Valerie Plame: Why Is Obama Administration 'Bullying an American Hero' Over Bin Laden Raid Book?

Criticism for the Obama administration came from a very unlikely source Friday.

Valerie Plame, the Bush-bashing ex-CIA operative at the heart of the Scooter Libby controversy, published a Huffington Post piece titled "Why Is the U.S. Government Bullying an American Hero?" in which she absolutely excoriated the White House for its treatment of the Osama bin Laden raid autobiographer.

"In the past few weeks, we have heard riveting stories of heroism and valor from one of the U.S. soldiers who participated in the combat mission that killed Osama bin Laden," wrote Plame before noting that his book "No Easy Day" is "by most accounts devoid of any classified information. In fact, most of what is in the book had been already leaked by top officials of the U.S. government themselves."

"I am dismayed," Plame continued, "to read the steady stream of criticism flowing from the U.S. government aimed at the book and its author. The Defense Department and administration officials have called the author's decision to publish the book the 'height of irresponsibility.' Former CIA Director and current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has even gone so far as to say, 'I think we have to take steps to make clear to him and to the American people that we're not going to accept this kind of behavior.'"

Ironically, all of this happened as the White House was not only leaking information about this raid to shore up Obama's foreign policy bona fides, but also to producers of its own film.

"At the same time that they threaten the author and try to 'make clear' they're not going to accept an honest account of what happened in Abbottabad, Americans have also recently learned that the CIA and other U.S. government agencies have been cooperating with Hollywood figures on a movie about the same topic," observed Plame.

"In fact," she continued, "according to CIA emails released recently, one writer was given a 'deep dive' inside the Agency as they wrote a screenplay on the bin Laden raid."

Plame then asked a fabulous question that folks in the media equally offended by this heroic Navy SEAL should have.

"Are U.S. government officials angry that the author wrote a book, or that his book came out before their movie?" She continued, "This, of course, comes after the U.S. government officials have participated in and been sources for newspaper articles, magazine features and even movies -- like Act of Valor."

Plame then offered some sage advice that should be especially heeded by the Obama-loving media.

"It is time for the public to make clear to our government that we will no longer accept their unsubstantiated or spoon-fed version as the only one of significant historical events," she wrote adding "next time you hear an American government official attacking the author of No Easy Day -- stop and ask yourself why they are trying to bully an American hero."

Why indeed!