The Loosening Noose

The filing by Special Counsel Fitzgerald that we discussed yesterday contained tantalizing hints as to Dick Cheney's involvement in the Valerie Plame leak.  But is there enough evidence for Fitzgerald to Get Dick?  While we are handing out song suggestions, here is possible theme music for the folks hoping that Special Counsel Fitzgerald will indict VP Cheney for his role in the Plame leak - "Many Rivers To Cross".

In his coverage of the latest Fitzgerald filing (the "President Approved Leak!!! story) Murray Waas presents yet another speed bump on the highway to justice:

Cheney told investigators that he had learned of Plame's employment by the CIA and her potential role in her husband being sent to Niger by then-CIA director George Tenet, according to people familiar with Cheney's interviews with the special prosecutor.

Tenet has told investigators that he had no specific recollection of discussing Plame or her role in her husband's trip with Cheney, according to people with familiar with his statement to investigators.

So - Libby hasn't ratted Cheney out; Tenet hasn't even testified that he told Cheney about Valerie Plame, let alone provided evidence that he told Cheney that Plame was covert... Keep Hope Alive!

GO FISH:  This is interesting, from Judy Miller's account of her grand jury testimony:

Before the grand jury, Mr. Fitzgerald asked me questions about Mr. Cheney. He asked, for example, if Mr. Libby ever indicated whether Mr. Cheney had approved of his interviews with me or was aware of them. The answer was no.

Comments

[kim]

Tenet? Who's Tenet?
=============

[kim]

I notice Waas championing Jay Rockefeller as defender of the nation's secrets. Who is more transparent, Jay or Murray?
===================================

[Kate]

So, the dignified one is out to get Cheney. He is clearly angling for a high level position in the next Democratic Administration.

[Cecil Turner]

While we are suggesting songs, here is a possible theme song for the folks hoping that Special Counsel Fitzgerald will indict VP Cheney for his riole in the Plame leak - "Many Rivers To Cross".

That fairy tale was permanently relegated to never-never land with Fitz's inability (or unwillingness) to charge an underlying offense. And I think we're perhaps buying too much into the Fitzmas fantasy spin on this one.

It's apparent that the early NIE declassification issue was brought up by Fitz, not Libby, and that Libby's claim to've been authorized is a defense against a charge of leaking classified info. Further, it's obvious from Fitz's response that he intends to bring it up at Libby's trial, probably to show a pattern of classified information handling that'll make Libby look bad. He also wants to keep the CIA's declassification review out of court. Looks to me like it's all aimed at Libby. (And dubious from an ethical standpoint . . . but apparently Fitz's supervisor is okay with it.)

[Jim E.]

Is it possible that Tenet told someone in OVP not named Cheney about Plame?

[Jim E.]

Also: maybe Cheney's lying and he heard about Plame somewhere else (Hannah, Bolton, someone else).

[TM]

Also: maybe Cheney's lying and he heard about Plame somewhere else (Hannah, Bolton, someone else).

Well, let's not say "lie", especially since we know what is being reported, not what he said.

Maybe Cheney heard a bit about Plame from Tenet and got more from others - why not?

But my larger point is that if Fitgerald had any evidence that Cheney or Libby had been told that Plame was covert, he would have made a much stronger presentation to the judge here.

[Cecil Turner]

More telling: if he can't even charge Libby with leaking, it's pretty hard to see how he can charge Cheney with authorizing it.

[TexasToast]

The longer this goes on, it looks more like a flip that flopped. There is plenty of smoke here - why else would Cheney bother to claim that he has the "... authority to declassify" as VP? Might it be that he had "authorized" spreading classified rumors to various and sundry members of the Washington press corps?

There probably isn't a legal jeopardy here, but the political jeopardy has set. The spin that came unspun? Cheney couldn't run for dogcatcher.

Still, there are the cognitive dissonance proof true blue believers. These folks will expect us to apologize to Mr. Cheney for questioning his motives, apologize to Mr. Libby for making him lie, and calmly accept Mr. Bush's creative declassifacation procedures. Anyone who does not apologize is "unpatriotic" and doesn't "support the troops. After all, there is precedent. That old man in Texas apologized to Cheney for getting in the way of his birdshot blasts.

[Devil's Advocate]

"Keep Hope Alive!"

Keep on sniffing the glue and gulping the Kool-Aid.

