Thursday, August 24, 2006

Fleitz outed Plame?

Here we go again. The WaPo reports today that the House Intelligence Committee (there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one!) has issued a 29-page report attacking US intelligence on Iran and the intelligence community's reluctance to issue ominous warnings about the danger that country represents to the US. Apparently, the denizens of the neocon looney bin are outraged that the CIA and other intelligence agencies haven't found sufficient evidence to start a war with the Islamic Republic.

Did I just use the word evidence? The NYT quotes a "senior United States official" who explains, "we’re not in a court of law. When they say there is ‘no evidence,’ you have to ask them what they mean, what is the meaning of the term ‘evidence?’" We can always manufacture evidence later, we need are spys who will show the appropriate amount of nationalist ardor to fic the evidence around the policy. If Israel says Iran is going to have the bomb in six months that's good enough for me. (If there's a one percent chance. . .)

The report says: "Intelligence community managers and analysts must provide their best analytical judgments about Iranian W.M.D. programs and not shy away from provocative conclusions or bury disagreements in consensus assessments." Yes, because in that piece of crap NIE that George Tenet foisted on Congress and the public there was a whole bunch of "disagreements in concensus assessments" right out there in the open for everyone to see right?

What is most interesting abotu this report is its primary author, Frederick Fleitz. Fleitz worked for John Bolton when he had a real job as under secretary of State. Among other interesting facts about Fleitz is; he worked at the CIA's Weapons Intelligence Non-Proliferation (WINPAC), [the next hurrah] he was responsible for the flawed intelligence on Cuba's chemical weapons stocks (which didn't exist. more provocative conclusions) and apparently he had a hand in leaking Valerie Plame's name to Robert Novak.

According to RAWSTORY, "Libby had. . . first contacted Bolton to dig up the information on Joe Wilson's Niger trip. Bolton tasked his chief of staff, Fleitz, to dig up the info. Attorneys involved in the Fitzgerald indictment of "Scooter" Libby, say Fleitz:

"Supplied Bolton with Plame's identity. Bolton, they added, passed this to his aide, [David]Wurmser, who in turn supplied the information to [John]Hannah. Upon receiving this information, Libby asked Bolton for a report on Wilson's trip to Niger, which Wilson presented orally to the CIA upon his return. Fleitz was one of a handful of officials who was in a position to know Plame's maiden name, the sources said. "

Isn't that intersting?

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