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Obama: Still "Many Unanswered Questions"
A statement from Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) Senate office:
"This afternoon, State Department officials briefed staffers from the offices of Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton, and McCain for approximately 90 minutes. There are still many unanswered questions, including why these passport files were accessed and for what purpose. Senator Obama believes a thorough investigation of these privacy breaches is necessary and expects one that is prompt and thorough."
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Josh
Zachary
the offices of Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton, and McCain
...wait, Biden too now? Had that been previously reported?
March 21, 2008 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
the offices of Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton, and McCain
...Biden? Hadn't heard THAT before.
March 21, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I suck at the comment function.
March 21, 2008 6:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, the comment function sucks. Double entry of password, no preview: yeah, this is way better than halo-scan.
March 21, 2008 10:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, now we know why this security breach wasn't "discovered" earlier.
News Release
Stanley Awarded $570 Million Contract to Continue Support of Passport Program
Over 15-Year History of Providing Passport Services Continues
ARLINGTON, Va., March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stanley, Inc. (NYSE: SXE), a leading provider of systems integration and professional services to the U.S. federal government, today announced that it was awarded a five-year, $570 million contract to continue support of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs/Passport Services Directorate. Services include production, operational and business process support training, procurement, administration and evaluation of critical supplies, and facilities management support at the four Passport Centers and 14 Passport Agencies nationwide along with the Headquarters' support offices.
SOURCE Stanley, Inc.
CONTACT: Media, Joelle Pozza of Stanley, +1-703-310-3218, Joelle.Pozza@stanleyassociates.com
March 21, 2008 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice to see that Condi has put all of her National Security Adviser experience to work, and has secured the State Dept. from any espionage or mole type activities.
You're doing a heck of a job Condi!
March 21, 2008 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
There ought to be some slueth to cover the bid-radar of the contract awarding process, I wonder who bid on the contract besides Stanley?
When was the firings, together or on two seperate occasions?
If there was a firing was there a memo that was sent to staff reminding them that unauthorized access was illegal?
And who is the other contractor?
And has disciplinary actions been equal in all cases of accessing Senator's reocrds or presidential candidate records?
More questions than answers.
March 21, 2008 8:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've have some familiarity with the information technology consultants. In most situations, protecting private information is always an overriding concern. An IT consultant firm's reputation depends on its protection of its client's information.
It then follows that an employee of an IT consultant (contract worker) would never retrieve such sensitive information unless he/she is asked to do it by an employee of the client (State Dept).
The fired contract workers are scapegoats, a favorite tactic in "Condiland" and "Bush World."
March 21, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone know if the two contractors who were fired will be under investigation too? Or are they out of the loop now that they are gone?
March 21, 2008 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
So why was one disciplined while two were fired?
Apparently because one didn't work for Stanley.. That one worked for The Analysis Corporation.
And what is The Analysis Corporation whose tagline is "Helping Safeguard America?"
Well, it's run by an ex-Bush CIA appointee. And it's a wholly owned subsidiary of a wholly owned subsidiary.
Are we getting into CIA front territory here?
Why did Stanley's guys get fired by Analysis' guy did not?
March 21, 2008 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, actually, no, I'm thankful they didn't fire him in this case. Now he can still give testimony so we can figure out what the hell is going on.
March 22, 2008 6:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
From Lars, above:
"An IT consultant firm's reputation depends on its protection of its client's information."
I would speculate that this is exactly why it took the State Dept. so long to make the breach public - they did not want it to jeopardize the $570 mill contract signed with Stanley on Monday (3/17).
Who was the contract representative for the State Dept.? Did s/he know that Stanley employee's had violated security when the contract was approved? If not, would it have made a difference? Why not?
There must have been tremendous pressure to keep this out of the public eye until after the contract was formally awarded. Is this cause to reconsider the granting of the contract?
March 21, 2008 11:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Call me crazy or uninformed but:
This is from a March 12th Clinton Memo:
"As voters evaluate you as a potential Commander-in-Chief, do you think it's legitimate for people to be concerned that you have traveled to only one NATO country, on a brief stopover trip in 2005, and have never traveled to Latin America?"
Here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/12/clinton-camp-to-obama-yo_n_91156.html
How did the staff know on the 12th of March about Obama's complete international record? Including the very specific "stopover" detail (something you could get from passport records. Does everybody know this stuff? Am I just being delusional by seeing something fishy here?
March 22, 2008 2:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Call me crazy or uninformed but:
This is from a March 12th Clinton Memo:
"As voters evaluate you as a potential Commander-in-Chief, do you think it's legitimate for people to be concerned that you have traveled to only one NATO country, on a brief stopover trip in 2005, and have never traveled to Latin America?"
