http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041006N.shtml

He points out that Judy Miller’s testimony about her meeting with Libby makes no mention about the NIE. Instead, the focus of that discussion was on Plame and Wilson. By implication, all the current talk about declassifying the NIE does not provide protection from the charge of revealing identity of a NOC.

Secondly (and this is consistent with reports from Waas and Leopold), there is information that Cheney did inform Bush beforehand about the Plame /Wilson effort, so that Bush cannot claim that he “did not knowâ€.

Like I said before, there are too many holes in the story that the boy King and his gang are throwing out there to provide him with plausible deniability. So, watch for the firewall to continue to fall apart.

Anyone working in intelligence recognizes that leaks can endanger not only the source of the information in question, but especially in cases of high-profile leaks/declassifications, can also have a chilling effect on future intelligence collection. The promise to protect sources absolutely is implicit in the business, and often has to be made explicitly to sources and potential sources. “How can I trust you to protect me and my information, when your President can just release whatever he thinks will help him sell his war?” is a question that any potential source now can, and frankly should, ask any US intelligence officer. And what’s the answer?

This is the real danger that leaks do, whether by the White House or by anyone else. It’s also the damage done whenever a US official goes over to the “other side”, as in the cases of Ames, Nicholson, etc. Like Bastiat’s example of the broken window and the economic effects that are not seen, the unseen but very real consequences of anyone with the President’s profile playing fast and loose with “declassification authority” can be very damaging indeed.

I mean if the 16 words themselves are true because Saddam was looking for yellowcake in the eighties but still got redacted then the little tubes of terror ought to be a snack…summat like tarterror sauce?

Next to Fitz, Joe is the man. If anyone can make the SOTU STFU Joe can.

I think someone needs to address the glaring possibility/probability that there are still “remnants” of the old CIA operation Operation Mockingbird (discussed in the Church committee findings) active in “journalistic” circles.

Gary Hart, who was interviewed on Democracy Now the other day brought up the Church hearings and the “useful media” problem that was exposed…. but has anyone ever publically exposed who the “journalists” involved were?

Does anyone have any info on what transpired at that interview? I think the obstruction of justice angle is going to catch Cheney, and should catch Bush too.

And that just may have been Mistah Nixon’s big mistake.

Imagine if had just declared Larry O’Brien and the AnybodyButMcGovern movement a National Security threat the day that Sirica broke McCord.

That way Nixon could have made himself the ultimate cutout right out of the gate and he would been untouchable…..

(Who says neandercons don’t learn)

(1) conceal violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error;
(2) prevent embarrassment to a person, organization, or agency;
(3) restrain competition; or
(4) prevent or delay the release of information that does not require protection in the interest of the national security

That’s not exactly right. Intel may not be CLASSIFIED to prevent embarrassment, conceal violations of law or ineptitude, etc.; that section doesn’t mention declassification. (The principle should be similar, however!)

But there IS an express provision on when classified material may be disclosed to an otherwise authorized person — which DOESN’T de facto “declassify” it! And it may only be leaked in that way in the face of an imminent threat to physical security.

Link to the executive order, all the relevant excerpts, and analyis here (yes, I’m blogwhoring, but it’s on topic!):

Bush, Cheney and Libby Did Not Follow Rules for Disclosing and Declassifying Intelligence