Author Archives: Bok
CIA, Valerie Plame, Democrats, Russians, and Trump
Liberals hate the “intelligence community.” At least they did back in the days when the FBI was spying on Martin Luther King. And the CIA was infiltrating antiwar demonstrations and trying to get Castro to light exploding cigars.
Senate and House Democrats Frank Church and Otis Pike investigated the “IC” in 1975. Senator Church called the CIA a rogue elephant. And President Ford banned government assassinations. (Former President Obama has yet to get the memo.)
CIA Gone Wild
The CIA, NSA, and FBI remained on the Democrat’s rogue elephants list until 9/11 came along, followed by the Valerie Plame affair. Plame was a CIA operative. She sent her diplomat husband, Joe Wilson, to investigate a claim that Saddam Hussein was getting uranium for his alleged weapons of mass destruction through a source in Niger. Wilson wrote about his findings here in the NYT. The story undermined President Bush’s rationale for the Iraq war. Robert Novak got wind of Wilson’s CIA connection and outed his wife in this column in the Washington Post.
The anti-war crowd was outraged over Plame’s blown cover. Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed special counsel to investigate the case. Fitzgerald went after Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter Libby. He offered to let Libby off if he’d deliver his boss, Cheney. Fitzgerald did this despite already knowing the real leaker was deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage. Libby was convicted of perjury.
As for the guy who appointed Fitzgerald as special counsel in the first place? Jim Comey. He was assistant attorney general at the time.
I stumbled on an interesting take on the liberal evolution on the CIA in the Jacobin. It’s a serious left wing publication. Meaning its writers aren’t wearing “pussy hats“, crying hysterically about Trump, or threatening to blow up the white house. Though they are trying to destroy capitalism. The article is titled “The CIA is Not Your Friend” it says, “The CIA is rebranding as a rational, progressive arm of the US state. And some liberals are buying it.”
United Leggings
United Airlines created a social media uproar when it kicked two teenage girls off a flight for wearing leggings. Turns out you can wear all the leggings you want. Even if you’re Caitlyn Jenner. The girls were subject to a dress code because they were flying free on an employee pass.
Republican Majority
The last Republican majority in the House and Senate was during the Bush administration. They were better known for pork barrel earmarks than governing.
Weapon of Choice for Terrorists
Motor vehicles are the new weapon of choice for terrorists.
American Health Care Act Repeal and Replace
In a WSJ op-ed this morning, Speaker Paul Ryan calls he American Health Care Act “the boldest and most conservative health-care legislation to come before Congress in decades.” He plans to repeal and replace ObamaCare without “pulling the rug out” from under those who benefit from the new entitlement. President Trump is all in.
But House Freedom Caucus leaders say it’s not bold enough.
We’ll see. They vote today.