[maryrose]

TEXASTOAST:
Of course apologies should be forthcoming when you DELIBERATELY LIE in your press coverage. Everything done is legal Libby didn't lie to Fitz this ia a PARTISAN PLOY by DEMS gone BAD. Fitz is complicit. I'm sure as is Kate that he's ogling for a spot in the next dem administration and once again he will be foiled because that just isn't going to happen. All the dems have are recycled re-treds{KERRY GORE and EDwards} And the grifter Hil Clinton with enough baggage to sink her candidacy. Plus people JUST DON"T LIKE HER.

[cian]

Its stunning to see how far supporters of the Republican party have fallen. They know what the president has done stinks- declassifing parts of the NIE so that it can be leaked to destroy a political adversary- but rejoice none-the-less that he can't be legally caught. Standards so low only a snake could pick them up.

[Devil's Advocate]

Maryrose, take your medication, please. You are really getting agitated. You could soil yourself in the process of spewing your incoherent rant. Think of those around you.

[Cecil Turner]

. . . and calmly accept Mr. Bush's creative declassifacation procedures.

Are you suggesting declassifying the NIE was inappropriate? Or that false, politically-motivated leaks from CIA operatives and agents are appropriate?

[danking70]

"They know what the president has done stinks- declassifing parts of the NIE so that it can be leaked to destroy a political adversary"

Declassifing parts? I thought they declassified the whole NIE.

And they declassified it because of all the yip yammering from the MSM about the 16 Words and from Kristoff's and Pincus' articles and Joe Wilson's Op-Ed.

You asked for the disclosure and you got it.

[Tom Bowler]

The Washington Post article on the NIE declassification includes this revealing quote from a Fitzgerald filing.

Fitzgerald's brief uses unusually strong language to rebut this claim. In light of the grand jury testimony, the prosecutor said, "it is hard to conceive of what evidence there could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to 'punish' Wilson."

That would imply that he's been investigating White House efforts to punish Wilson, rather than investigating the disclosure of classified information. Which would explain why the so far unknown administration official who originally outed Val has not been charged. Which also supports the notion that the unknown official is Armitage. Since State is not the White House, no crime. The revelation also clearly indicates that Fitzgerald is treating the Wilson revenge theory as if it was a finding of fact.

[Kate]

TB-what the dignified one - Fitz - interprets as a White House plot to punish the wonderful one-Wilson--could also be intrepreted as the White House trying to reply to a toxic liar.

[ItsTheFactsThatAreBiased]

"Listen, I know of nobody — I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I’d like to know it, and we’ll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.

“‘Leaks of classified information are a bad thing,’’ Bush said then. “And we’ve had them — there’s too much leaking in Washington. That’s just the way it is. And we’ve had leaks out of the administrative branch, had leaks out of the legislative branch, and out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I’ve spoken out consistently against them and I want to know who the leakers are.”’
GW Bush, Sept. 30, 2003.

Do you think it's important for the President of the United States to be honest? I do.

[maryrose]

Fitz is really coming down in a partisan way with his "embrace Joe's theory" This is worse than I thought -Fitz has totally missed the mandate of the investigation. Was this done deliberately? Is some other agenda at work here?
Hey Devil's Advocate- I believe I was responding to Texas Toast. If you can't stand the heat of the truth{dems are losewrs in 2000 and 2004} then get out of hell since you dub yourself Devil's Advocate. You are probably still driving around with a Kerry-Edwards sticker on your car. I saw one yesterday. I know it's hard to be a CHRONIC LOSER!

[maryrose]

It's the facts that are biased:
The key word you omitted from your post is DECLASSIFIED . That means information DISCLOSED is NOT CLASSIFIED.

[rachel]

Interesting point Kate -- except the "toxic liar" turned out to be telling the truth.

[Kate]

Even Wilson's supporters admit he is truth challenged. He was exposed in the Senate report as a liar. We already know he's a partisan narcissist. Seems the only one totally fooled was Fitz, and you.

Even Kerry booted the Lying One off his campaign.

[What the Meaning of Is Is Ms. MaryRose?]

I Love It When Conservatives Turn to Splitting Hairs!

So if Bush says that he wants to know who "LEAKED" (his words) the information, and says the investigation is good, and that leaks are bad, and then turns out to be lieing through his teeth, that it makes a bit of difference what semantic hairs you split? Bush lied to the US about his part in leaking information (his words) in order to punish someone politically. If you don't consider that unethical, then I'd fear ever having to do business with you and your kind.

You'll have a great time convincing the American People of your semantic argument, but I wish you luck. BTW, have you been studying Noam Chomsky or something?

