| Above the fold, Page 1 article in today's Washington Post. Four pages at the link, herewith a taste: |
For every cloud of smoke that follows a CIA drone strike in Pakistan, dozens of smaller plumes can be traced to a gaunt figure standing in a courtyard near the center of the agency's Langley campus in Virginia.
The man with the nicotine habit is in his late 50s, with stubble on his face and the dark-suited wardrobe of an undertaker. Roger, which is the first name of his cover identity, may be the most consequential but least visible national security official in Washington.
WaPo has just made him plenty visible.
| They couldn't resist the frisson. But the CIA did make his available to the Post reporters, which suggests they have a reason for doing so. It probably is something more than revealing the drone killings are an internal Muslim affair... |
"Irascible is the nicest way I would describe him," said a former high-ranking CIA official who supervised the counterterrorism chief. "But his range of experience and relationships have made him about as close to indispensable as you could think." The Post agreed to withhold some details, including Roger's real name, his full cover identity and his age, at the request of agency officials, who cited concerns for his safety. Although CIA officials often have their cover identities removed when they join the agency's senior ranks, Roger has maintained his.
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