Jane Harman new CIA Director?

[Johnny2X2X]

Last edited Tue Nov 27, 2012, 03:59 PM - Edit history (1)

This is a strong possibility.

I usually just spread news I hear, this time, I have an actual source that has the scoop. Jane Harmon may have been told she will get this position. Don't know a ton about her, but she'll surely outrage the Right.

[Mass]

1. They will probably be happy if it is the case. I doubt it though.

[Odin2005]

2. Will never happen, the CIA is a white male Christian ol' boys club.

[hlthe2b]

3. No... She's a Joe Lieberman type (of Democrat)...

the RW will be just fine with her. Not sure about the CIA, though

As for me,
BLEH.....

[bluestate10]

23. She is to the Left of Joe. But she is definitely a Centrist. I don't have issue with her being

appointed to lead the CIA. I would like to see Jim Webb or Wesley Clark at Defense, I think both will find ways to cut that department's budget efficiently and won't raise hairs doing it.

[JackRiddler]

40. How is she to the left of anything? When was she ever? Show us.

Remember, we're talking about CIA - not a domestic agency. So her domestic or social politics don't matter.

Tell us ways in which she ever deviated from the full-Cheney neocon program that would show she is to the "left" of anyone. When did she oppose a military program? A war? A proposed covert action? An escalation? A provision like the Military Commissions Act or the 2012 NDAA Sec. 1021-22? When did she contradict a lie about Iran? A lie about Iraq? (Afterwards doesn't count.)

[bluestate10]

24. Harman has extensive intelligence experience. The CIA should be fine with her because

many of the permanent people there have testified before committees that Harman was on. She is pretty well respected in intelligence circles. My guess is that Panetta recommended her.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Source

My source said he heard her tell her dinner companions this last night, that she will be named the New CIA Director.

[Skidmore]

7. And you are who that anyone should believe you and your "source?"

[Johnny2X2X]

13. Nobody special

But, my friend did in fact here a conversation that indicated she is getting the job.

Take it or leave it. We'll know if my source was right soon enough.

[godai]

28. Good response. Thanks for the rumor. n/t

[Enrique]

14. she seems a little chatty

for a potential CIA director. Did she have a few cocktails maybe?

[Hekate]

29. That does seem a little odd for someone as experienced as she

I tend to doubt the source of this secondhand gossip -- the source may have his own agenda.

[Johnny2X2X]

32. According to him

Her friends were openly asking her about it and her response was "ahem, I can't discuss it at this time" with a big shit eating grin on here face. It was pretty obvious that she was with friends and they were out celebrating.

[Hekate]

34. She "can't discuss it at this time"? That was the Big Reveal?

Uh, Johnny, that was politics. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

And then one of those friends blabbed, and the rumor took off.

We'll see.

[kooljerk666]

5. I hate her...........

and am mad at Lynn Woolsey for helping her.

In Congress, Harman is known as a hawkish Blue Dog. The Almanac of American Politics (sub. req’d) describes her record as “the most conservative of Democrats from Los Angeles.” She was challenged from the left in recent elections by the progressive Marcy Winograd, who criticized Harman over her support for the Iraq war and general backing of post-9/11 surveillance and security methods put in place by the Bush administration.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/report-jane-harman-leaving-congress-special-election-coming.php

Lynn Woolsey who was in the Progressive Caucus helped Harman instead of Marcy Winograd. Yea I have heard "we help incumbents it's what we do."

Well fuckin stop it, blue dog dems are worse than the GOP & deserve nothing but ________ (fill in the blank).

[countmyvote4real]

6. I agree.

Bleh.

[godai]

26. Me too. n/t

[Hekate]

31. "Blue dog Dems are worse than..." sheesh. Leave purity tests to the GOP

Please.

House of Reps seats are by district. Districts -- even when not gerrymandered -- tend to be largely conservative, liberal, or centrist. The people who win elections there reflect that.

Are you following the logic here?

Take Michelle Bachmann (please). A liberal Democrat has a snowball's chance in Hell of winning her seat away from he in her district. However, a Blue Dog Democrat might. And then the Dems would have one more seat in the House.

Still with me?

So which would you rather have? Michelle Bachmann or a putative Blue Dog Democrat? A batshit crazy Tea Party loyalist and birther, or someone you can conceivably work with?

[kooljerk666]

37. I'd rather be screwed by the enemy team, thanks..............

Blue dogs are tools that alleged "liberal" dems use to screw the population.

[MotherPetrie]

8. The CIA director is by definition a sleezebag, so this fits

[Cicada]

9. On national security she's from the Dick Cheney wing of Democratic Party

[JackRiddler]

10. "Outrage the right?" She is the right!

