Organizing for America | Ray McGovern's Blog: It's a Deal Breaker for This Intelligence Officer

It's a Deal Breaker for This Intelligence Officer

By Ray McGovern - Jul 4th, 2008 at 1:37 am EDT

Also listed in: President Obama, Please Get FISA Right

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Following is response to Sen. Obama's email of earlier today (Thursday). (For convenience, his email is pasted in below mine.)
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July 3, 2008

Dear Senator Obama,

I speak from 30 years of experience in intelligence work. I don't know who actually briefed you on the eavesdropping legislation, but the bill is unnecessary for intelligence collection and POISON for our civil liberties--not even to mention the unconscionable retroactive immunity provision.

You have made a big mistake, Senator, in indicating you intend to vote for it. There is still time to change your mind. That's what big people do.

Your penultimate paragraph seals it for me. What you are saying relies not on principle--and still less on respect for the law, or respect for our Constitutional rights.

What I hear you saying is an all too familiar refrain: "Tough s___, progressive voter. You know you've got nowhere else to go. You want McCain in there?"

A painful reminder that the Republicans have no corner on arrogance. You think you have us over a barrel. Well let me tell you something those suits from K Street haven't told you; you need our active support, and you are about to blow it.

Your "explanation" was unworthy of one who has sworn to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States (including the Fourth Amendment).

And your attitude is not that of a person I THOUGHT was different--and would be genuinely for change I could believe in.

We live just a couple of miles from where George Mason is buried. (As you may remember, professor of the Constitution that you have been, Mason actually refused to approve the Constitution--although he and fellow Virginian James Madison had pretty much drafted it--BECAUSE IT LACKED THE BILL OF RIGHTS).

Well, the air is still this evening. Our windows are open and George Mason can be heard tossing and turning in his grave, loudly moaning. Yes, moaning.

I went over to his grave; between the moans he explained that he had just heard of your plan to play fast and loose with his beloved Bill of Rights. "Hard to enjoy the Fourth tomorrow with the Constitution being shredded Right and Left," he whispered.

Remember, Senator, what Emerson said about those unable to change their "little" minds. Beware the K Street hobgoblins!

Again: Dissing us by the "So-you-want-McCain?" riposte is unworthy. Not only is it clear that you are "mis-underestimating" us but, frankly, I find it insulting.

Please get back on track.

Respectfully,

Ray McGovern
US Army Infantry/Intelligence Officer: 1962-64
CIA Analyst, 1964-1990
Co-Founder, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)

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Barack's response on BarackObama.com

Submitted by Terry Danielson on July 3, 2008 - 5:32pm.

Barack is on the road today, but he wrote a response that he asked be posted on the blog. You'll find it below.

Here's the note from Barack:
I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.

This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping.

This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.

But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any President or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people.

But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility.

The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted. It will allow a close look at past misconduct without hurdles that would exist in federal court because of classification issues. The recent investigation uncovering the illegal politicization of Justice Department hiring sets a strong example of the accountability that can come from a tough and thorough IG report.

The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer. Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise. I do so with the firm intention -- once I'm sworn in as President -- to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future.

Now, I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I'm happy to take my lumps on this side and elsewhere. For the truth is that your organizing, your activism and your passion is an important reason why this bill is better than previous versions. No tool has been more important in focusing peoples' attention on the abuses of executive power in this Administration than the active and sustained engagement of American citizens. That holds true -- not just on wiretapping, but on a range of issues where Washington has let the American people down.

I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable. I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too. I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue.

But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country. That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as President of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country's destiny.

Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok. But I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have. After all, the choice in this election could not be clearer. Whether it is the economy, foreign policy, or the Supreme Court, my opponent has embraced the failed course of the last eight years, while I want to take this country in a new direction. Make no mistake: if John McCain is elected, the fundamental direction of this country that we love will not change. But if we come together, we have an historic opportunity to chart a new course, a better course.

So I appreciate the feedback through my.barackobama.com, and I look forward to continuing the conversation in the months and years to come. Together, we have a lot of work to do.

END

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Would that he would listen to you. | Report to Admin

By Jul 4th 2008 at 2:02 am EDT

Ah but the words you chose -- arrogance, over a barrel, nowhere else to go -- define the situation so well.

Ultimately, we do have other roads to choose. Obama is convinced we will not take them. Solid, dead-to-rights, convinced.

But when all is said and done, he's not the only game in town. And we all may have to take the low, hard road to saving this nation.

I don't understand... | Report to Admin

By Scott Williamson Jul 4th 2008 at 2:25 am EDT

So you would throw health care, the war in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, a more balanced economy, and the environment all out the window?

Seriously, Obama has run an incredibly honest campaign by most standards. He has been frank and forthcoming. And yes, when he feels that liberal orthodoxy doesn't cut it, he has cut his own path, whether its on teaching, gun rights, or the death penalty. But he still shares essentially the same vision as you regarding where this country needs to go.

I'm not defending the FISA vote. But keep the bigger picture in mind, please.

I share Ray McGovern's sentiments | Report to Admin

By Kaun from Henderson, NV Jul 8th 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

I am also a former intelligence officer, although not with Ray's credentials nor experience.

Still, the entire Bush administration association with intelligence has been an abuse of what was right about intelligence, and an exaggeration of what was wrong about it.

The Bush administration has consistently accepted what it wanted to believe about Iraq, and rejected what it didn't want to believe. It even set up it's own, private intelligence agency to insure that it would accomplish these ends. These are the original sins of the intelligence business, guaranteed to ruin the objectivity needed to make valid intelligence assessments.

The Bush administration tries to make the claim, both as the administration and through its cronies in the press, that the administration is not at fault for what happened in Iraq, that the intelligence was faulty. This is horseshit. We had months of U.N. inspection teams, directed by the best U.S. intelligence, scouring Iraq for signs of WMDs. None, absolutely none save for a couple of Gulf War relics, were ever found. The Bush lie was about how clever Saddam was. The plain fact is that the infrastructure required to maintain these weapons positively insured we would have found them if they were there.

When I worked at NSA, the organization was meticulous about following the law, and the specifics of the law were drilled into every employee in a position to encounter it. I don't know what happened at NSA since, but for that organization to have violated FISA laws in the way it did represents a major breakdown in the organizational structure of the organization. My sense is that it happened from the top down, with a politization of the director and the transfer of the politization downward. The kind of politization that has permeated every department of government since the Bush administration got control.

The original FISA laws provided adequate oversight of the use of foreign and domestic intelligence, while appropriately protecting the rights of individuals. We should return to those laws, or others more restrictive. For those who don't realize it, U.S. agreements with foreign governments give the government nearly complete access to U.S. citizen communications in any event.

Ray McGovern needed to speak at Auburn University | Report to Admin

By Mike from Auburn, AL Jul 8th 2008 at 2:26 pm EDT

Does anyone know how i can contact Ray McGovern to ask him to speak at Auburn University? Please contact me at mulvamj@auburn.edu

Thank you!

mike

Content on blogs in My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign.