Is America Lost?
Posted by Scott BannonWhat happens when a government serves up the people it’s supposed to serve?
This story became headlines yesterday. Realizing my initial knee-jerk reaction might lead me to write a thrashing condemnation of the current administration which ultimately could prove false I decided to wait for a White House reaction to the story before publishing my comments.
Today the White House responded evasively clear. They did not deny the accusations of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, claiming Vice President Dick Cheney advised him that President George W. Bush had authorized Libby to leak the identity and covert status of C.I.A. operative, Valerie Plame to the press; and that this leak was a counter attack against Plame’s husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, for an Op-Ed piece he wrote in which he asserted that while in Africa he had found no evidence of Iraqi pursuit of nuclear materials, and criticized the administration for using unreliable documentation to make its case for war in Iraq.
I have long been critical of Bush, this is no secret to anyone who knows me or has read any of my writings. Still, I have kept a fairly open mind and offered the benefit of the doubt that while I opposed his policies, I would acknowledge that he acted in what he honestly believed was in the best interest of the nation.
If this story–as it appears right now–stands as true then that era of enabling is over. If this President authorized the leak which disclosed the identity and covert status of Valerie Plame, not to mention jeopardized the operations, identities and very lives of countless other agents who worked under the cover of the same C.I.A. front-company, Brewster Jennings & Associates, as Valerie Plame, it was a selfish move to win a political pissing contest with Plame’s husband, not an act made with the nation’s best interest in mind.
If that is the true character of George W. Bush, then that is why it’s the right and duty of every American to question the motives and actions of this administration’s every move. Knowing that massive intelligence failures allowed for the September 11th attacks, that anyone could then be willing to serve up our nation’s intelligence operatives to settle a personal score is unconscionable. Would he be willing to serve up our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers in uniform to settle personal scores as well?
Perhaps not. But, it’s a valid question everyone should be asking, and just the fact that reason exists to have to ask that question is why there can no longer be any respectable defense of this man by party loyalists. Does this character represent true Republican values? Conservative values? Christian values?
I certainly don’t believe this is the character of a man who represents America’s values, for if it is… America is lost.
buxtohispano.com 
2 Responses to “Is America Lost?”
By PK | Reply to article
Unfortunately, I see things in pretty much the same light.
Though some will attempt to detract, and distract from the initial cause of the inquery — the outing of a CIA field officer, and subsequently the real potential compromise of all of her contacts abroad — I think it extremely important that the initial cause and the administration’s vengeful, petty, trickle-down agenda remain stark and clear in the forefront as we attempt to define those in power today.
Following this admission, I expect to see many weeks of spin and distraction. Many, as a result, will be tempted to blink and turn away.
I for one intend on staying focused, and questioning…
A law was broken — a precidence has been broken which one day could cause the needless loss of life (lives), and even more damage to our nations credibility. For those and many other reasons,
questions need to be asked, and answers (honest answers) demanded in return.
PK sends…
Reply to this specific comment
By Scott Bannon | Reply to article
PK, thank you for your comments. I appreciate that you have pointed out the possible compromise to field agents and other contacts abroad as well from Plame’s outing, which I had failed to mention.
It should also be noted about my writing that Libby has not claimed to have been told (by President Bush or Vice President Cheney) to specifically leak Plame’s name. His claim is that the President declassified certain pre-war intelligence for him to selectively leak information to the press that more favorably supported the administration’s case regarding Iraq; and leave it to the press to fill in the blanks and connect the dots.
In a simplistic example, they essentially said “we’re going from point A to point B, the quickest way would be a straight line, but we’re not giving you our road map, you’ll have to dig to find the actual route taken”.
Even if Libby is being fully candid at this point–and it’s easy to understand why anyone might still not be willing to admit they leaked Plame’s actual name since it’s an offense punishable by death–if you accept that he only leaked certain information under Presidential approval, that information did (and was intended to) allow the press to connect the dots ultimately leading to Plame’s outing.
I made this same connecting of the dots in my publishing. If the President declassified the information and approved the leak merely to rebut critics, this did ultimately set in motion the eventual outing of a C.I.A. operative and the compromise of many other agents, contacts and sources during war time.
I’ve prefaced much of this publishing and these comments with the word “if” to allow for some grand error in the reporting or facts behind this story. However, any margin for error was basically eliminated today when a senior administration official confirmed for the first time that President Bush had ordered the declassification of intelligence in an effort to rebut critics.
Reply to this specific comment