“Watching Michael Morell respond to those softball pitches from Charlie Rose on Monday, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that glibness, vacuousness and ambition can get you to the very top of U.S. intelligence in the Twenty-first Century – and can also make you a devoted fan of whoever is likely to be the next President. (…) Looking back at his record, it was not hard to see all this coming, as Morell rose higher and higher in a system that rewards deserving sycophants.” Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern

In a recent post, INTEL TODAY brought to your attention the fact that former acting CIA Director Michael Morell wanted to kill Russians and Iranians in Syria. This comment did not go unnoticed. A few former CIA analysts reacted, starting in the process a chain of events still unfolding to this day. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

UPDATE — Last night, a young bright fellow asked me why I would not post a piece about the Bloomberg article discussing — finally — the various doubts raised by so many retired IC officers regarding “Russia-gate”. [Why Some U.S. Ex-Spies Don’t Buy the Russia Story] I will. Soon. But for now, let me remind you when (and how) this really ugly story started… — END of UPDATE

According to Ray McGovern, this interview is indeed a “must” for all those interested in:

“gauging the caliber of bureaucrats who have bubbled to the top of the CIA since the disastrous tenure of George Tenet”.

McGovern seems to believe that Morell will likely be the next CIA boss. [Comment: There is no doubt in my mind that Morell would have been the top candidate IF HRC had won the presidency.]

“Perhaps former CIA acting director Michael Morell’s shamefully provocative rhetoric toward Russia and Iran will prove too unhinged even for Hillary Clinton. It appears equally likely that it will succeed in earning him a senior job in a possible Clinton administration…”

Then, Ray McGovern reminds us a few facts about Morell.

“Not surprisingly, Tenet speaks well of his protégé and former executive assistant Morell.”

Please, keep in mind that Morell “coordinated the CIA review” of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s infamous February 5 2003 speech to the United Nations – “a dubious distinction if there ever was one”.

“So Morell reviewed the ‘intelligence’ that went into Powell’s thoroughly deceptive account of the Iraqi threat! Powell later called that dramatic speech, which wowed Washington’s media and foreign policy elites and was used to browbeat the few remaining dissenters into silence, a ‘blot’ on his record.”

In Morell’s own memoir, The Great War of Our Time, Morell apologized to former Secretary of State Powell for the bogus CIA intelligence that found its way into Powell’s address. Morell told CBS:

“I thought it important to do so because … he went out there and made this case, and we were wrong.” “It is sad to have to remind folks almost 14 years later that the “intelligence” was not ‘mistaken’. It was fraudulent from the get-go. Announcing on June 5, 2008, the bipartisan conclusions from a five-year study by the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Jay Rockefeller described the intelligence conjured up to justify war on Iraq as uncorroborated, contradicted, or even non-existent.”

To Ray McGovern, the conclusion is rather obvious:

“It strains credulity beyond the breaking point to think that Michael Morell was unaware of the fraudulent nature of the WMD propaganda campaign. Yet, like all too many others, he kept quiet and got promoted.”

In truth, McGovern is hardly surprised by Morell’s attitude. Five years ago, he wrote an article titled: “Rise of Another CIA Yes Man.” Yes, that man!

About Ray McGovern

McGovern works with “Tell the Word”, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He served as a CIA analyst from the administration of John Kennedy to that of George H.W. Bush, and prepared the President’s Daily Brief for Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. He is a member of the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

McGovern & Kiriakou Out Morell On Blast

REFERENCES

Ex-CIA Mike Morell’s “Kill-Russians” Advice; Ray McGovern — Global Research, August 14, 2016

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Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern: “Michael Morell’s Comments are Reckless and Vapid”

One Year Ago — Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern: “Michael Morell’s Comments are Reckless and Vapid”