Political Quotes

“I thank the minority leader. Madam President, I want to raise this point: If you can't discuss the issue of intelligence and security on a bill about homeland security, where would you raise the issue? What we are talking about here are men and women who are the first line of defense against terrorism. These are intelligence agents who literally, many of them, risk their lives every day to protect Americans. What happened here? There was a decision made by some people in the White House--that is what Mr. Novak said--to disclose the identity of a covert CIA agent, the wife of former Ambassador Joe Wilson, for the purpose of political retribution. That is what it was all about. They were angry with Ambassador Wilson, and so they were going to disclose his wife's identity, a woman who had put her life on the line for the United States. That disclosure endangered her life and the lives of everyone she worked with. It was political. The Senator from Minnesota is right. At the heart of this is politics: a decision by someone in the White House at the highest level for political revenge to go after the identity of this woman. Let me tell you what other CIA officers had to say about it. They all happen to be Republicans. After this happened, this is what they said, those who were contemporaries of hers: My classmates and I have been betrayed. Together, we have kept the secret of each other's identities for over 18 years. . . . This issue is not just about a blown cover.…”