[kate's fan]

Yeah, Kate. You go girl. Wilson is the biggest liar. Fitz is a big fool for believing Wilson. Plame was probably a hooker. John Kerry is French (and so probably a liar too). John Edwards has a nice haircut (and is probably a liar). Hillary Clinton is from Illinois (and a liar). Bill Clinton like s fat chicks (and is a liar). Jesse Jackson is black (and a liar).

Only Fox News tells the truth!

And (m)Ann Coulter. She's the parthenon of truth.

[topsecretk9]

--What the Meaning of Is Is Ms. MaryRose?--

I think you were trying to be cute, but failed.

[Kate]

Fan-you forgot one: that those are real tears on Wilson's cheeks in that photo with the super secret Val. Only Fitz believes that too.

[kate's fan]

OK. I'll give you that. Wilson is one hell of an annoying SOB. I don't think he's ever walked by a mirror without checking himself out.

But regardless of how much of a prick he is, what the Bushies did to his ol' lady was pretty dirty.

I'm not sure that many other men would have stuck up for their wives like Wilson did. You gotta give him props for that.

[Devil's Advocate]

I love it when the rightnutters engage in semantics. They are clearly desperate.

However you people want to spin this leak/no leak story, it does not detract from the fact that your President's approval ratings are stuck in the mud (mid-30s), and that your Republican Congress' approval ratings are stuck in the gutter (upper 20s).

Every day that goes by brings fresh evidence of systematic lies, corruption, incompetence, law-breaking, and hypocrisy, from the WH and the Republican-controlled Congress.

Those who continue to defend the BushCo apparatus are clearly among a mentally unstable, intellectually-deficient, and morally bankrupt, minority.

A majority of Americans were fooled into voting for the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004. This is 2006, and a majority of Americans has woken up from their Kool-Aid induced delusion.

Not only has your emperor no clothes, his naked butt gets uglier by the day.

[Kate]

fan, I could argue that the one who did the most damage to Val was (drum roll, please) the narcissist himself. He went on a super, super trip, then wrote and blabbed to anyone who would listen, showed a clearly cavalier attitude towards his wife's cover and career. I'd hate to be between a camera and Wilson.

Wilson will be a good witness for, get this, the defense. The jury will hate him.

[Yes, Kate, They Do Punish Treason By Firing Squad In The US]

Nope, wasn't trying to be cute, rather I'm satirically pointing out how devoid of reason your arguments are. Bush is up against his own statements, and you're gonna have to live with that.

[A silly and long comment name]

Yeah, Kate. You go girl. Wilson is the biggest liar. Fitz is a big fool for believing Wilson.

Don't worry Kate, not all liberals are in love with Wilson's BS

[maryrose]

They are not punishing Joe Wilson they are correcting him and the record. They are fighting back against his slander. Wilson gets to say frogmarched and we are just supposed to sit back and let him run roughshod over this administration ? I don't think so! He such a wuss he has to hide behind his wife's skirts. He's a loser with a lot of dems for company.

[Randy]

So the current talking point is still "Joe Wilson was a bad guy", implying that his wife got what was coming to her. I think the old "Joe Wilson outed his own wife. She was the talk of the cocktail party circuit" talking point has died down a little. It was funny to hear that one spouted by people who would never be let near a real Washington cocktail party.

Actually, Wilson isn't really such a bad guy. Did you know that he was the ambassador to Iraq just before the first Gulf War? Bush's daddy called him a hero, because he personally stood up to Saddam in behalf of about 200 Bechtel employees who's lives may have been in jeopardy. You don't hear much about that on Fox News. He was absolutely right to stand up to Bush's propaganda campaign and expose the lies about the Niger yellow cake. Who but a coward wouldn't speak out if their wife's career had been damaged for the sake of political gain?

[Javani]

"More telling: if he can't even charge Libby with leaking, it's pretty hard to see how he can charge Cheney with authorizing it."

Logical, but doesn't advance the Liberal identity movement defined not by policy but opposition to "Bush" and the conservative "other."

What's the biggest secret in this matter? Saddam's weapons? Nope. Cheney? Nope. The biggest secret is UGO. Why doesn't Fitzgerald declassify that?

[Randy]

Javani, what perjery and obstruction isn't enough? As I remember, it was enough to get Clinton impeached. Any way the damage is done. With approval ratings where they are now, the ultra-corrupt conservative movement is barely on life-support.

