*** update at end: McCarthy was Larry Johnson’s Boss ***

In a sign that is surely not good for Mary McCarthy, the far left is coming to her defense to leak secrets and calling for the serious, professionals at CIA to be censured:

Robert David STEELE Vivas, a career intelligence officer who went on to found the Marine Corps Intelligence Command and then the international Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) movement, spoke today in praise of Mary McCarthy, and simultaneously called for the censure of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI).

Supposedly this guy is CEO of OSS – but more on that in a moment. This kind of association is going to kill McCarthy’s reputation and every story and reporter she was associated with. The last think you want is a moonbat singing your praises:

“There is absolutely no question that Mary acted in the finest traditions of the Republic, helping reveal and reduce terrible violations of international law and human rights by the CIA.

…

“America has lost sight of the fundamentals. If the DNI and DCI were more astute and more willing to engage with those who actually know how to reform intelligence, we would be committing fewer crimes against humanity and catching more terrorists. We would also be educating the President, overcoming his largely deficient education, by presenting the real world in compelling terms demanding sensible strategy and sustained attention.

My diagnosis: extreme Bush Derangement Syndrome. Now, onto OSS, this organization this man supposedly runs. From their site we see this dribble:

The DNI and DDNI (who received a personal copy from OSS CEO) failed to rise to the challenge of an intelligence duel, and we completely understand–they would have lost. It takes courage of a special kind to fund the truth. They are also not willing to confront the Vice President, who is the single most pathological figure in the U.S. Government, and the primary obstacle to U.S. Intelligence reform.

Well now we know we do have a link in the truly bizarre and delusional ex-intel and ex-military groups that have delusions of granduer and omnipotence. It’s amazing we ever let these people walk around with firearms. And these are McCarthy’s cheerleaders. They probably should have kept low and kept quiet.

Addendum: Right on cue Larry Johnson pokes his head up and smells fish:

The case against the CIA Intelligence Officer, Mary McCarthy, fired for her alleged role in leaking information about secret prisons to the Washington Post’s Dana Priest smells a little fishy. Let me state at the outset that the officer in question, Mary McCarthy, is an old acquaintance. I hasten to add that I do not consider her a friend. She was my immediate boss in 1988-89 and was instrumental in my decision to leave the CIA and take a job at the State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism.

Larry seems to be trying to put some distance between his old boss and himself! Wonder why? Well, Larry’s big mouth is proving to be quite enlightening:

That said, I take no delight in the news that she was fired. In fact, there are some things about the case that puzzle me. For starters, Mary never worked on the Operations side of the house. In other words, she never worked a job where she would have had first hand operational knowledge about secret prisons.

Buy yourself a clue Larry, she was tipped by others who hoped her position in the IG’s office would insulate her from detection. Duh! Why am I not surprised Larry once worked for Mary.

Update: Reader Topsecretk9 has links to many of the Plame players to McCarthy through CSIS on this comment here at JOM (follow the links!).   This comment in particular is interesting:

I do think it is interesting that Daniel Benjamin is “quoted” as a friend of Fitz in the WAPO love letter bio story and then viola — he was on the NSC with Wilson And McCArthy, and well a member of CSIS with Mcarthy and on the NYU Security thing with McCarthy AND DANA PRIEST (and Hersh).

More here