If it were to turn out that McCarthy was guilty of only one leak, she needs to be in prison! It's amazing to me that even right-of-center commentators have slipped into a mindset which seems to accept a premise that a single leak of national security information is worthy of double-secret probation, but probably nothing more.

Actually, if it's proven that she leaked classified info, she should be shot as a spy. Or hanged--I can be opened-minded about these things.

If it's proved that she did leak classified info, then I vote for hanging.

Make the punishment fit the crime, 60 day is plenty, in the electric chair, set to extra-crispy.

None of you know what you are talking about. Mary McCarthy, who served in the highest White House position for intelligence oversight, discovered the CIA prisons as part of the inspector general role, and when nothing was done internally to correct the situation, she very properly leaked the story to get them closed down. Try reading the Constitution. Officers in the military and in the secret world are supposed to place their loyalty to the public and the Republic and the Constitution above their oaths of secrecy in those hopefully rare instances when their secret or military organizations are committing grave crimes including torture.

Best wishes to all,
Robert David STEELE Vivas
Former clandestine case officer
Founder, Marine Corps Intelligence Command
Founder, global Open Source Intelligence movement

I've actually read the entire Constitution recently and I can't find that language. I also couldn't find any right to gay marriage. But the language protecting property rights of slave owners (ie. persons held to labour) is still there.

There's better ways to shut down an intelligence program than going to the press. This is especially true if this was some sort of "sting." What evidence is there that she attempted to address this through the appropriate channels?

Interesting that she was appointed by Berger.

Mr. Steele, In reading this post I appreciated your comments. However, if I understand this situation Ms. McCarthy might have been working hard to shut down something that did not even exist.

You dont say , do You mean the one and only Sandy Burglar? how contraire.

Secret prisons and torture have mostly revealed false information. Lie detectors on the other hand do not hold up in court.
I wonder if Ms. McCarthy was tortured before the polygraph and maybe they should give everyone below the White House Cabinet a lie detector test.
If it wouldn't be for the deceiving we wouldn't have Mary McCarthys.
The White House Cabinet doesn't need the polygraph but I see some of you beleive in secret prisons and torture. Go for it!

This isn't exactly a Daniel Ellsberg situation, but that is what comes to mind. Family and friends had worked hard in the NSA during that period, and were appalled at the gross release of classified documents. It had nothing to do with the politics. Some of them agreed with the politics he espoused.

Firing her is an expedient end to closing her leak, which is ALLEGED to be an ongoing problem. It is significant that so far the "other" leaks haven't been exposed, probably for security reasons.

I'm sure Mr. Steele will grab her right up and put her to work in his organization, so I wouldn't worry about her employment situation.

While some of us might characterize the Washington Post, NYT, etc. as hostile foreign powers, I am not sure that would hold up in court. Until we start unconditionally executing all leakers, be them within the executive branch or elsewhere, I think administrative actions probably will remain the course of action (if any) taken.

If MM had been trading secrets to foreign powers, she might well have never been exposed, but manipulated for counter-intelligence purposes. This exposure and firing sends a message throughout the ranks. Lets hope it is heeded.

did not exist; ergo, the Holocaust didn't happen.

Classic disinformation protocol.

Question for the common-sensical;

If program was set up specifically to
find mole, what took so long. Far more
probable she was discovered in routine
random sweep.

It is interesting how those who who are
loathe to ascribe any criminal liability
to the Plame affair, knee jerk the
lynch mob response.

Mary McCarthy is a whistleblower and a patriot. For whatever reason, she decided to be a good human being despite her employment.

Perhaps one day we will give her a medal. Dr. Wang also deserves one for standing up to HER coutry's dictator.

Perhaps some day there will be a Nuremburg trial for those behind the so-called war on terror. This might take a few elections to accomplish, but I am patient.

Perhaps some day there will be a Nuremburg trial for those behind the so-called war on terror. This might take a few elections to accomplish, but I am patient.

Only if the court is flown in from Australia ... after their pouches are screened by the TSA. Once they arrive, they will really hop to it ...

OTOH, you can keep believing this war is not necessary and proper, and you might be the subject of such a trial ... imposed on you by the Caliphate Courts.

Or, those courts may dispense with trials altogether, for that matter ...

Hmmm.

Try reading the Constitution.

I have. What you ascribe to the Constitution simply doesn't exist.

Officers in the military and in the secret world are supposed to place their loyalty to the public and the Republic and the Constitution above their oaths of secrecy in those hopefully rare instances when their secret or military organizations are committing grave crimes including torture.

Utter nonsense.

The requirements of the UCMJ and various statutes and regulations allow an officer or enlisted USMC Marine to refuse an illegal order. It does NOT allow anyone to leak classified materials to anyone. There simply is no justification whatsoever for doing so. And frankly trying to claim that there is just shows a level of nonsense that's almost lethal.

