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September 27, 2003

Comments

dwight meredith

The Post has an administration official confirming that two (2) "top White House officials" burned Valerie Plame to six (6) different journalists.

Anyone who did that needs 1) to have their security clearance revoked, 2) to lose their job, and 3) to hear the clank of the cell door closing.

TM

Hey, Dwight, thanks for stopping by, and wow.

My quick reactions to the story:

(a) since it is one sr. WH source ratting out others, someone has decided (sensibly) that protecting Bush is the first priority.

(b) We get a huge clue about Novak's CIA source - a CIA spokesman!

(c) From Novak's account of his chat with the spokesman, Ms. Plame as La Femme Nikita, with agents jeopardized on eight continents, seems hyped. Novak says he would have quashed it if the CIA really had asked - they seemed worried about her personal security if she traveled abroad.

(d) TIME disappears from this story too; quite likely they talked to the CIA spokesman, and nobody cares.

(e) Psychic prediction - Cheney's chief of staff, "Scooter" Libby, was involved with the politicization of the CIA and the 16 words. She is involved with this. And, if I am a Bush loyalist, I would rather pitch Scooter than my man Karl (especially if she actually did it). Cheney got slapped for his verbal overkill on Meet the Press (the 9/11 Saddam connection, among other things), so we deem his staff to be vulnerable on this point.

Thanks vey much.

dwight meredith

Hey Tom, I stop by frequently.

if the Post stiry is accurate, I do not think that Novak's original source can be CIA. The "senior administration official" talking to the Post specifically said that the two folks peddlingthe story were "top White House officials." The CIA is not part of the White House.

I suspect that the "senior administration official" talking to the Post was CIA (Tenet).

From the Post story, it appears that Novak got the leak from the White House and then called the CIA and informed them he was running the story. That is when the CIA did not strongly object to the story.

If you look at who works in the White House, has Security clearance needed to know the identity of covert CIA agents and who can be described as "top" and Senior, I think the suspect list includes the following:

Dick Cheney -- Vice President

Karl Rove -- Senior Advisor the the President

Condi Rice -- Assistant to the President for National Security

Andy Card -- Chief of Staff

Ari Fleischer -- Press Secretary

Dan Bartlett -- Assistant to the President for Communication

John Gordon -- Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor

Scooter Libby -- Cheney Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President

If the Post story is accurate, it seesm likely that two of those eight commited multiple felonies.


Dwight Meredith

Tom:

I forgot to mention that any budding Agatha Christies can get a list of high level White House officials here.

Merdog

I think it should be mentioned that the man largely responsible for making the exposing of CIA agents such a serious crime was George Bush Sr.

Hank Essay

Just so the people here know, "Scooter" Libby is a man. His full name is "I. Lewis Libby." Someone above has him as a female "she." For what it is worth...

narciso

Yes, but it was the assasination of Richard Welch, thanks to a leak by Phillip Agee's
KGB funded front group; who in turn got it
from another KGB apparatchik; Mr. Mader. Who
argued for the continuation of such disclosures
none other than Morton Halperin; future NSC officer under Clinton. Who helped spread government assasination conspiracies in the
70s, the same Phillip Agee, working with Sid
Blumenthal. Who would not hesitate to reveal
active intelligent assets in Iraq & Afghanistan in a new york minute; the same
crew,

Sir Richard

If Libby did it, then he ought to be arrested. But let us not get too distracted here. Too much embarassment for Bush and friends is no good for 2004, too much is at stake for this to become "big". So I hope it doesnt.

TM

Oh, man, I mean, Oh, darn, "Scooter" is a guy? I have been gender-bending that tidbit for about a year now. Global replace!

Chuck

What bothers me the most about this affair is that the entire story is constructed by the news media using anonymous sources. In the blogosphere, we insist on links, and sources, so that we can "fact check your ass". We have done that on many occasions and revealed factual and philosophical errors, and plagerism, among other "crimes of fact". Here we have an allegation that may or may not be a crime, but with no government official on the record providing any facts. We have Bob Novak's word for the original story, and wronged husband Wilson's complaint about it, and that is all. If this were a story originating in the Internet, it would have died a long time ago for lack of sourcing. Why is it that the news media can do this, over and over with many stories, and not be called on it? It's not news if it cannot be fact checked, is it?

It's quite clear that someone may be lying here. Absent names and job titles, we cannot know who. And, of course, news people cannot be forced to name their sources by law. So where can any investigation go? An anonymous smear, originating with complaints from an avowed anti-administration source, Wilson, and not a single fact to back it up.

EK

Too much embarassment for Bush and friends is no good for 2004, too much is at stake for this to become "big". So I hope it doesnt.

Let's see. The CIA has charged that somebody at the Whitehouse is leaked the identity of an undercover agent (apparently to get retribution against a whistleblower). This is a felony. George Sr. himself described people who compromise intelligence assets as "the most insidious kind of traitors".

You, however, hope this story will disappear quietly, because you wouldn't want a Democrat to win in 2004. This is staggering, appalling, and breathtaking.

Now, I'm an independent who respects traditional conservatives, because I think they're largely correct--we do need to balance the budget, respect the second ammendment, maintain personal freedom in private life and in business, etc. (I also think traditional liberals have some good points about compassion and a just society, which is why I'm an independent.)

But there's a new element on the right which is willing to forgive Bush's advisors for anything--including widespread violation of core conservative principles--simply because his advisors are Republicans.

Remember: If you believe the Democrats are so evil you must stop them at all costs, you'll find yourself in bed with some mighty strange people.

Linda Bartcher

Can you explain how a woman 40 years old can be a reported CIA employee for three decades, 30 year veteran of the CIA, etc.

Bunk all bunk


Linda Bartcher

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Wilson/Plame