These are remarks made in 1999 by George Bush, the father of our current President, speaking at the CIA. I have added emphasis to parts of this.
Some people think, “what do we need intelligence for?” My answer to that is we have plenty of enemies. Plenty of enemies abound. Unpredictable leaders willing to export instability or to commit crimes against humanity. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, narco-trafficking, people killing each other, fundamentalists killing each other in the name of God. These and more. Many more. As our analysts know, as our collectors of intelligence know – these are our enemies.
To combat them we need more intelligence, not less. We need more human intelligence. That means we need more protection for the methods we use to gather intelligence and more protection for our sources, particularly our human sources, people that are risking their lives for their country. (Applause)
Even though I’m a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors.
Do you suppose that applies to the White House that chose to out CIA agent Valerie Plame – that is, this current White House? Whether it was done for political revenge or as part of interior Administration turf wars, that act has an odor of treason – certainly more so than Clinton’s private failings as a husband.
Visits: 31