The proper response for this CIA leaker was to refuse to condone such behavior, if it existed, and then to resign her position.

So if you're going to push this bullshit that she had some sort of authority to leak that's based on anything but subjective nonsense then trot that bastard out and show it.

Mary McCarthy is a traitor who leaked classified intelligence to the enemies of the United States during war-time. She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as an example to other seditious citizens that care more about their political affiliations than they do for their country or our soldiers.

May she spend the remainder of her life in prison alongside Dana Priest!

Hmmm.

Perhaps one day we will give her a medal.

That's rather doubtful.

Dr. Wang also deserves one for standing up to HER coutry's dictator.

She's a "Dr."? She's a Chinese national?

Perhaps some day there will be a Nuremburg trial for those behind the so-called war on terror.

*shrug* if there isn't a "so-called" war on terror then would you mind explaining all the people killed by terrorists?

This might take a few elections to accomplish, but I am patient.

No you're not, but you'll have to be.

Clayton Either a few more elections or 10,000,000 more illegals and convicts to vote for your candidate.

Ed You mean You didnt know that its Bush behind all the terrorism? why yes, just so He has an excuse to take over all the mid east so Cheney and Him can cash in on Haliburton stocks yknow...

Hmmmm.

Ed You mean You didnt know that its Bush behind all the terrorism? why yes, just so He has an excuse to take over all the mid east so Cheney and Him can cash in on Haliburton stocks yknow...

Well I am pleased. I bought some Halliburton quite some time ago so I stand to profit handsomely on this "so-called" war on terror.

What a bizzare world.

There is a hypocrit retard who is advocating the unconditional execution of leakers within the government branches. I hope you do not mean JWB and D. Cheney by that. They leaked some classified information not long ago, didn't they?
Because if you do mean all leakers, you are in some deep S@$t.

Hmmmm.

Because if you do mean all leakers, you are in some deep S@$t.

The Ignorant-O-Meter has just redlined, did anybody post a link on DU?

Hmmmm.

Founder, Marine Corps Intelligence Command

And while we're at it, since another post of mine hasn't passed the filters yet that goes into this nonsense in detail, this is frankly a little deceptive isn't it?

The Marine Corps Intelligence Activity was created in 1992. You resigned your commission, after a 4 year stint as an officer in the USMC, in 1993. In 2001 the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity was redesignated as the Marine Corps Intelligence Command.

So how *exactly* are you a "Founder"?

Are you actually suggesting that you, as a 1st or 2nd Lt., was given complete authority and oversight of this unit of 42 Marines in this designated Activity? You were the Director? Isn't something like this at least a Major or Lt. Col. posting?

Ed, is it just my impression or you really have nothing of substance to say?

"I do solemly swear, to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and to obey the orders of the President of the United States and all Officers appointed over me, according to Regulation and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God." that is oath that we take in the military. Nothing about serving the public interest!!! I'd like to know what her oath was and how it compares to the military oath.

Books on the subject state the oath is something like this:

I do solemnly swear that I will never divulge, publish or reveal either by word, conduct or any other means such classified info, intelligence or knowledge, except in the performance of my official duties and in accordance with the law of U.S., unless specifically authorized in writing in each case by the DCI.

While probably not entirely accurate, I would surmise that that is pretty close and certainly not open to interpretation.

Hmmm.

Ed, is it just my impression or you really have nothing of substance to say?

I do have a great many things to say. It's just that there's no point in replying to your comment with substance simply because there was no substance in the original comment.

The fact that you're completely oblivious to the fact that the President and Vice-President are the ones that have the authority to declassify materials isn't surprising. It happens to be a problem plenty of Democrats have.

And you're also completely oblivious to the vast difference between an official leak and an unofficial one. Official leaks are used to float propositions and ideas that people do not yet want to put the official rubber stamp on until any adverse reactions have been generated, if at all.

Unofficial leaks are by individuals with an axe to grind.

But if that unofficial leak also involves classified materials then that is a violation of federal law.

Frankly writing this is a yet another example of having to repeat myself endlessly on the same damn subjects to yet another Democrat or liberal who can't be bothered to actually research, learn or discover the principles being discussed.

So if you really want a substantive reply then next time actually do the work and write something of substance worth putting a substantive reply together.

It's hard to find a copy of the CIA secrecy oath.

There are NO mitigating factors and NO excuses fot Mary McCarthy's (alleged) behaviors.

John Kerry's diddling around spin on TV today, utterly shameful...

"Here's my fundamental view of this, that you have somebody being fired from the CIA for allegedly telling the truth, and you have no one fired from the white house for revealing a CIA agent in order to support a lie... But if you're leaking to tell the truth, Americans are going to look at that, at least mitigate or think about what are the consequences that you, you know, put on that person. Obviously they're not going to keep their job, but there are other larger issues here. You know, classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people."