Besides that professionally "the right" specializes in being outraged at all things done by anyone who is not officially "the right," it's absurd to imply Jane Harman is somehow on "the left" simply due to party affiliation.

Jane Harman's 2008 financing:

Top 5 Contributors, 2007-2008, Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC
Contributor Total Indivs PACs
Northrop Grumman $32,000 $17,000 $15,000
Blue Dog PAC $20,000 $0 $20,000
Physical Optics Corp $19,000 $19,000 $0
Boeing Co $17,500 $2,500 $15,000
Edison International $17,250 $7,250 $10,000

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?type=C&cid=N00006750&newMem=N&cycle=2008

Sadly she was not in the end swallowed up in the AIPAC spying scandal of a few years ago.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/the_harman-aipac_story_a_timeline.php

- Among the worst Democratic enablers and in fact cheerleaders of the Bush regime
- Among the worst of the total homeland non-stop terror-panic propaganda warriors
- Among the top 5 recipients of campaign cash from military-industrial contractors
- Always all the way with Pentagon and CIA
- I believe the absolute richest member of Congress
- "Blue Dog" PAC favorite
- Remember H.R. 1955, the Jane Harman Thought Crimes Act of 2007? Okay, I made up the title, it was called the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" and actually passed the House 403-4 before stalling.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5502013#5503984

[godai]

30. Yet she gets some support here.

Are these people unaware of the Bush years?

[cascadiance]

42. I hate to say this, but I'd almost favor Ron Paul in this position over her...

At least Paul has been shown for valuing more public accountability of wrongdoing in the intelligence industry, unlike Harman of the past. And in a position like that, he'd be less able to affect policies where Libertarians could be damaging to our government. In my book, that would be more "bipartisanship" in a better direction, if Obama wants to have that in his administration.

Check out articles like this and ask yourself if you REALLY want someone like her leading our intelligence efforts...

http://www.salon.com/2009/04/20/harman/

And in her efforts to stop the NY Times from publishing an article on wiretapping, and succeeding in blocking it until after the election, might have helped Bush get reelected in 2004.

http://www.alternet.org/story/137698/confirmed%3A_rep._jane_harman_tried_to_kill_nsa_wiretapping_story_--_may_have_swayed_2004_election

In my book, Harman is NOT a Democrat! She's as DINO as it gets!

Just say NO to her nomination. I remember being thankful that she didn't get the nomination earlier when Leon Panetta got it instead, and he wasn't that great himself. Articles on the decision early on to hire Panetta over Harman when she was pushed by the Blue Dog/corporatist establishment earlier...

http://www.meforum.org/blog/obama-mideast-monitor/2009/01/why-obama-passed-over-jane-harman-for-cia

http://my.firedoglake.com/phoenix/tag/cia/

And as someone misspelled her name as Harmon, I'd like to say that she's anything but "Charmin' J. Harmon" (as Bloom County's character was called after a local Iowa City DJ when I lived there).

[JackRiddler]

43. Obviously. It's one of the few places where Paul could do some good.

I hope people look at those links. I was unaware of her involvement in the great NYT delay on revealing the Bush warrantless wiretapping program (part of TIA 2.0), which was a key influence on the 2004 election result. Disgusting.

[JackRiddler]

11. Also, it's Harman, with two a's.

Sources with inside information should at least be able to spell the name.

[coalition_unwilling]

12. I distrust OP's that don't spell the name of the person correctly: "Jane Harman" - n/t

[kentuck]

15. The right loves her.

She is the very worst candidate for the job.

[bigdarryl]

16. She's a FUCKING BLUE DOG!!! we don't need anymore of them

[bigtree]

17. she's an establishment, conservacrat

Last edited Tue Nov 27, 2012, 02:09 PM - Edit history (1)

. . . likely a bone to allow Rice to gain the number of republicans needed for her advancement. Harman is a defense industry darling. Smart lady, and a strong advocate, but she's been a 'moderate' on defense and foreign policy matters. I'm not sure where the 'outrage' will come from, but I can't see the 'right' opposing her in any big way.

[EC]

18. She's a hawk.

So yeah, I believe it.

[bluestate10]

22. She is a centrist. nt

[KamaAina]

19. Ick.

FAIL.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

20. Oh, GAWD, NO.

I thought we were rid of her.

[bluestate10]

21. Harman is a centrist democrat and longtime Congresswoman. She led the House Intelligence

Committee and was a longtime ranking member. She is highly qualified.

[JackRiddler]

35. She is a pro-war extremist.

"Centrist" is a bullshit label, often used to disguise extremists when they happen to be the establishment.

