A very good run-down

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A very good <$NoAd$>run-down on the context and repercussions of the Plame disclosure from a former undercover CIA case officer, Jim Marcinkowski.

The following is from last night’s Paula Zahn show on CNN …

ZAHN: Mr. Marcinkowski, help us understand what this means to an agent in the field, particularly a covert one. Do they now view their government as a threat?

MARCINKOWSKI: Certainly, the act itself has been an unprecedented act. This is not the leak, as usual from Washington, of classified information. And that should not be condoned. However, this is the leak of an identification of an intelligence agent of the United States. So the fact that it’s unprecedented sends a ripple effect throughout the intelligence community and drastically affects national security throughout — throughout the world, and the United States in particular.

As an operations officer on scene in a country, the effects of this are that anyone who knows you or did know you now will look at your mosaic. They will look at the people you’ve come in contact with. They will suspect those people, be they official contacts or innocent contacts. They will suspect those persons of being intelligence agents. They could be subject to interrogation, imprisonment and even death, depending on the regime that you may be operating under.

There’s also ramifications for CIA morale. I’m not naive enough to say this is having a huge impact, but certainly, it contributes to a decline in morale when you know that your own government can identify you as a clandestine operator. Certainly, there’s going to be a reluctance on the part of foreign nationals that may want to help the United States in these trying times. They’re going to be reluctant to serve and help us with information, based on the fact that their identification may be revealed by the government.

Obviously, in this particular case, there’s further problems with looking at the ambassador’s wife. Obviously, now all intelligence services across the world will be looking at ambassadors’ wives and suspecting them. They may subject them now to surveillance and added security measures.

The continued revelations by Bob Novak of purported front companies also subjects the traveling businessman to added…

One thing that is palpable in this whole situation is the disgust — even more off-the-record than on — toward this disclosure from the ex-CIA fraternity. Not surprising, I guess. But notable for its intensity — which of course grows from a deeper antagonism.

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