Jeff Castelli, a onetime high flying senior CIA officer whose career nose-dived following the exposure of a kidnapping operation he supervised in Italy, has joined the Washington office of an esoteric marketing analysis firm headed by another former spy.

Castelli's exact title and duties at Los Angeles-based PhaseOne Communications could not be learned, but a source familiar with the company's business said his main responsibility would probably be generating government contracts.

Most of the the firm's clients are commercial, including Hollywood studios who hire it to analyze the effectiveness of movie trailers and promotional advertising, said the source, who asked not to be identified. Other clients include AT&T, General Motors, Nestle, Campbell's Soup, Gillette, Sears, Con-Agra, Ralston Purina and Alberto-Culver. 

A half century ago the CIA could bring down an Iranian prime minister with a few rent-a-crowds, well placed payments to key generals and a pliable replacement.

Could it do the same today?

Not likely, but events in Iran have often contradicted the prognostications of Westerners, especially at the CIA.

Don't hold your breath waiting for those Pentagon-coached TV commentators to come clean any time soon.

Although the Federal Communications Commission set a deadline of Nov. 3  for the military talking heads to answer questionnaires about their murky relations with Pentagon briefers, contractors and the news networks, it's not likely any further details will surface soon -- or ever.

Once the questionnaires are handed in, then FCC investigators are obliged to see if any laws were broken by the failure of CNN, Fox, MSNBC, other news programs and the commentators to disclose to viewers that their opinions on the Iraq War,  conditions at Guantamamo and other  military subjects were being piped by Pentagon briefers.

The Pentagon inspector general is also looking into the matter, spurred by Democratic Reps. John Dingell (Michigan)  and Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), who demanded answers last May following a New York Times report on an alleged secret Pentagon program to manipulate public opinion.

In addition, while the commentators were, for the most part, lauding military and counterterrorism operations, they were also working or bidding on Pentagon contracts and taking free rides to Iraq, according to reports.

It's a sin of omission, Dingell and DeLauro said.  

  

"When seemingly objective television commentators are in fact highly motivated to promote the agenda of a government agency, a gross violation of the public trust occurs," they wrote to the IG. 

To encourage the IG, the FY 2009 Defense Authorization bill (S 301) also includes a requirement that it provide Congress with a report and a legal opinion on whether the program violated past law included in appropriations measures.

 

But at least one military analyst says he won't cooperate. 

Jed Babbin, editor of the conservative Human Events magazine, who has supported the Iraq War but been a frequent critic of President Bush,  told US News & World Report columnist Paul Bedard last month that,  "If they were trying to buy me for good coverage, they got a lousy deal."