Why Military Types Should Not Run the CIA

Greetings, everyone. Thrilled that I survived the first day... with two appearances to discuss my book Fair Game on live TV which, believe me, concentrates the mind. A little voice in my head is saying that maybe this book tour business could actually be fun. Finally, after 4 ½ years, I get to talk!

I caught a little bit of CIA Director General Michael Hayden on the Charlie Rose show last night (I got bumped for the General) and I think he gave ample evidence as to why civilian instead of military types should be in charge of our intelligence services. The core mission of the CIA is to provide unvarnished intelligence of national security import to policy makers. General Hayden casts the role of the CIA in paramilitary terms and unfortunately, had to spend most of his time defining "torture" (not using terms used in international treaties) and "rendition" and defending why these tactics help our national security, when in fact they have severely harmed our international credibility. I have heard from Washington friends that know General Hayden that he is a decent man and a "straight shooter". But there is no denying that he has been involved in or has overseen the NSA wiretapping of US citizens, legally questionable interrogations done by the CIA, initiated a "review" of the independent CIA Inspector General's office, and to be very parochial, my own case of censorship of my book.

My publisher has thoughtfully provided me with some commentary from right wing blogs about my book so that I may respond. I hate reading them because they can be terribly mean spirited. However, I will answer some of the valid questions that I see to further help set the record straight.

1. Was I at that "fateful" breakfast in May 2003 when Joe discussed his trip to Niger with New York Times columnist Nick Kristof? Not I was not at the breakfast which took place at a Democratic Senate weekend retreat on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Joe was invited to speak on a panel about our policy toward Iraq, and I attended simply as a "social spouse". It's called living your cover. I did not hear Joe and Nick's conversation on Niger. At the time, Joe was using discreet backchannels to try and understand why the infamous "sixteen words" appeared in the President's 2003 State of the Union address. This issue is not about Joe and Valerie Wilson -- it's about why those sixteen words appeared in the most important speech a President gives each year, especially on the eve of war.

2. Was Joe working for the Kerry campaign in the summer of 2003 when he penned his NY Times op-ed? At the time that Joe wrote his op-ed piece in July 2003, he was a volunteer member of John Kerry's Foreign Policy Committee, but he did not discuss his plans for his article with anyone at the campaign.

3. Didn't the State Dept. and the Pentagon chime in asking for the CIA stance on the February 12, 2002 Pentagon report that caught Cheney's eye and eventually led to a fateful phone call to Ms. Plame's unit of the CIA? An INR (the intelligence section of the State Department) memo released as evidence during the Libby trial showed that both the State Department and Joe saw no real need for him to travel to Niger to investigate further these allegations of a yellowcake transaction to Iraq. As both parties pointed out, there was already an American Ambassador and a four-star General who had looked into those claims and reported them to be empty.

4. Did I mention to Joe that I had written an email at the request of my boss to my Division Chief discussing Joe's credentials? No, I did not. I was writing probably hundreds of emails a day and that email was simply standard operating procedure. The Division Chief had been in another position when Joe made an earlier trip on uranium related matters on behalf of the CIA and I was seeking to remind him why my boss thought that Joe should be consulted about this latest claim about Niger. This, of course, was the email that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report (the Republican "Additional Views") section pulled out and cited as "proof" that I had recommended Joe.

I'm looking forward to being on Countdown with Keith Olberman tonight as Joe and I big fans. Cheers.

Comments

[LBCYalie]

I am thrilled to see that you will be making an appearance at the Carpenter Center at CSULB in Long Beach, CA on Nov. 5...I can't wait to hear you speak!

[Madmac]

Thank You for your service to this country. You were a critical asset that I wish we still had working for us in this time of need. It is unfortunate that our elected officials have betrayed you and have embarrassed the rest of us.

[animalhamilton]

the administration committed an act of treason when they revealed your identity, please don't ever let them - or the American people - forget it.

[omahkohkiaayo]

Thank You for Your--UH-"Service": Ramon's 9-11

Submitted by Omahkohkiaayo -

Can we or should we separate the "service" to a transcendent Cause from the nature of that Cause itself?

she is "proud to have served my country by working at the Central Intelligence Agency" a chill goes up my spine:

But most of all and always first, I think of Ramon. Ramon's own special 9-11 was 9-11-1973 in Santiago Chile Government of Salvador Allende (far fairer election than any of Bush) was violently overthrown by a CIA planned, designed, nurtured, initiated, executed, consolidated and covered-up fascist coup d'etat that installed the brutal fascist dictatorship of Pinochet.

Ramon was captured and because they thought he was some kind of a leader, he was slated for torture instead of immediate execution.

His wife was brought into a room with six guards and a "gringo" present, while he was forced to watch his wife repeatedly gang raped and then beheaded with piano wire. to Canada where he became a legal refugee and immigrant.

Last time I heard from Ramon was from a bakery somewhere on the east coast. Just like the Iraqis who got politicized, energized and became insurgents against a foreign occupying power, as we celebrate about ourselves doing every July 4th, nothing to do with Al Qaeda or that kind of ideology, so Ramon got radicalized.

Fox News, which, apparently, is the network of choice at the CIA that itself is frightening and revealing about the culture of CIA at the same time.

Since nuclear weapons, threaten many other nations and even the whole planet--not a party to any wars between nations--why should any nation be allowed to have nuclear weapons given their massive letality and global spillover effects?

I now say "Thank you for your 'service' when I really mean it and when I do not have to de-link the service from the nature of "The Cause" that was/is really being served.

[FreedomCorpse]

Thank you Valerie and Joe for your ethical service. Anyone can wear a false flag of patriotic symbolism on their lapel, you folks are the real deal along with our troops.

