Betrayal

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, are suing Vice President Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, and presidential adviser Karl Rove because they engaged in a “whispering campaign” to destroy her career.

Plame said, “I and my former colleagues trusted the government to protect us in our jobs.” The lawsuit accuses the defendants of putting the Wilson’s lives at risk as well as the lives of their children by exposing her CIA role in retaliation for an article Wilson wrote critical of the Bush administrations justification for war in Iraq.

Plame’s identity as a CIA officer was revealed in a July 14, 2003 article by columnist Robert Novak—a sour journalist called “The Prince of Darkness.” His column appeared eight days after Wilson alleged in an opinion piece in The New York Times that the Bush administration had twisted prewar intelligence on Iraq to justify going to war.

Wilson said, “We are under no illusions about how tough this fight will be. But we believe the time has come to hold those who use their official positions to exact personal revenge accountable and responsible for their actions.”

Don’t call me for jury duty. I have an opinion. I don’t know the legalities, but I know my values I believe the defendants are guilty as charged. I might be wrong; but I doubt it. I wasn’t born yesterday. I believe they are guilty because the best predictor of future behavior is relevant past behavior, and the Bush administration has a history of venomous attacks on critics. They have refined the art of scapegoating to cover their arrogant incompetence. Rove is the architect of those attacks and Cheney the poster boy for the dark side and the abuse of presidential power.

I was a Secret Service agent from 1968-1972 and spent two years on the counterfeit squad in Chicago, Illinois. Some of my friends and colleagues worked undercover. They pretended to be “bad guys” so they could uncover crimes and criminals. I even went undercover once. I was excited to do it; however, my youthful college appearance didn’t quite fit the image of a potential purchaser of counterfeit money in Chicago.

If undercover agents are identified, their lives and the lives of others are put in danger. If undercover agents are “outed” by supposed “good guys” no one will want to work undercover and an effective tactic for fighting crime and corruption would be lost.

As one who once worked in the world of undercover agents, I take a harsh view of people who would reveal identities for political purposes. It is an ultimate act of betrayal.

Is such a person a traitor to our nation?

It is not a good time to be a truth-teller in our society. Arrogant incompetence is a fractal pattern at all levels of our institutions and organizations made acceptable by the Bush administration’s cronyism and righteous defensiveness. The villains protect themselves from the truth by scapegoating others. Retaliation is often swift and costly.

It is increasingly difficult for good people to do good work in the dark times in which we live. This is exactly the time for good people to speak up and express themselves at the ballot box in November. Vote for competence and integrity regardless of political party.

I suggest we turn this case over to Jack Bauer to investigate. He'll get to the truth.


Tom Heuerman, Ph.D. is a former U.S. Secret Service agent, senior executive at the Star Tribune newspaper, and has been a writer, coach, and consultant since 1994.

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