February 02, 2006
Goss: Leak Caused "Very Severe" Damage
Top U.S. intelligence officials confirmed today that national security leaks published by the NY Times (just as reporter James Risen had a book about to be published) dealt a severe blow to the surveillance efforts of several U.S. intelligence agencies to defend America from al Qaeda terrorists.
From Forbes:
CIA Director Porter Goss said Thursday that the disclosure of President Bush's eavesdropping-without-warrants program and other once-secret projects had undermined U.S. intelligence-gathering abilities."The damage has been very severe to our capabilities to carry out our mission," Goss told the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said a federal grand jury should be empaneled to determine "who is leaking this information."
His testimony came after National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, who directs all intelligence activities, strongly defended the program, calling it crucial for protecting the nation against its most menacing threat.
"This was not about domestic surveillance," Negroponte said.
[snip]
"I use the words `very severe' intentionally. And I think the evidence will show that," Goss said.
He said not only have these revelations made it harder for the CIA to gather information, but they have made intelligence agencies in other countries mistrustful of their U.S. counterparts.
"I'm stunned to the quick when I get questions from my professional counterparts saying, `Mr. Goss, can't you Americans keep a secret?'" he said.
Goss cited a "disruption to our plans, things that we have under way." Some CIA sources and "assets" had been rendered "no longer viable or usable, or less effective by a large degree," he said.
"I also believe that there has been an erosion of the culture of secrecy and we're trying to reinstall that," Goss said.
"I've called in the FBI, the Department of Justice. It is my aim and it is my hope that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present, being asked to reveal who is leaking this information," he said.
Somehow, I just don't see the left wing blogs jumping all over the Times for putting the nation in danger, as they seem to share the notion that any damage to national security was merely collateral damage in what they view as a legitimate attempt to destroy their real enemy, President George W. Bush.
"Loyal opposition," my ass.
CY, that's "loyal PATRIOTIC opposition." Ditto!
Posted by: Old Soldier at February 2, 2006 07:44 PMIt's pronounced BAYNOR, BONER, but time will tell if that makes a difference
Posted by: Bill at February 2, 2006 08:29 PMDid you see where Rocky tried to blame the leaks on the administration?
Posted by: Specter at February 2, 2006 08:31 PMSpector,
Yeah I think Rocky is playing CYA. I think he or someone he talked to on his staff are one of the leakers and he is throwing up distractions.
The left especially the media are the 5th column of the enemy. They should all be tried for treason and kicked out of the country, permanently.
Posted by: docdave at February 4, 2006 01:11 PMBefore the NY Times ran its articles terrorists were unaware of wiretapping? They didn't know that they might be spied on and used to speak freely about their plans of destruction?
Come on. Get real.
That isn't what has Mr. Goss' knickers in knots.
It's likely political embarassment to the administration if details of domestic spying were revealed.
Posted by: ArthurStone at February 4, 2006 04:06 PMArthur: "Domestic". Where and why does domestic always come into the discussion? I normally don't get into posts about this, but I worked at NSA and you don't have a clue. Until such time that you can condemn revealing government programs, legal or not, then I will discuss legality.
Posted by: TBIRD1107 at February 4, 2006 05:37 PMDomestic enters the equation because the NSA is gathering intelligence on US citizens in this country using taps located in this country. That makes those operations domestic.
And what was revealed? No details. Nothing beyond the obvious. The NSA is spying on US citizens as described above. Goss' remarks were pure political boilderplate.
General Haydens remarks were interesting for another reason. He said there wasn'a huge net cast over a vast amount of communications. Rather, they gathering was 'focused'. Which suggests that the fear of getting warrants had less to do with a 'fluid, fast-moving' situation but rather a considerable fear they might not be approved.
Posted by: Arthur Stone at February 4, 2006 06:33 PMArthur is resourceful, if nothing else. I think I've just banned the fourth IP he's used. Sure, he isn't being overly abusive at the moment, but now banning him become something of a sport.
:-)
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at February 4, 2006 06:47 PMAnd obviously he did not read the posts from Gary the Iranian. Seems that good ol' Gary did not know that he could be traced that way. So much for people living in caves knowing all about how we might be tracking them....
Posted by: Specter at February 4, 2006 08:40 PMArti, Artie, Artie - Or do you prefer Richard Thurston?
You know absolutely nothing about this collection program. It does not involve so-called 'taps' inside the United States, and it is not 'domestic spying' by any stretch of the imagination.
As CY noted in another piece, you think you have found a snake by feeling the outside texture, but there may just be an elephant there that is far more than you will ever comprehend from reading the main stream media's mendacious meanderings.
Posted by: Retired Spy at February 4, 2006 11:47 PMOld Spy-
You need to get out more. Domestic intelligence gathering is exactly what this is about.
Posted by: ArthurStone at February 5, 2006 10:57 AMExcept Stoned One....
When speaking of "domestic" phone calls the definition is that the calls start and end domestically. What we are actually talking about is "international" calls - one that has one end outside the country.
Stop smoking that pipe dude....get out some more...and maybe....just maybe....you could try to understand the words you are posting rather than blindly typing.....
Posted by: Specter at February 5, 2006 12:37 PMAllow me pose a question that even Artie [AKA, Richard Thurston] may be able to comprehend. I know that is a stretch, but here goes anyway....
If little Johnny has a glass jar filled with marbles and there are 1000 red marbles and 10 blue marbles, how does little Johnny describe the color composition of the marbles in the jar? Does he say they are blue marbles? Of course not, you silly one. That is exactly what the boneheaded Donks and their media associates are doing!
Why, then, do you and the media surrogates of the Donks insist on referring to the surveillance as 'domestic Intelligence gathering' or 'domestic spying?' The principal objective is to gather Intelligence from foreign al Qaeda operatives abroad and, indirectly, their contacts inside the United States. The key word there is indirectly.
There are also all sorts of other forms of Intelligence being gathered that you, Artie, cannot even imagine in your wildest dreams. None of it involves any form of domestic spying.
When you can provide solid facts to accompany your wild assertions please DO share them with us.
Posted by: Retired Spy at February 5, 2006 12:42 PM