Here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/12/clinton-camp-to-obama-yo_n_91156.html
How did the staff know on the 12th of March about Obama's complete international record? Including the very specific "stopover" detail (something you could get from passport records). Does everybody know this stuff? Am I just being delusional by seeing something fishy here.
March 22, 2008 2:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
As far as I am concerned, this whole investigation exercise, is just that, an exercise in futility.
Do anyone trust or truly believe, that there will be an investigation into this breach of security and privacy. I think not. It is all talk and no substance, business as usual.
Also, the real target on this snooping expedition was Barack Obama, the other ones Clinton, McGranpa, etc. just a smokescreen.
It smells like a Karl Rove playbook chapter. Smears and lies coming Obama's way.
They are preparing the arsenal of slander, and lies. The MSM must be sallivating. Don't forget Kerry 2004 incidents.
And remember this quote:
"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will
believe it" - Adolf Hitler
March 22, 2008 5:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Biden is indeed included in the original source, but I'm having trouble finding any reporting that states it. Any idea what sort of political gain you could get for Biden? He was never a frontrunner (albeit he was a candidate), and he isn't even up for reelection to the Senate this year.
March 22, 2008 6:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
McVane's records were examined, too, because at the time he was an "enemy." Remember the neocons distrust McVane and may have been looking for material to submarine his Republican nomination prospects.
March 22, 2008 7:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is more concerned with someone looking at his passport file than he is with his association with the Rev do good Wright.
But Baraco says that his grandmother and Bill Clinton should be seen in the same light.
Hey, do you think if someone looked in his passport file it might confirm that his name really is Barack H.....(not allowed to say that word??
March 22, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Better watch out for Great Big Billy Goat Gruff....
March 22, 2008 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
All Obama needs to do is call his campaign advisor, Mr. Brennen..CEO in the private company contracted to do this work and ask him how and why. No need to spend millions on this.
March 22, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Another tasty nugget for Josh Marshall. TPM sleuths--make some news!
March 22, 2008 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is there anyone reading this who didn't assume that every bit of information extant pertaining to Obama hadn't already been unearthed by the Bush White House? Is there anyone out there who believes that GW Bush is constrained by the rule of law? If there is, there's no way to sugar coat it: You're a goddamn fool.
March 23, 2008 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM is now featuring Time's Swampland excursion into similar tinfoil hat territorY:
“Our government’s duty is to protect the private information of the American people, not use it for political purposes,'' said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "This is a serious matter that merits a complete investigation, and we demand to know who looked at Senator Obama’s passport file, and for what purpose, and why it took so long for them to reveal this security breach.''
Well, be careful what you wish for. Turns out, one of the three people who accessed the candidate's files works for... wait for it... Obama foreign policy advisor, John O. Brennan, president and CEO of the Analysis Corp. Brennan’s employee was the only one of the three who was not fired, merely disciplined and, CNN’s Zain Verjee reports, the unnamed employee also accessed John McCain’s files. In a separate breach, Hillary Clinton’s passport information was also breached.
March 23, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
"..Turns out, one of the three people who accessed the candidate's files works for... wait for it... Obama foreign policy advisor, John O. Brennan...".
AJM: I refer you my previous comment, that precedes the one in which you made that statement.
March 23, 2008 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Haha, you Obama fans see conspiracies in EVERYTHING!!! Hmm, after days of "poor innocent angel Obama had his passport files breeched...boohoo, it must be that evil Hillary."
If I were as pathetic as most of these whiners (esp. MSNBC which spent 2 FULL HOURS of NON-STOP coverage on this "grave misjustice"), then maybe I would come up with my own conspiracy theory: hmm, maybe John Breenan, Obama's adviser & CEO of the company doing the file breeching was stirring up a fuss to get Obama out of the negative media spotlight and give those Obama fans something to feel sorry about their poor candidate who is too pure to be a politician. Hmmm, the timing sure was convenient ;-) Meh, I'm mature and I don't go around screaming about conspiracy theories until proven. Maybe it was just a curious employee....or maybe it is as sinister as Obamaphiles have been fuming about he past few days. I guarantee you that now Obamaphiles will start singing another tune now that an Obama connections was discovered. I wouldn't be surprised by anything, but neither will I see conspiracies in everything. I know Obama is as crooked as all the other politicians. He's just a great marketer.
--- Passport contractor exec is Obama supporter
Posted: 02:00 PM ET
Passport contractors connected to Presidential campaigns.
Passport contractors connected to Presidential campaigns.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The CEO of a company whose employee is accused of improperly accessing the passport files of presidential candidates is a consultant to the Obama campaign, a source familiar with the firm said Saturday.
John Brennan, president of The Analysis Corporation (TAC), advises the Illinois Democrat on foreign policy and intelligence issues, the source said. (cnn.com) ---
March 23, 2008 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink