E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
A group of Republican senators led by Arizona Sen. John McCain sought to stir up outrage on Tuesday in hopes of having a special counsel named to investigate classified intelligence leaks from the Obama administration.
"Where is the outrage?" the senators asked at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
From left, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, take turns at the microphones to assert their belief that President Obama's administration has orchestrated disclosure of classified information for political gain, during a news conference on Capitol Hill.
"We need a special counsel. We need someone who the American people can trust, and we need to stop the leaks that are endangering the lives of those men and women who are serving our country with valor our courage. And they deserve a lot better," McCain told reporters.
McCain read excerpts of David Sanger's book that, he said, indicated senior Obama administration officials had publicly discussed classified information. He pointed to a meeting Sanger had in the presidential suite at the G20 in Pittsburgh in 2009 where officials shared intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.
"How does a person be brought up to the presidential suite and be briefed by quote 'national security personnel' unless they are at the highest level?" he asked.
McCain said the professional, non-political intelligence officers he has spoken with are "distraught" and "outraged" by the leaks.
The senators said at issue are reports about the NAVY Seal raid on Osama bin Laden, U.S. missions in Pakistan, the outinf of a Yemeni double agent and details of a cyberwar against Iran and the U.S. drone program.
McCain called the new rules to stop leaks announced by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper yesterday "important," but not enough.
The ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, said the president needs to step up his concern.
"What the president ought to be saying is, this is very damaging to the country and we're going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of it," he said.
He warned: "Is it going to take one of our sources not just having his life put in danger but being injured, who knows what else may happen to somebody out there now, before this administration gets serious about this and does get outraged? ... What's it going to take to get this administration outraged about this?"
"where is the outrage in this administration?" added Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R). "Where is there any indication that within the Obama administration officials are outraged at the criminal leaks of classified information that put our agents and our friends at risk?"
The senators are calling for a special prosecutor because they say it is nearly impossible to have an independent investigation of the leaks by U.S. attorneys who report to Attorney General Eric Holder.
"Now do we really think in spite of the capability of these two US attorneys that when you have somebody who is appointed by the administration, are they really going to be unbiased in their investigation of the administration that appointed them?" Chambliss asked.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who has clashed publicly with Holder, calling for his resignation at a Senate hearing earlier this month, said "this administration cannot be trusted to investigate itself."
Cornyn said a congressional investigation may be necessary. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has expressed support for the U.S. attorney’s investigation. She said she does not believe a special prosecutor is necessary and would take too much time.
Leave a Comment:
Silly season is officially upon us...
This list of reads like the "who's who" in the party of pale, male & stale!
*yarn*
These old coot's refuse to act on keeping student loan rates from doubling next week because they don't know how to pay for them.
But, have no problem finding millions to throw down the rat-hole when it comes to witch hunts...
I've said it before & I'll say it again the Party of NO sure has some F'd up priorities!
Could McCain look any more pathetic? Still pouting over his trouncing by Obama. This is beyond the "silly" season!
Feisty,
The same old talking points from people like you. Kind of getting boring. I promise I wont gloat when the Presidents numbers start to go down more.
Now tha tI think about it President Obama's speeches are more boring than your posts. AHHHHHHHH, UHHHHHHH, URrrrrrrrrrrr, I Hummmmmm, I singggggggggggg, and I lieeeeeeeeee.
Yep--toss out some totally stupid stuff to deflect attention from the real issues--that the TPGOP has no answers for the real problems facing this country! So the party of "fiscal responsibility" wants to waste more money on witch hunts...and how do they expect to pay for them?
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
"yarn"??
I hope your job at FR is not to "proof" articles.
These old guys are the problem.. its not 1958 ! They need to be thanked and booted out .No retirements No Benefits They have worked this gravy train some for 30+ years ..They now divide this country ..The cults no longer have the power they once had ..The people's belief's have evolved ..They realize the threat of hell or the terror terror terror no longer works to control the masses ..America has grown to hate the politicians and not trust anyone ! The people also realize that the only thing WAR does is line the pockets of the politicians who own the service company's with the NO BID CONTRACTS ! Also the politicians who take bribes from the major company's to keep a factory open in their districts. Building planes and jet engines that are no longer needed and bridges to nowhere on the taxpayers dime !
Their phony outrage is becoming annoying ! Vote these old crackers out !
We have been almost four years in the silly season.
Time to wake up.
you're right rukidding47 - almost 4 years of repub silliness. It's gotta stop.
The outrage over the intel leaks is probably in the same location that the republicans hid their outrage over Dick Cheney's outing of a covert CIA agent for political revenge. The lying hypocrisy of the republican party is just outrageous. They are true political garbage.
