Juan Cole: Repubs Tip World Off to Covert CIA Role in Libya; Security Lack May Have Been for Intel

[Hissyspit]

http://www.juancole.com/2012/11/republicans-tip-world-off-to-covert-cia-role-in-libya.html

Republicans Tip world off to covert CIA Role in Libya

Published on November 3rd, 2012
Written by: Juan

The politicization by the Republican Party of the tragic attack on the US consulate in Benghazi has been a security disaster for the United States. A document dump by Congressman Darrell Issa outed the identities of Libyans working with the US.

Now, it has come out that the annex of the Benghazi consulate was a Central Intelligence Agency HQ. Likely the consulate itself was thought safe because of the large numbers of CIA operatives at the annex, some of them with a background in military special forces. They were seen by the consulate staff as “the cavalry.”

Likewise, the reluctance to fortify the consulate may have come from fears that too much security would interfere with intelligence-gathering. State Department officials at the Beirut embassy in Lebanon have complained to me that they are virtually trapped inside the fortified complex, and can’t easily get out and mix with people, which interferes with their ability to build Lebanese contacts or do good political reporting. The CIA staff in Benghazi likely was trying to avoid a similar isolation.

- snip -

It is now clear why the Obama administration has been hampered in replying to the charges of Republican gadflies. They risked outing the CIA operations there. Obama quite admirably decided not to release information on an ongoing covert operation, even though he might, by doing so, have gained some political advantage. Certainly Karl Rove and George W. Bush would not have hesitated to out their own covert operation for political gain.

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[Angry Dragon]

1. Issa should be sanctioned and thrown out of office

he did the same thing as Manning

[zonkers]

4. Issa has a criminal past. He is a POS.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Good point - a convicted criminal shouldn't have access to those documents in the first place

Surely Issa can't pass a security background check.

Rep. Darrell Issa, within months of leaving Army service in the early 1970s, was arrested twice on illegal-weapons charges, including an incident in Michigan that led to a misdemeanor gun conviction, The Chronicle has learned.

http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Recall-chief-held-twice-on-illegal-weapons-2605978.php

[PopeOxycontinI]

2. Typical...

Repubs accuse the other side of endangering national security(among every other imaginable evil) while doing the same. Typical!

[secondwind]

3. Karl Rove left a lot of "moles" in federal agencies before he hit the road in '09.

[MaeScott]

5. K and R. nt

[nc4bo]

6. FB has a Ben Gauzy investigation now petition circulating.....

First time someone planted on my page, I allowed it and commented.

2nd time I say - I refuse to sign or even entertain the idea of signing it then hit the "delete" icon.

Today, before they even start, I posted the contents of this post and along with some very choice words.

The RW is a disaster of epic proportions and anyone supporting it should be called out on it, straight, no chaser.

*I used the term Ben Gauzy to describe the RW's agenda, not to disrespect. Benghazi when dealing with reality. Ben Gauzy when dealing with assholes.

[ananda]

7. Issa should be tried for treason!

But so should Cheney for Plame!

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Grammar error. "Certainly Karl Rove and George W. Bush would not have hesitated ..."

... should be "Certainly Karl Rove and George W. Bush did not hesitate ..."