She also got herself involved as an accomplice in the AIPAC spying scandal.

[kooljerk666]

39. Agree 200%..............

Jane Harman Recorded On Wiretap Promising to Intervene for AIPAC, Say Sources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/jane-harman-recorded-on-w_n_188795.html

http://www.salon.com/2009/04/20/harman/

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/20/on_jane_harman_aipac_the_nsa_etc

[KoKo]

45. +1 .....What an awful pick she would be...

[Zorra]

25. Oh, please, no! Maybe those conspiracy theories about secret prisons were true after all.

[Little Star]

27. Say it ain't so.

[Coyotl]

33. In Congress she hasd been strient about oversight and reporting.

This would be a move in a very different direction than Petraeus and at the same time, also an outsider to the CIA.

This seems unlikely on the face of it. I'm sure she's not the most experienced person for command of secret wars.

[JackRiddler]

44. She's as much a CIA "outsider" as Bush Sr. was in 1976.

She's madame carte blanche, and doubtless compromised to the hilt. Will make a perfect tool in the hands of the operations division.

[Coyotl]

46. Bush Sr. was CIA long, long before.

A Conn. Yankee goes to Texas to start a petroleum company and names it for a revolutionary hero. Think about it for two seconds! Oil platforms in the gulf are notorious, law-free zones for operations.

[JackRiddler]

48. And in what way has Harman ever failed to be CIA?

She is as owned by this mob as anyone in Congress ever was. Does it matter what the precise nature of her affiliation is? If she's a mere fan, in what way has she ever deviated from the narrow interests of protecting this organization and giving it everything possible?

[Coyotl]

50. Why the rant?

You might want to take a closer look at the facts.

[JackRiddler]

57. I know about Bush.

And just like he was from the milieu, so too Harman - whether or not either was ever official.

[Johnny2X2X]

36. Hmm

Sucks most on here don't like her, I had no idea who she was before I got a text from my friend. When I talked to him he described what he heard. Nothing more than that from a good friend.

From what I hear, I hope the group was just blowing smoke and it's not going to happen.

[hrmjustin]

38. Interesting idea, but she is to the right of many democrats.

[flashsmith99]

41. She was outed by Sibel Edmonds

How can she possibly be under consideration? Brad Blog

[lunatica]

47. Didn't she want to pass some asinine legislation about people thinking a few years ago?

If she did this makes total sense. The CIA has done much research on people thinking. Especially the mind control type of thinking. It would be a perfect fit.

[butterfly77]

49. No.

The right loves her she is a bluedog who,always goes along with the republiCONS and their buzzword for her is: "Terra"terra"Terra"!!! and she'll jump right in line.

[sabrina 1]

51. Female Joe Lieberman, war monger, Dino.

Do we not have any Progressives in this party? Why are all the names being put forward either Republicans or like Harman, Republican Lite?

[Cleita]

52. I know of her and she is a New Democrat type (slightly left of center),

but I don't know what kind of experience she has to bring to the CIA. I thought she was lawyer.

[TheKentuckian]

53. What center is that Cheney or Reagan?

[Cleita]

56. Probably Reagan. LOL!

Yes, we know the center has moved way to the right.

[Johonny]

54. Sounds good to me

she was always strong on support my industry and her district.

[leveymg]

55. Jane was forced to resign her seat on the Intel Comm. after FBI recorded a talk w/ the Mossad Chief

in Washington in which she promised to "waddle into" the OSP-AIPAC spy case and get charges reduced. In exchange, she delivered a favor to the Bush Administration of voting for its surveillance Bill. She is regarded as an agent of influence for Israel, but was never prosecuted. See below.

While I've seen this CIA appointment rumored, it makes no sense that she'd now be considered for CIA Director.

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/20/on_jane_harman_aipac_the_nsa_etc

For those of you coming in late: Jeff Stein at Congressional Quarterly has a bombshell story that the NSA monitored a 2005 conversation between Rep. Jane Harman and a suspected "Israeli agent," in which Harmon allegedly said she would "waddle in" to the ongoing AIPAC espionage case to get the charges reduced in exchange for AIPAC's help in helping her retain her influential position on the Intel Commmittee. Stein also reports that Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez later quashed a DOJ investigation into this incident in order to secure Harman's support for the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

If true, this incident is another vivid reminder of the problems created by the "special relationship," to include the web of connections between pro-Israel lobbyists, politicians who are beholden to them, and (allegedly) Israeli intelligence.

[Raine]

58. UGH, she was my congresswoman, I thought I had seen the

last of her ... please say it aint so.