Friday, November 04, 2005
Zell Miller Scorches The Whole Damned Bunch
Former Democratic Governor and Senator Zell Miller has his sights set on the real problem in the Plame/Wilson affair: the CIA, who appear to have set up a domestic dirty tricks squad whose members include Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson.
Some absurdly claim that Plame had nothing to do with her husband's political activities against President Bush. But let it be clear. Plame could not have done what Wilson did and gotten away with it. Wilson could not have done what he did without Plame giving him a way to do it.
Something has to be done. We can't let the CIA become the domestic dirty tricks shop, with Republican and Democratic agents each trying to pull down their opposing presidents.
We need a Plame rule. Any family member of a CIA agent tapped to help out must live by the same rules regarding information disclosure and domestic political manipulations as those imposed on the agent. If the family member fails to live by those rules, the agent is terminated.
Clearly this will restrict the flexibility of the CIA. But who ever thought that the flexibility given to CIA agents would be misused to destabilize a U.S. president? No one — until Valerie Plame.
Of course Miller is correct. It is therefore time for a comprehensive managerial and operational audit of the CIA, with special attention to the roles of Valerie Plame, her husband and their partners, whoever they might be, in undermining the Bush White House prior to the 2004 Presidential election. I hope naming both the agency's and the media's players in this mess will form a good part of Scooter Libby's defense because I want to hear his side of the story. The air needs to be cleared in Washington in time for the 2006 elections.
Some absurdly claim that Plame had nothing to do with her husband's political activities against President Bush. But let it be clear. Plame could not have done what Wilson did and gotten away with it. Wilson could not have done what he did without Plame giving him a way to do it.
Something has to be done. We can't let the CIA become the domestic dirty tricks shop, with Republican and Democratic agents each trying to pull down their opposing presidents.
We need a Plame rule. Any family member of a CIA agent tapped to help out must live by the same rules regarding information disclosure and domestic political manipulations as those imposed on the agent. If the family member fails to live by those rules, the agent is terminated.
Clearly this will restrict the flexibility of the CIA. But who ever thought that the flexibility given to CIA agents would be misused to destabilize a U.S. president? No one — until Valerie Plame.
Of course Miller is correct. It is therefore time for a comprehensive managerial and operational audit of the CIA, with special attention to the roles of Valerie Plame, her husband and their partners, whoever they might be, in undermining the Bush White House prior to the 2004 Presidential election. I hope naming both the agency's and the media's players in this mess will form a good part of Scooter Libby's defense because I want to hear his side of the story. The air needs to be cleared in Washington in time for the 2006 elections.
