CIA Fires Officer
NYT –
“A C.I.A. officer has been fired for unauthorized contact with the media and for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information,” said a C.I.A. spokesman, Paul Gimigliano. “This is a violation of the secrecy agreement that is the condition of employment with C.I.A. The officer has acknowledged the contact and the disclosures.”
Specifically “Mary O. McCarthy, a veteran intelligence analyst” was fired for leaking the secret prisons story and other assorted tidbits. It is, however, a complicated situation – the release of such information caused the US to lose the moral highground (as did engaging in such activities in the first place) , but also served to illustrate several key faults – the lack of effectively adapting to the new world of information, an inability to garner real effective HUMINT, and inability to adapt to fighting 4GW.
On the other hand, the populace was more informed and the media came out on top (several of the leaked stories won Pulitzers).
All in all, this is just another step along an evolutionary trajectory with both sides of the argument in a state of flux.
-Shlok
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