Credibility meter on empty for Reid, Durbin
In the continuing charade that Karl Rove has done something wrong/criminal and deserves to go the top Senate Dems Reid and Durbin tried to slip verbage into a spending bill to strip Rove of his clearance. The statement reads that security clearance be removed for anyone "who discloses, or has disclosed, classified information, including the identity of a covert agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, to a person not authorized to receive such information."
It was blocked, but they should have let it go through. Rove would not qualify under that wording, but both Reid and Durbin would. Additionally John Kerry would qualify for that discipline by naming Fulton Armstrong, a real covert agent during the Bolton confirmation hearings. Reid and Durbin have alluded to classified FBI files in order to sway public opinion obviously working under the "greater good" philosophy. It would have been great fun if that had passed, Bush signed it and promptly moved to remove the clearance of these three.
To stoop this low merely as a political ploy in my mind has robbed them of the whatever remaining credibility they had. The gauge is on "E" and the light is flashing.
Update: Apparently Armstrong is no more covert than Plame is, so I will withdraw my charge against Kerry. I will say, though, that if the media would treat these equally both Kerry and Rove would either be in the hot seat together (for outing non-covert agents) or not in the headlines at all for these matters.
It was blocked, but they should have let it go through. Rove would not qualify under that wording, but both Reid and Durbin would. Additionally John Kerry would qualify for that discipline by naming Fulton Armstrong, a real covert agent during the Bolton confirmation hearings. Reid and Durbin have alluded to classified FBI files in order to sway public opinion obviously working under the "greater good" philosophy. It would have been great fun if that had passed, Bush signed it and promptly moved to remove the clearance of these three.
To stoop this low merely as a political ploy in my mind has robbed them of the whatever remaining credibility they had. The gauge is on "E" and the light is flashing.
Update: Apparently Armstrong is no more covert than Plame is, so I will withdraw my charge against Kerry. I will say, though, that if the media would treat these equally both Kerry and Rove would either be in the hot seat together (for outing non-covert agents) or not in the headlines at all for these matters.
posted by All_I_Can_Stands @ 3:48 PM
2 Comments:
At 1:36 PM,
knobboy said…
First, wasn't Kerry who first brought up Fulton Armstrong's name at the Bolton hearings. It was Richard Lugar (R-IN), who identified Armstrong as being the "national intelligence officer for Latin America at the NIC at the time...."
Armstrong a covert agent? Nope. Fulton's been speaking in public for years. He's always been clearly identified as CIA.
For example, the Committee on International Relations back in February, 2003, had "Mr. Fulton Armstrong (Invited), National Intelligence Officer for Latin America, CIA" as a witness.
The American Management Association back in June and December, 2003, who had "Fulton Armstrong, National Intelligence Officer for Latin America, long-time C.I.A. expert in the region" as an expert speaker.
For that matter, check the CIA itself. Back as early as May, 2000, the National Intelligence Council has Armstrong listed as a National Intelligence Officer for Latin America.
As for old Karl, let's see what the special prosecutor comes down with.
At 11:47 AM,
All_I_Can_Stands said…
Knobboy: Thanks for your post. I did further research since I posted this and more information has indeed come out showing that Armstrong was no more covert than Plame was.
Too bad the media did not do their homework on the status of either of these two. If they had, there would be no story about either.
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