might do to help push politics out of the intelligence realm so operations officers and analysts can do their jobs without political interference:
1. Divorce the CIA Director's job from the presidential election cycle. While it is critical that the CIA Director has the ear of the president (which, for example, James Woolsey famously did not and the 1994 incident where a man crashed his plane into the White House was Washington fodder for a joke that said it was just Woolsey trying to get an appointment with the president), he also has to be independent and serve up the facts as the intelligence professionals find them, without feeling he or she needs to "be on the team". I envision something like the way the Federal Reserve Chairman operates; with authority but not beholden to whatever political party controls the White House.
2. Don't allow any Executive Branch members to make trips to CIA Headquarters to meet with officers about specific intelligence issues, as Vice President Cheney and Mr. Libby did during the run up to the war with Iraq. There are established channels and protocols for senior administration officials to ask questions and clarify points about the intelligence they do receive.
3. Put into a place a regulation which says that any military officer designated for the CIA Director's position must resign his commission. This would help to ensure that loyalties are not divided between the intelligence community and the Pentagon.
I wanted to see what General Brent Scowcroft's report from 2002 said about ways to reform the CIA. This is the same General who served as National Security Advisor under the first President Bush AND was derided by the neocons for his "realist" views on the war on Iraq. But I could not. The report has been classified and has not been released by the White House. I think the report went directly into the circular file.
One more thing on a slightly different topic: I understand that there may be a filibuster in Congress on whether to extend or change the current laws in place on the issue of NSA wiretapping US citizens as part of the "war on terror." The administration claims that it needs enhanced abilities to do to this because the laws as currently written are archaic and permission to do wiretaps on targets of interest take too much time in this dangerous world in which we are living. I can tell you that as part of my responsibilities at the CIA, we did indeed sometimes have to ask the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court for permission to surveil a target. We needed to provide a reason why it was imperative to national security. We almost always received a prompt and positive response from the court to our request. So I believe that the administration's request to expand these powers with the rationale given that the present laws are too clumsy and slow is wrong and demonstrates another attempt at accruing power in the Executive Branch at the expense of our civil liberties.
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War On Terrorism=Red Scare all over again? J. Edgar walks, and rattles his microphones...
What a great amount of positive posts here Mrs. Wilson (is that okay? Not too PC?) The suggestion that perhaps it's maybe something you should think about in terms of stepping into trying to help our country through political office isn't a bad one at all.
Either you or your husband or BOTH in my humble opinion would be nothing short of a serious asset for America.
Keep Posting, you've become my favorite blogger.
Uh I hate to sound like a broken record, but are you coming out to the West Coast on your book tour?
Santa Barbara?
Please?
Very well reasoned points, Ms. Plame. Thank you.
It should be taken without question that the Bush Administration is completely devoid of any interest in Democracy at large. Their desires, as in this case, are simply issues that would make it easier for them to accomplish their various nefarious ends, or, more importantly, provide a form of "cover" for when they're caught abusing some rule or law.
They should be afforded no further excuses to hide behind. Their "record" is replete with examples of "playing the ignorance card" and that potential should be eliminated by Congress. They are no longer Allies to Democracy; they have become Enemies to our Constitution.
Brick
Go Valerie!
Thank you Valerie for your continued interest and input in making this country a better place to live in. You have stood by your principles and fought back at those who attacked you. I wish you and your husband the best and don't stop believing in yourselves and our country. We can return to using higher standards if people like you and your husband remain and fight for what is right!
Mrs. Wilson,
While I continue to be encouraged, even heartened, by your appearance in the public arena and participation in the political discourse of our ailing nation, I am compelled to take issue with your mentioning of James Woolsey and Brent Snowcroft in the context of them being considered 'victims' of the politicization of America's Intelligence Services. If, in fact, you are not aware that these two charlatans are virtual poster boys of said politicization, then I respectfully suggest that you not further damage yourself in public with such associations; at least until you have the time to do a little homework, and have a few conversations with those who were, indeed, the actual 'victims' of the political compromising of the IC, prior to your tenure. Please heed these words dear lady, you have the opportunity to give many wonderful American patriots a voice, that many have dreamed of having for many years.
As has been repeated often of late, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself!" As one profound thinker once said, "Love is Work Made Visible!"
After thought: If we actually are determined to strike a blow against the politicization of our 'community', we would be well advised to demand that Congress remove the Bush name from the CIA headquarters building; as a symbolic gesture of an intelligent and serious intent to rid ourselves of the enemies within enunciated in the oaths we all swear to uphold.
You keep this up and the Clintons will make you run the CIA. You husband should be back to work too.
Talk about karma.
Great stuff.
The long standing turf fight between the CIA and State was ultimately behind the Plame affair. That turf was more important then getting the intel right prior to the Iraq war is scandalous. I blame everyone.
If Sydney Blumenthal's reporting is accurate, George Tenet was asked to clam up when he personally told Bush that there were'nt any WMDs in Iraq. And that's precisely what George did for the other George: shut up!
This administration has politicized the Intelligence agencies, FEMA, the Justice Department and even the Military. It has also neutered the Congress and Traditional Media. Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely and no other Presdiency has made that axiom come so true!
My only hope lies in the hands of some Democrats who are chairing various committees. Their hearings get traction only on C-Span which ofcourse has a pathetic number of viewers. They ARE digging in and the facts are tumbling out which not surprisingly and shamefully and are almost never covered by the Traditional Media!
The dirt 'n' slime will come out in '08, it just will ... it has to ... it should!!!
Frankly Valerie, I think that when you're ready, you should run for political office.
You have the intelligence, the education, the training, and experience which far exceeds those in office now, common sense, and a conscience. Most of the present crop lack at least two or three, and in the case of Bush and his thugs, all of the things which you possess.
Yeah, I still remember seeing the Director of CIA sitting behind the Secretary of State at the UN Assembly when the latter was presenting his " evidence of WMD " in Iraq. No doubt, this show was to buttress the legitimacy of his argument or to put it bluntly, to con the entire world ! No wonder the Secretary resigned not too long thereafter.
“I envision something like the way the Federal Reserve Chairman operates.”
YIKES!!
This only makes sense because IT'S THE WAY THAT A PRESIDENT CAN GET THE INTELLIGENCE HE WANTS, just as Bush has done and we know how well that has worked out for us in Iraq finding all those WMD's with democracies flourishing all over the M.E. like universal driving privileges in Saudi Arabia, heretofore restricted to males and with election looming with the 2nd coming of Mohammad.
Ms Plame Wilson,
The “intelligence sevices have always been “politicized”. Consider operation Phoenix and Air America in Vietnam, the installation of the shah and Iran-Contra, the death squads of Guatemala, the overthrow of Allende, etc. and etc.. Domestically, the FBI has long been used to spy on and stifle dissenters and “leftist” labor organizers.
I agree with you there has been a change recently. But I would characterize it differently.
The latest development is the centralization of power which makes what you describe as systematic “politicalization” possible.
Bush&co no longer consider any objective or factual reality to be of significance. They believe they have the military and other powers to make their own “reality”. Their conviction is strengthened by their control of media sources and so-called classified government information. In short, they become ever more convinced by their own propaganda. In their arrogance, whatever excuse their ill-informed followers will accept becomes good enough, a convenient “truth”.
In most all organizations, that has always been the case.
Most leaders and heads of organizations do NOT want to hear or consider opinions and information contrary to their policies. And certainly, both corporations and military institutions operate on anti-democratic principles of secrecy and autocracy.
However, power, information, and opinions have traditionally been more shared and available from a number of sources in the US. Within our government, from Congress to the bureaucracy. From outside Federal government, from reporters to local political leaders. Dedicated civil servants and career diplomats have always fallen into disfavor if they too much contradicted their top leaders. But now they are systematically dismissed or ignored. Journalists are manipulated and hamstrung.
What makes the new “reality” possible is the centralization of power, and the perceived centralization of power. Power and secrecy allow our leaders to “get away” with too much, and offer too many ncreasing temptations.
Democracy means sharing power, not centralizing it. Democracy requires an informed populace with free information, not self-deluded leaders protected by ubiquitous “state secrets”.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
IF ONLY YOU WERE QUEEN FOR A DECADE, this country would be in much better shape when your ten years were up. By the way, as usual, you do NOT disappoint. You were once again excellent on Hardball with Chris Matthews. You are at all times professional, brilliant and boy do you look good. It makes it impossible for even the skeptics who watch to ignore you. Did I mention you looked gorgeous? But, enough with my minor obsession with you and your performances, it is incumbent upon you to continue appearing on every television station possible for the near and distant future. These numbskulls who tried to take you down obviously didnt know what they were doing. They probably thought you wouldnt come across as well as you do. You are a CIA agent for God's sake!!! Who did they think they were dealing with?! You should run for office. Seriously. You would win in a heart beat. The country needs the likes of you to keep common sense alive and well.
Joe Wilson is the luckies man alive. He has to be the happiest man to know that his wife is the best catch in the nation
In today's America, (excuse me, make that Neoamerica for the real one is probably dead, murdered by the sons of bitches running the piece of ignorance in the Oval Orifice), truth is not serious. Neointelligence is anything, including especially lies, that will help sell any evil action our "Owners" wish done.
But the saddest thing is that the people of this once great nation have become so indoctrinated that they either can not or will not object to the evil being done. Sheeplike, they look on glassy eyed as we are used for someone else's purposes in another illegal war on another country that poses no threat to us or anyone else.
What the Bush gang did to Valerie Plame Wilson was criminal. But nothing in its glory will be done about it.
The liars got their war on Iraq and will get their war on Iran and there will be celebrations somewhere but not in America.
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