October 23, 2007
Faith Based Intelligence
Valerie Plame, author of Fair Game,
is the sort of person I'd feel safe going to if I were in a lot of trouble. And she's proof of two things: That the U.S. government bureaucracy can be and has been staffed by highly competent professionals, but that today a perverse, politicized 'de-professionalization' is in full bloom. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense: professionals are going to be loyal to the Constitution, to their professional code, and to each another. So who are you going to trust? For decades, the political establishment — in an example of perfect bipartisan harmony — has preferred to trust its own acolytes, or outsourcing (mercenaries), extracting that professional ethos increasingly from the system. And you can't fix things simply by "reforming" the CIA, or the State Department, or the Pentagon. It requires overall structural change... but that's another story. Here, as a guest interviewer, Larry Johnson of No Quarter talks with his former CIA classmate Valerie. Two seasoned professionals, highly regarded by their peers, full of insight and humor. Total runtime thirty seven minutes. Enjoy!
Comments
The "outing" was a crime and a disgrace, but I have no "warm and fuzzy" feeling for the agency or anyone who chooses to serve in it. It is, IMHO, an deep scar in American history – with its Nazi influence from Reinhard Gehlen and his organization, the corrupt Allen Dulles who along with his brother helped rightist corporate elitists like Prescott Bush fund Hitler. Even involvement in the assassination of one of our own presidents. The incestuous relationship between Wall Street and the CIA (just look at the directors bounce back and forth between Wall Street firms, the CIA, and the SEC). Not to mention huge black budgets, spying and experimenting on American citizens. And they have never stopped.
Listening to these to wax nostalgic about the firm like old college chums, make my stomach churn. Disgusting organization. Disgusting people.
Posted by: 8isis8
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November 16, 2007 6:05 AM
I have to agree with 8isis8. Although Plame comes across as an educated and eloquent, her view of her employer and its motive is inane.
She rolls herself in the jingoistic vernacular: 'to serve my country' / 'loyal American' / 'patriot'. But when it comes down to it, she's just a spy who lies and deceives to get intelligence to serve whatever interest the White House currently seeks. What about being a decent human being? A moral person? Serving the greater good? All this 'serving my country' BS makes me sick. So being a deceiving lying thieving scumbag is all OK because you 'served your country'?? Not in my book.
One of her relatives apparently 'served his country' in Vietnam and was wounded as a result. So participating in the death of 50K Americans + 1.5Million Vietnamese is honorable and 'serves our country'??!
She also seems completely oblivious to the CIA's long history of torture, murder, subversion, drug trafficking, provocateuring, blackmailing (etc...) as 8isis8 points out. Then she manages to state that 'the CIA is too politicized now' ?!?! What else is the CIA but an unaccountable tool of oppression used by politicians and shadow governments? Stop watching Fox, and read a goddamn alternative book on your employer.
She also states that 'we live in a dangerous world now'... Yes! We do. And it's partially because of the CIA, thank you very much. We live in a world where blinded drones like herself live in a dreamworld, drink the kool-aid and 'serve their country' by working for a bonafide state-sponsored terrorist organization AND think they are doing God's work.
Makes me sick.
Posted by: Kevin M. | November 22, 2007 7:29 PM
Nobody's saying the CIA is without fault. But it would be wrong, also, to think that the world would be a better place if the CIA had never existed. Or didn't now exist in one form or another.
Posted by: George Kenney
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November 22, 2007 7:49 PM