[oldbutstillthekidd]

It's good to see that americans can still make a proper observation. If these comments are representative of a new awareness in this country then we have the two of you to thank for it.

Reading what people have to say to the both of you gives me hope for our future.

Thank you for your past, and future service, not just to the US, but to the world and it's peoples in general.

Please Valerie and Joe keep up the good work, and we may all see a brighter future after the real terrorists leave the White House. (currently I call it 'The House of Usher')

[Robert59]

It's not a question of whether or not military types are running the CIA, but where their loyalties lie. I opine Tenet is a traitor; he didn't have to testify before the UN and spread lies, but he did. He placed loyalty to Bush before loyalty to his country.

It's refreshing to see Mullen as Chairman and I sense Secretary Gates has an independent streak in him, but it's up to both sides of the Senate to make sure those they confirm are loyal to the Constitution before they are loyal to the president. Not an easy task, but look at recent history.

A little homework and they would know Gen Petraeus identifies too closely with the Bush administration. Don't confirm him and make the president pick someone everyone knows will be independent.

Why do you think Gates and Mullen got the jobs? Because the president knew he didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of getting more yes men confirmed.

Good luck with your book and the next phase of your life. And thank you for your service.

[Arielman]

I wish when this happened it didn't sound like the script form "Beat The Devil" (1953) directed by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobridgida, Peter Lorre, and Christopher Morley from the novel by blacklisted writer James Helvick, screenplay by Truman Capote. It too was about uranium in Africa and everyone involved says they're going to there to sell vacuum cleaners (presumably with aluminum tubes) a send-up of the "Maltese Falcon" genre perhaps. I guess we should have known better. However I thought I heard this so-called letter about "yellow-cake" was from Italy. Ms. Lollobridgida, did you con these "experts"? The dates weren't even right.

[CarolinRiyadh]

Valerie,

It has been a while since our paths last crossed but I want to wish you all the best and success with your book. I hope that it will not be difficult to acquire a copy from Riyadh, KSA!

Regards,
Carol F.

[Magnolia]

What has happened to Ms. Plame calls to mind the savaging Mary Mapes received after producing the 60 Minutes piece, with Dan Rather, on Bush's Texas Guard "service" and lack thereof. While picking up Ms. Plame's book, look for Truth and Duty, Ms. Mapes's brilliant testament to yet another brilliant career ruined because a strong, competent woman ended up in the White House crosshairs.

[RobertPaul]

One more quick thing.
After I hit the button to post my comment it hit me what the major difference between you and Bush is.

You, ma'am, have Courage!

[RobertPaul]

I'm not the first here to say a heartfelt Thank You to both you and Ambassador Joe for your service to our country. I hope that I'm not the last.

There is, I believe, an interesting parallel between the unconscionable treatment you received as a hard working member of our government and what has been done to our returning veterans from Afganistan and Iraq.

In both cases the treatment dished out by BushCo has been despicable!

You are not shown the respect one would normally accord a simple typist let alone someone who has put themselves on the line for their country.

Our veterans are similarly "cast off" as being no longer useful to the Bush machine. Put up in rat infested hovels and made to jump through loophole after loophole in pursuit of the benefits they deserve for service to their country.

It is a totally shameful way to run a country.

The other part of this tragedy is the veracity of our leaders.

We all have a pretty good idea that Bush has lied on numerous occasions, but when he said he would Fire anyone involved in your outing and then commuted the sentence of Libby.

That was an outrage and proved beyond a doubt what a lack of courage the President has.

For a drunken, frat boy, draft dodging deserter to even be in the same room with someone like yourself is a damned shame!

Please have a good life. Bush is on his way to the obscurity he deserves.

(http://rpaulalderson.blogspot.com/)

[realpolitic]

After listening to General Hayden on the Charlie Rose show, I certainly agree with Ms. Plame Wison that military types should not run the CIA. General Hayden seemed to point to pride to our rendition program. Most of the world and many in Americans are appalled by it. How does he know that the countries we turn these captives over to do not torture? Hayden simply says because they tell us so. The Canadian citizen who was caught in the rendition program because of a case of mistaken identity says he was tortured and had the welts to prove it. Hayden is either naive or lying, and naivety is not a good quality for the head of the CIA.

[realist333]

With respect to Ms. Plame and my semi-namesake Realpolitik, the CIA is in fact a paramilitary organization. So are all national intelligence services. Britain's MI6 is short for "6th Office of Military Intelligence." The CIA's predecessor service, the OSS, was founded by Army Col. "Wild Bill" Donovan. Intelligence services are usually (not always) most effective when commanded by a military officer. Don't forget - 007's boss "M" was a retired admiral.

[aspen]

There is an important story yet to be told about the manipulation of intelligence that hoodwinked the country into an unnecessary war. Nothing makes me angrier than hearing a rightie say everyone thought the Iraqis had WMD. No they didn't. Analysts from different government intelligence agencies called into question much of the evidence for WMD presented by the administration prior to the invasion.

There are books on the subject, but there is no official inquiry into the hyping and manipulation of intelligence. It is a story that needs to be told to keep another president from misleading us into another unnecessary war.

[realist333]

I agree with Aspen that the nation was hoodwinked on the matter of Iraqi WMDs. But was the Iraq invasion really unnecessary? Mistimed certainly, and poorly executed with inadequate resources, thanks to D. Rumsfeld's doomed attempt to apply Harvard Business School principles to the Pentagon. Iraq should have come after Afghanistan was won, but any president of either party would eventually have needed to confront Saddam Hussein's Iraq - hopefully in a more forthright manner.

[ASurvivorInUtah]

I meant to say our world is LESS BRIGHT because of MSM propaganda in my last post.