UNCOVERING THE PARTISAN HACKS

11 former CIA agents wrote a letter to House and Senate leaders from both parties providing some much-needed clarification regarding Valerie Plame's NOC status pre-Rove, in the process taking Michael Medved, John Gibson and Roy Blunt over their collective knee for their ignorant nonsense.

The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who “work at a desk” in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.

While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation’s security.

We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation’s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers.

Link via Marshall.