Peter King, Movie Mogul
Peter King, the former terrorist sympathizer conducting witch hunts against alleged terrorist sympathizers, is not one to assail others for their gross hypocrisy. And technically, that’s not what his complaint about apparent Administration plans to cooperate in an Osama bin Laden Fuck Yeah movie set to release just as voters start thinking about the November election. King is purportedly less concerned about the Administration’s glaring hypocrisy on leaks and more concerned about leaks in general. Though given his silence about this leak fest, I’d wager he’s most concerned that voters might learn that it took a Democratic Administration to actually hunt down OBL.
In response to King’s request and in response to a preliminary review, DOD has promised to start an investigation into the charges immediately.
The CIA’s response was more ambiguous. It noted that,
The CIA’s Office of Public Affairs handles requests for information from the entertainment industry. According to a senior official from that office, the protection of national security equities–including the preservation of our ability to conduct effective counterterrorism operations–is the decisive factor in determining how the CIA engages with filmmakers and the media as a whole.
It seems to me this policy allows CIA to cooperate with Hollywood if doing so would make Americans enthusiastically support exciting operations against big movie villains. It allows CIA to cooperate with Hollywood to ensure CIA gets full credit for offing OBL (even if that slights the SEALs involved). In other words, there’s a whole lot that might be fall under CIA’s own definition of what might “preserv[e its] ability to conduct effective counterterrorism operations.” All the more so under a Director who’s a bit of a media magnet.
In any case, it’d be nice if King’s claimed stance towards classified information…
The Administration’s first duty in declassifying material is to provide full reporting to Congress and the American people, in an effort to build public trust through transparency of government. In contrast, this alleged collaboration belies a desire of transparency in favor of a cinematographic view of history.
Was embraced by anyone in DC, Democrat or GOP.
But King, for his own part, has been working so hard to create a different villain, I doubt we’ll get it from him, either.
“The Administration’s first duty in declassifying material is to provide full reporting to Congress and the American people…”
An excellent reminder of why they spend so much time classifying anything trivial/incriminating, and don’t seem too interested in the whole declassifying thing, unless there’s a VP with a war to sell.
That is one terrifying headline. The substance of the post is more substantial, but a lot less horrifying that what I was imagining.
I did like how King sent the letter on Aug. 9 and the DoD IG says on Dec. 10 that they are starting an investigation “immediately”.
Also, what’s with the delay in delivering all these letters? It apparently took 10 days for King’s letter to get from his office to the Pentagon and then (after the 4 month delay) two weeks for the response to get from the Pentagon back to Capitol Hill. And, the CIA needs to put some !@#$ toner in their printer.
@William Ockham: It’s actually double-speak ink, the logical improvement on invisible ink. In fact, the letter says, “Fuck off, Pete, we’ll have our Hollywood if we damn well please.” But it looks a lot better to the Congressman.
@emptywheel: That’s pretty good.
I’m very disappointed at the absence of hats in that photo.
That image above is sadly fascinating. I can imagine it largely rendered in oil as a painting (David?) touring throughout the nations.
I meant David.
That headline is just as scary as another possible one —
Growing Up Gingrich.
So would that be Newt’s 10 yr old grandson getting a shotgun? Good thinking there Grampa! I’ll bet Newt’s daughter is proud of her dad!
Because nothing says Christmas Spirit to a ten year old than a real shotgun!! Gimmie a Fuck, Yeah! (Oh! Looky!)
I’m sure the boy will want a carbine and a pistol or two to complete his loadout. What a great reality show concept — “Gingrich — WROL!”
Chess sets are so passe when you can play Modern Warfare with real guns, not to mention aircraft carriers… Eh, Grampa?!
Perhaps Neo-classical is an apt phrase for this phase of COIN, lol.
@tw3k: Ah, J.-L. David who famously painted Marat’s murder.
That photo, like others I’ve seen lately (there are some photojournalists these days with terrific eye), reminds me more of the Dutch golden age masters, who excelled at ensembles imo, e.g.
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, Rembrandt
Well, there is Allen and Company investment firm-the sponsor of the yearly Sun Valley Conference which draws the media’s heaviest hitters.
It is THE firm for Hollywood deals,it’s entrance inaugurated with the purchase of a stake Columbia Pictures many years back.
George Tenet was hired by them back in 2008,according to Wiki.To wit:
In 1973, Allen & Company bought a stake in Columbia Pictures. When the business was sold in 1982 to Coca-Cola, they netted a significant profit. Since then, Herbert Allen, Jr. has had a place on Coke’s board of directors.
Since its founding in 1982, the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference regularly draws such heavyweights as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Johnson, Andy Grove, Richard Parsons, Donald Keough, and many others. Excite quotes a “media mogul”: “Deals just don’t get done in Hollywood unless Allen & Co. has a hand in it.”[3]