As far as I can tell, there is only 1 person in the entire government that is somewhat trustworthy, Bernie Sanders. Supreme Court is bribed by Corp/ People money, same for both sides of Congress. Obama has more Goldman Sachs bankers than Bush did. When I look at DC, all I see is one big money orgy, where everything is for sale.
Bluelake, You are really stupid or just like to post left wing BS. You know and everyone else does who outed Valerie Phame, who BTW, was not a covert CIA agent when outed and was not covered under the law pertaining to outing CIA agents.
I suppose, since it's Obama's Administration, you are o.k. with the intelligence leaks about Obama's "Kill list", the cyper attacks on Iran's nuclear program, and selling out the Pakistani Doctor that assisted in our killing of OBL and now is facing 33 yrs in a Pakistan Prison. BTW, the killing of OBL was a covert operation and should have remained that way, with nothing but an announcement stating he was dead and killed in a raid. The Navy Seals and other military special operations forcing do not want or need the publicity for these type of operations.
What a bunch of crybabies the GOP is, always has been and always will be.....they've lost the argument now of defending this country because Obama and the US military are kicking ass and taking names and doing a great job at it too....John McCain is still pissed he lost the election but at least he served his country, John Cornyn, well he's in the top 10 of a long list of GOP chicken hawks that inherit the halls of Congress, and then theres old Saxby Chambliss, the leader of the chicken hawks who questioned Max Cleland's patriotism, a highly decorated US Army Vietnam veteran who lost both legs and his right arm in a battle at Khe Sanh due to an exploding grenade, and served in the Senate as a moderate Democrat. What a bunch of crybabies and losers the GOP have become!!
Cronyn, McCain and Wicker probably are the anti-american teabagger traitors who leaked this info to get some political points for Mittens and blame Obama.
OMG!
Sure they are outraged now! Where was the Republican outrage when Valerie Plame was outed?
Hahaha! We all know that Dick Cheney was behind that! But that's OK. IOKIYAR!
Feisty:
Their "only" priority is to give more money to the Wealthy and get that president out of office!
Screw everyone else...
The responses from the left shows that they really have no idea as to what is going on. They still talk about Valerie Phame which was proven to be nothing but left wing BS. Why don't you lefties answer my questions about the leaks from this administration, but then in your feeble minds if it came from Obama's WH it must be good.
If I remember right didn't Senator Obama call for an independent counsel to handle the Valerie Phame leak?
Typical Liberals....always "degrading" someone or something when they cannot defend the agenda, policies, or unConstitutional behavior in this Administration.
Notice how the Liberals have said nothing about the following:
Now, if that had come from a Republican, the Left would have been up in arms and screaming "RACISM".
Talk about a party being a complete and total JOKE......it is the one and only......Democratic/Liberal/Progressive party. And the un-leadership, un-American attitude starts at the top of the DNP in the White (excuse me, Party) House.
And sfcret's posts show the hypocrisy of the right. Fake outrage when it's someone they don't like and excuses when it's one of theirs.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, BOTH parties are the 'Party of No'. Anybody who thinks the 'R' and 'D' parties are worth worshipping have a serious screw loose.
Obama made a boatload of promises to get elected, he had total control for 2 years, could have passed anything he PROMISED. Did he?
Try using your MIND and voting for smart independents and 3rd party candidates who really do have new, fresh ideas, and want to not only end the grid-lock in Washington, but want to make the Federal Government smaller and less powerful so each STATE can make most of their own rules.
Each side, left and right can have their own little havens where people are happy and productive. Making policies that make city folks happy might not work in the country, and vice-versa. Having D.C. make the decisions, with only a 'R' or 'D' idea being the only available option is just mind-numbingly stupid.
The Feds should stick to the powers in the Constitution, mainly DEFENSE and leave everything else up to the states and local communities.
Wake up people. It's the 2 PARTY SYSTEM bringing this country down. They are both responsible. Quit worshipping a political party and grow up.
I do not believe,(and I really hope), our friends on the left do not comprehend the seriousness of those leaks,first,intelligence is a "team" effort,involving, not only Us and Our allies, but carefully groomed resources in other countries, countries that do not like us and would like to see Us, ALL of Us dead,it is not a game,if Those countries or the Regimes that control Them, get an opening They will kill You and as many of Your and everyone elses loved ones as They can, IF They get the opportunity, so when the President or whomever it is he delegates, releases information for his Own political gain, to show what a tough guy He is,it doesn't take long for the Bad guys in those countries to figure out where the information came from, (and believe me, Their interrogations are a bit worse than running a little water up someones nose),bottom line,real people, Our assets, die, and when They die, it becomes very difficult to get someone to trust Us enough to take the place of that twitching pile of burnt, ground up meat, that was the last guy that trusted Us, so sources dry up, We become "blind" and openings are created, But, looking on the bright side, Our President looks tough to some voters.
