What a Real Secret Agent Looks Like? Gina Haspel.

 

Seeing Gina Haspel’s photograph for the first time the day of her confirmation hearing, the first thing that came to mind was George Smiley. The George Smiley of John Le Carré’s books, not Alec Guinness, was the opposite of Fleming’s Bond.

Smiley is an unobtrusive secret agent who leads an unglamorous life. A deceptively bland middle-aged man, he is trusted and respected by his subordinates and colleagues.

Gina Haspel is to Angelina Jolie as George Smiley is to Pierce Brosnan. A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing. Haspel’s looks also worked for her in the Senate confirmation hearing. She held up quite well, and just did not look the part of the television spy villain the Democrats meant her to play. I doubt the video will help them much with the 2018 midterm elections.

As Mona Lisa Vito said: “Oh, yeah, you blend.”

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  1. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Clifford A. Brown: A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing.

    Yep. It’s why I could never do it with my devilishly good looks.

    • #1
  2. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown: A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing.

    Yep. It’s why I could never do it with my devilishly good looks.

    Arahant, I’ve been a secret agent for 40 years.

    • #2
  3. GLDIII Reagan
    GLDIII
    @GLDIII

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown: A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing.

    Yep. It’s why I could never do it with my devilishly good looks.

    Arahant, I’ve been a secret agent for 40 years.

    For who KAOS?

    • #3
  4. Jimmy Carter Member
    Jimmy Carter
    @JimmyCarter

    GLDIII (View Comment):

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown: A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing.

    Yep. It’s why I could never do it with my devilishly good looks.

    Arahant, I’ve been a secret agent for 40 years.

    For who KAOS?

    “Would You believe for Century 21?”

    • #4
  5. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    I guess I could let you know the truth about my life…but then, I’d have to kill you! However, on a more serious note, her confirmation hearing is disgusting. These holier than thou, preening, lying SOS’s giving this brave heroine the hindsight treatment absolutely makes me want to puke. I say every last one of her detractors should get waterboarded. “Come here my little sweeties, let me show each of you how its done. It’s a ton of fun. And…you can go tell all your voters how brave  you all are!”

    • #5
  6. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    GLDIII (View Comment):

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown: A real covert agent needs to actually blend in, not be noticed for their striking facial features and bearing.

    Yep. It’s why I could never do it with my devilishly good looks.

    Arahant, I’ve been a secret agent for 40 years.

    For who KAOS?

    Hey, don’t blow my cover!  I actually aspire to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

    • #6
  7. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    cdor (View Comment):

    I guess I could let you know the truth about my life…but then, I’d have to kill you! However, on a more serious note, her confirmation hearing is disgusting. These holier than thou, preening, lying SOS’s giving this brave heroine the hindsight treatment absolutely makes me want to puke. I say every last one of her detractors should get waterboarded. “Come here my little sweeties, let me show each of you how its done. It’s a ton of fun. And…you can go tell all your voters how brave you all are!”

    I wanted to reach through the TV and slap them for her….

    • #7
  8. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    I watched her carefully and you could see the weight in her eyes and her occasional sigh, the weight she’s carried for 33 years, seeing and knowing what no ordinary person would ever want to witness.  I was shocked when she said they added seven more stars to the CIA wall just last year.  It’s one of the most dangerous, un-glamorous and self-sacrificing professions, in spite of movie-hype.  I hope she gets the job.

    • #8
  9. Addiction Is A Choice Member
    Addiction Is A Choice
    @AddictionIsAChoice

    Clifford A. Brown:

    As Mona Lisa Vito said: “Oh, yeah, you blend.”

    The crowning touch to a most perceptive observation. Nicely done, Cliff!

     

    • #9
  10. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Love this post, Clifford. On the one hand, the democrats demonstrated once more how disgusting, partisan and outrageous they could be. On the other hand, Gina Haspel makes me proud to be an American. Bless you, Ms. Haspel!

    • #10
  11. TempTime Member
    TempTime
    @TempTime

    Thanks Clifford, great post.  I don’t watch much msm news, but when I do all I sees is ill-mannered, ignorant, pouty-faces.about Ms. Haspel and just about everything else.

    I actually heard a small fellow [qnguest] on Fox news show (hosted by Harris Faulkner)  having a bit of a tantrum about Ms. Haspel.  When he finished his tirade, Harris looked at him directly and remarked —  50% of what you just said isn’t true.   He then began whining bitterly about President Trump negotiateding  with a horrible person like Kim to bring the three American’s home

    It has become really difficult to watch the news-not/new-snot ‘news’ without laughing non-stop.

    • #11
  12. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    An Irene Kennedy figure, perhaps?

    • #12
  13. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Mark Davis, morning talk radio host out of DFW, posted a well-argued piece on topic at Townhall.com. https://townhall.com/columnists/markdavis/2018/05/11/the-haspel-obstacle-enhanced-interrogations-are-not-torture-n2479426

    • #13
  14. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Paul Mirengoff assesses Gina Haspel will be confirmed.

    …Sen. Tom Cotton, who keeps close track of the CIA, assures me that Haspel is a good choice. Presumably, Brennan and Clapper have endorsed her because they fear the alternative and, possibly, for other ulterior motives.

    Democrats like Sen. Warner felt obliged to express “grave” doubts about Haspel because of her role in the enhanced interrogation of terrorists following 9/11. Dems must uphold the myth that there was something wrong with such interrogation, even though Democratic leaders were informed about it and did not object back when it seemed the U.S. was likely to be attacked again by al Qaeda.

    The smart play on this nomination was to grandstand to the max about waterboarding, get Haspel to agree with them on the subject as much as possible, and then have a few Senators, especially vulnerable ones, fold their opposition.

    • #14
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