WIth alll the whining by the GOP about everything it's just possible that the U.S.A> is experiencing "outrage fatigue." FOr explanation I recommmend reading "THe boy who cried Wolf"
The outrage is still in the GOP playbook planning stage. But I'm sure they'll get their white trash evangelical constituents fired up to take up the brainwashed cultist chant for their Mormon hero. To bring others ignorant of their fate into the light of their ultra-conservative NaziNeoCon Cult. The outrage is that these people can still say to others without shame that they have any morals whatsoever.
What was the name of that party that usurped the Federalist Party? Ohh yea, I believe it was the "Democratic-Republicans". You people who do the us vs. them are friggin stupid. Learn to read a book, and then review history. No wonder we have to keep repeating it, because most of you are too stupid to even know what was going on, to try and stop from going back to the same policies that keep getting us killed and enslaved. Maybe you should do away with child labor laws, I mean let's be real, who needs an education to work in a factory, coal mine or on a farm? All you need to know is how too do the one little thing they teach you in assembly line work, anything more and you might be considered dangerous to the state.
Wheres the outrage? I have nothing but contempt for Congress Issa you are first on the list. Time will come when all you bought and paid for in Congress will be run out of Washington by some really outraged Americans. Start sharping your pitch forks Americans. We are loosing our country for MONEY.
Time will come when all the rivers are poisoned, fish all gone, air not fit to breathe, only them they will find they can not eat money.
At one time I had a lot of respect for John McCain. I would have voted for him had he won the nomination in 2000. But when he sucked up to Bush, choose an idiot as his running mate, and sided with the worst elements of his party -- that respect vanished. Today he's nothing but a bitter, nasty old man.
Hey, they didn't expose the identity of an undercover CIA agent for political gain.
Where is the outrage? Probably the same place it was when these same people thought it was just fine for Cheney/Bush and company to out a CIA operative.
They didn't much care about THAT now did they?
Still throwing mud to see what sticks. Must be frustrating to be a rwnj these days.
Sorry, newdayDAWNING. I should have read comments before posting mine, below, which is almost word-for-word what you said. Great minds & all that.
Well as I recall Scooter Libby was convicted of that, and went to jail
Bears repeating,PchBanApple, no apology necessary!
janet-489369: Cheney was furious about that & Bush commuted his sentence because despite being convicted of 4 felonies, in the eyes of Republicans, Libby hadn't done anything wrong.
He never spent a day in jail. His sentence was immediately commuted by Bush. They all covered Cheney's ass.
newday-I echo PchBanApple.
newdayDawning, stop with the smoke screen or at least know what you are talking about before posting. The Democrats' outrage was based on a secretary, Valerie Plame, being exposed as working for the CIA, as a secretary. She was never in danger, but the Democrats acted like someone dropped an atomic bomb. If there is something to hide, we can expect our President to pull the Executive Privilege card out of his pocket. That thing is getting pretty worn out, but Obama only has to use it for about 5 more months.
Yep! Took the hit for Dick Cheney! Let's face it: we all know who did it and why. Scooter will be living well after he gets out.
Jaysus, you people never learn, do you? What is that, Glenn Beck's story, LanikaiRon?
Join us in the 21st century. Women are no longer relegated to be "just secretaries". And Ms. Plame certainly was not one.
Lanikai Ron: Glad you are out of your years-long coma. When you get around to reading about the Plame affair, you will find that it was a rightwing columnist, Robert Novak, who first identified her in print as a CIA operative, not as a CIA secretary, & that the lie the wingnuts invented about her was that she got her husband the assignment to Niger, which enabled him to find & expose the Bush administration lies abour the Niger yellow cake. You going to stick with your story that a secretary could have gotten her husband that assignment?
Lanikai Ron, you are mis-informed. Where in the world did you get 'secretary'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Plame#cite_note-Jones-25
Undercover agent in at least two positions.
Various professional roles.
Junior Consular.
Control Officer.
Energy Consultant.
Deep cover officer.
She helped coordinate Bush's visit to Greece and Turkey in 1991.
And as far as danger she was privy to classified information that included a Presidential visit. That is always a danger, either to the person or due to the result of that information getting into the wrong hands.
Btw, Plame's investigations and those of her husband turned out to be reliable and that kind of information could have kept us from war with Iraq. So I'd say the real danger was due to the Bush administration ignoring intel and using political power to suppress opposition. A whole lot of people actually died because of that.
And this has what to do with the economy?
As much to do with the economy as the your ass-umption that Jesus was a liberal I guess.
Why, it is just like the Republican lie that Obama is somehow responsible for the current economy. It is another Republican lie - just like all the other Republican lies!
Why that is true, LanikaiRon: Didn't you know that? The man who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance, a Christian Socialist, one Frances Bellamy wrote a sermon about it.
EEngineer....."Why, it is just like the Republican lie that Obama is somehow responsible for the current economy. It is another Republican lie - just like all the other Republican lies!"
When an individual is sworn in as President of the United States of America, he/she assumes responsibility for ALL domestic and International affairs....PERIOD.
However, it took Mr. Obama about SEVEN months into the Presidency to announce that he HAD POSSESSION OF, and RESPONSIBILITY FOR, THE ECONOMY:
So, your above comments are nothing more than....you said it.....LIES.
Back to my "Truth Squad" meeting.
Lanikai ron
Your statement shows that you have not read the new testament.
So funny: "concern" of ALL the people in the world, to be talking about boring posts.
Feisty: where do you come up with stalkers like this?
newday, Concern never has anything to add to the topic but certainly enjoys picking on posters.
HI, Layton: Absolutely true!
I wish I knew so I could return them for a full refund! ☺
Feisty - you should get a refund PLUS!!! Gosh they really come out of the woodwork don't they?
I'm telling ya - these new hybrid trolls multiply faster than rabbit's! lol
What a complete waste of time. It seems that the President can't do anything that doesn't spark some insane controversy. It's pathetic. The short term memory of our nation is sickening and depressing. I am so tired of this carousel that the U.S. seems to be stuck on. It's a broken record playing the same regurgitated talking points over and over. Some of you get it but the majority of you are just children trying to act like you know what the adults in the room are talking about. Progress has always been made through compromise and the humility to understand that no one has the right answers for everything. The idea that anything is better than what we have is a game for fools. I'd like to say that those fools would learn their lesson after it blows up in their face but unfortunately history has proven that to be false, see the Bush Jr years for clarification. All your lame justifications and rationalizations will have real consequences but I guess you won't have to live through the America you created or you can just blame the next guy in line who tries to clean up your mess with zero gratitude.
Dan Austin, Tx, well said! Why we keep trying the same failed policies in hopes of a different outcome is beyond me. Clinton had to clean up the Reagan and Bush 41 mess but at least compromise was not a 4-letter word then; Obama is trying to clean up the Bush 43 and getting zero cooperation.
"What experience and history teach is this; that people and governments have never learned anything from history." Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Sen. John McCain announced he would suspend his campaign today and return to Washington to....
Oh, wait a minute - that was just another grandstanding moment!
Ursula - you didn't take your memory-erasing pills! Don't you know, we aren't talking about pre-2009 anymore! Republicans existed in 2008? It never happened! President Obama has been on office since 2000!
Why no outrage? Simple - Valerie Plame. The GOP has to learn when they screw with the system, the public tends to ignore when the other guy does the same thing. Plus, do they really think that most Americans are upset to learn there are "kill lists?" We've been pretty desensitized by the Patriot Act.
The Bush Administration had their Wanted Dead or Alive list based on a deck of cards or something. It should come as no surprise to anyone in the years following 9/11 that the US has "kill lists". I mean, no one had to tell me such a list existed. Apparently these 3 old guys lack common sense.
Now this is grandstanding or pandering by 3 old men who are in the twilight of there political lives. What a sad way to end there years in office. On a witch hunt.
You can tell these guys aren't computer scientists - the critical info about the cyber war was extracted from the virus code by hackers - very good hackers to be sure, but no leaks were required to fully understand how these worms work and where they originated. Fact is there's very little you can keep from a very good hacker and no amount of investigation will change that. No actual leaks are required when there's fingerprints all over the code.
That picture is the essence of "pale, male and stale"!
The only thing that would totally complete it if Borin' Orrin' were there ... but alas he's home in a Primary race for the first time since elected in 1976! Talk about more than stale ... he's bone dead dry.
You want healthcare? Fine. Pay for it. Nothing in life is free...we give enough money to deadbeats...
Exactly the point. HCR will cause people to pay for their own insurance. Turn off Fox "news".
You are absolutely right!
Dick Cheney just paid for a heart transplant. Goddamn lucky he had all those years as VP feeding Halliburton to pay for it, wasn't he?
America! Best laws that money can buy!
Hmmm, wonder where the GOP outrage was at intel leaks during the Bush years? I always find it odd that legislators are quick to jump on intelligence leaks when their committee members generally do the leaking.
This is like Relay for Life except its Relay for Romney. A bunch of people doing useless things, like walking circles, and raising money for their charitable cause. Issa is walking the first leg followed by the motley crew (above). Who will be next to trot out some meaningless tripe to raise money from the ignorant?
Where's the outrage? It's in the same place as the outrage over Cheney outing a CIA operative specializing in WMDs, ending her career & endangering her foreign contacts, to exact revenge on her husband for exposing Bush administration lies about yellow cake from Niger.
When VP Cheney leaked intel and endangered a CIA operative and got off scott free; what's that tell you about equality and justice.
10 to 1 it was a republican that leaked the intel.
And just how would a Republican be at an inner circle White House Intel meeting???
I'm fine with that. But we must find out. I do remember former Defense Secy Gates stormed into the situatuin room and said directly to Obama's chief advisor "Shut the F--- Up".
FINALLY!!!! It's about time the left wing media at least reported this. The WH leaks makes Fast & Furious and Solyndra small potatos. This one is TREASON. And letting the fox (Holder) guard the hen house (White House) is completely absurd. I really think the contempt, special privelege, etc of F&F has taken too much attention away from this far more serious scandal.
if there ever was an outrage, John McCain is it... along with the other GOP hack senators
Sorry, but the TP-GOP has used up all of my "outrage" for the next several years by futzing around with phony issues, fake patriotism, and corporate pandering. I'm plumb out.
Aww, man, I was gonna say that. But you did it better anyway. Good job!
coop, you are more than welcome to borrow some of my total lack of outrage anytime you don't need it.
Actually, the Republicans in the Senate have been leaking intelligence for years. That's why they act the way they do; their intelligence done all leaked out.
You would never know from these comments that Romney and B.O. are in a dead heat and Romney hasn't even been nominated yet!
What a sick joke this crowd is!
When Obama said he'd have the most transparent administration in history. I mistakenly thought he meant to the people of the United States, not our enemies.
This Panderer in Chief is not just an Amateur regarding our economy, he will do whatever it takes to remain in power, no matter how much harm he brings to our security.
"...no matter how much harm he brings to our security."
Yeah, make sure to mention that point to the countless Talibani who are now pushing up poppies thanks to the efforts of a decisive president who at least knows where the enemy are and who they are, unlike his clueless predecessor.
obama is the enemy...aginst the usa
And you, sir or madam, are the enemy of the English language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
and you are a doushe bag lib who will sell your own children to support the loser in chief
When you post, you'll notice at the extreme right side of the Enter Your Comment window an icon (that's "picture" to you) with a check mark and an ABC superscripted (that's "placed above" to you). It's called a spell checker. You may want to try using it. But I bet you won't.
Hahahaha! Oh, you mean like sending Pakistan $Billions because they are "our partners in the war on terror" while bin Laden lives less than 3 miles from their largest military school for 6 years? And then Obama finds him and gets him killed!
Yeah, like that?
obama is a kock suckin loser,whos soul purpose is to destroy america...period
Back away from the keyboard before you hurt yourself.
with all the corruption in government today, leaks seem trivial, that and the fact they are common place and have been for years.
Yeah, who cares about national security , the lives of our operatives in the field and the ability to conduct future operations, as long as the leaks are designed to aid Obama's reelection campaign? What could possibly be more important than that?
Hmmm, Valerie Plame... who cares about the lives of our operatives in the field and the ability to conduct future operations when personal vendetta is the goal, eh?
But that's OK! IOKIYAR!
The fact that you mention the name Valerie Plame indicates the level of media interest in that happening... The fact is that the doctor and his staff who identified OBL via DNA are now serving long jail terms in Pakistan due to a leak.. all you libs were going crazy over waterboarding.. however the killing of folks via drone is OK (we are only killing "terrorists").. All of you liberals are attacking the messenger rather than talking about the leaks... what exactly does Valerie Plame have to do with the Doctor getting 33 years in a Pakistani jail? or the SEAL leaks? or the "kill list"? PLEASE EXPLAIN
dont mess with texsas (or is it Texas) or can you even spell it? The days of your old,white cracker limp d!ck friends calling the shots in this country are coming to an end.
Cut Federal Aid (State Welfare) off to Texas and it will shut down within a week