[Lug]

Joe Wilson's Top Ten Worst Inaccuracies And Misstatements

1.) Wilson Insisted That The Vice President’s Office Sent Him To Niger:

Wilson Said He Traveled To Niger At CIA Request To Help Provide Response To Vice President’s Office. “In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney’s office had questions about a particular intelligence report. … The agency officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story so they could provide a response to the vice president’s office.” (Joseph C. Wilson, Op-Ed, “What I Didn’t Find In Africa,” The New York Times, 7/6/03)

Joe Wilson: “[W]hat They Did, What The Office Of The Vice President Did, And, In Fact, I Believe Now From Mr. Libby’s Statement, It Was Probably The Vice President Himself ...” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 8/3/03)
Vice President Cheney: “I Don’t Know Joe Wilson. I’ve Never Met Joe Wilson. … And Joe Wilson - I Don’t [Know] Who Sent Joe Wilson. He Never Submitted A Report That I Ever Saw When He Came Back.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 9/14/03)

CIA Director George Tenet: “In An Effort To Inquire About Certain Reports Involving Niger, CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Experts, On Their Own Initiative, Asked An Individual With Ties To The Region To Make A Visit To See What He Could Learn.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)

2.) Wilson Claimed The Vice President And Other Senior White House Officials Were Briefed On His Niger Report:

“[Wilson] Believed That [His Report] Would Have Been Distributed To The White House And That The Vice President Received A Direct Response To His Question About The Possible Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Reported That The Vice President Was Not Briefed On Wilson’s Report. “Conclusion 14. The Central Intelligence Agency should have told the Vice President and other senior policymakers that it had sent someone to Niger to look into the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal and it should have briefed the Vice President on the former ambassador’s findings.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

CIA Director George Tenet: “Because This Report, In Our View, Did Not Resolve Whether Iraq Was Or Was Not Seeking Uranium From Abroad, It Was Given A Normal And Wide Distribution, But We Did Not Brief It To The President, Vice-President Or Other Senior Administration Officials.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)

3.) Wilson Has Claimed His Niger Report Was Conclusive And Significant

Wilson Claims His Trip Proved There Was Nothing To The Uranium “Allegations.” “I knew that [Dr. Rice] had fundamentally misstated the facts. In fact, she had lied about it. I had gone out and I had undertaken this study. I had come back and said that this was not feasible. … This government knew that there was nothing to these allegations.” (NBC’s, “Meet The Press,” 5/2/04)

Officials Said Evidence In Wilson’s Niger Report Was “Thin” And His “Homework Was Shoddy.” (Michael Duffy, “Leaking With A Vengeance,” Time, 10/13/03)

Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “Conclusion 13. The Report On The Former Ambassador’s Trip To Niger, Disseminated In March 2002, Did Not Change Any Analysts’ Assessments Of The Iraq-Niger Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
“For Most Analysts, The Information In The Report Lent More Credibility To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report On The Uranium Deal, But State Department Bureau Of Intelligence And Research (INR) Analysts Believed That The Report Supported Their Assessments That Niger Was Unlikely To Be Willing Or Able To Sell Uranium.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
CIA Said Wilson’s Findings Did Not Resolve The Issue. “Because [Wilson’s] report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release 7/11/03)

The Butler Report Claimed That The President’s State Of the Union Statement On Uranium From Africa, “Was Well-Founded.” “We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government’s dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, were well-founded. By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that: ‘The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’ was well-founded.” (The Rt. Hon. The Lord Butler Of Brockwell, “Review Of Intelligence, On Weapons Of Mass Destruction,” 7/14/04)

4.) Wilson Denied His Wife Suggested He Travel To Niger In 2002:

Wilson Claimed His Wife Did Not Suggest He Travel To Niger To Investigate Reports Of Uranium Deal; Instead, Wilson Claims It Came Out Of Meeting With CIA. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Among other things, you had always said, always maintained, still maintain your wife, Valerie Plame, a CIA officer, had nothing to do with the decision to send to you Niger to inspect reports that uranium might be sold from Niger to Iraq. … Did Valerie Plame, your wife, come up with the idea to send you to Niger?” Joe Wilson: “No. My wife served as a conduit, as I put in my book. When her supervisors asked her to contact me for the purposes of coming into the CIA to discuss all the issues surrounding this allegation of Niger selling uranium to Iraq.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

But Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Received Not Only Testimony But Actual Documentation Indicating Wilson’s Wife Proposed Him For Trip. “Some CPD, [CIA Counterproliferation Division] officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador’s wife ‘offered up his name’ and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12, 2002, from the former ambassador’s wife says, ‘my husband has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.’” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

5.) Wilson Has Claimed His 1999 Trip To Niger Was Not Suggested By His Wife:

Wilson Claims CIA Thought To Ask Him To Make Trip Because He Had Previously Made Trip For Them In 1999, Not Because Of His Wife’s Suggestion. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Who first raised your name, then, based on what you know? Who came up with the idea to send you there?” Joe Wilson: “The CIA knew my name from a trip, and it’s in the report, that I had taken in 1999 related to uranium activities but not related to Iraq. I had served for 23 years in government including as Bill Clinton’s Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. I had done a lot of work with the Niger government during a period punctuated by a military coup and a subsequent assassination of a president. So I knew all the people there.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

In Fact, His Wife Suggested Him For 1999 Trip, As Well. “The former ambassador had traveled previously to Niger on the CIA’s behalf … The former ambassador was selected for the 1999 trip after his wife mentioned to her supervisors that her husband was planning a business trip to Niger in the near future and might be willing to use his contacts in the region …” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

6.) Wilson Claimed He Was A Victim Of A Partisan Smear Campaign

Joe Wilson: “Well, I Don’t Know. Obviously, There’s Been This Orchestrated Campaign, This Smear Campaign. I Happen To Think That It’s Because The RNC, The Republican National Committee’s Been Involved In This In A Big Way …” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “But They Weren’t Involved In The Senate Intelligence Committee Report.” Wilson: “No, They Weren’t.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

Senate Intelligence Committee Unanimously Concluded That Wilson’s Report “Lent More Credibility” For Most Analysts “To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Reports.” “Conclusion 13. The report on the former ambassador’s trip to Niger, disseminated in March 2002, did not change any analysts’ assessments of the Iraq-Niger uranium deal. For most analysts, the information in the report lent more credibility to the original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports on the uranium deal, but the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) analysts believed that the report supported their assessment that Niger was unlikely to be willing or able to sell uranium to Iraq.” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

Members Of The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence That Wrote The Unanimous “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq”:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)

Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO)

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

Sen. John Warner (R-VA)

(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

7.) A Month Before The Bob Novak And Matthew Cooper Articles Ever Came Out, Wilson Told The Washington Post That Previous Intelligence Reports About Niger Were Based On Forged Documents:

In June Of 2003, Wilson Told The Washington Post “The Niger Intelligence Was Based On Documents That Had Clearly Been Forged Because ‘The Dates Were Wrong And The Names Were Wrong.’” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)

However, “The [Senate Select Committee On Intelligence] Report … Said Wilson Provided Misleading Information To The Washington Post Last June [12th, 2003].” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)

Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “The Former Ambassador Said That He May Have ‘Misspoken’ To The Reporter When He Said He Concluded The Documents Were ‘Forged.’” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

8.) Wilson Claimed His Book Would Enrich Debate:

NBC’s Katie Couric: “What Do You Hope The Whole Point Of This Book Will Be? Joe Wilson: “Well, I - I Hope, One, It Will Tell - It Tries To Tell An Interesting Story. Two, I Hope That It Enriches The Debate In A Year In Which We Are All Called Upon As Americans To Elect Our Leaders. And Three, … That [It] Says That This Is A Great Democracy That Is Worthy Of Our Taking Our Responsibilities As Stewards Seriously.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 5/3/04)

Wilson Admits In His Book That He Had Been Involved In “A Little Literary Flair” When Talking To Reporters. “[Wilson] wrote in his book, he told Committee staff that his assertion may have involved ‘a little literary flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, “‘A Little Literary Flair’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)

Wilson’s Book The Politics Of Truth: Inside The Lies That Put The White House On Trial And Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity Has Been Panned In Numerous Reviews For Its Inaccuracies:

“On Page One Of Chapter One, He Quotes NBC Talk Show Host Chris Matthews, Who Told Him That, After Mr. Wilson Chose To Go Public: ‘Wilson’s Wife Is Fair Game.’ Later, He Bases His List Of Suspect Leakers On Conversations With Members Of The News Media And A ‘Source Close To The House Judiciary Committee.’” (Eli Lake, Op-Ed, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Mr. Wilson,” New York Post, 5/4/04)

“For Example, When Asked How He ‘Knew’ That The Intelligence Community Had Rejected The Possibility Of A Niger-Iraq Uranium Deal, As He Wrote In His Book, He Told [Senate Intelligence] Committee Staff That His Assertion May Have Involved ‘A Little Literary Flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, “‘A Little Literary Flair,’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)

The Boston Globe: “In Essence, Much Of Wilson’s Book Is An Attempt To Portray The Bush Administration As A Ministry Of Fear Whose Mission In Pursuing War In Iraq Required It To Proclaim A Lie As Truth.” (Michael D. Langan, Op-Ed, “‘Truth’ Makes Much Of Bush Controversy,” The Boston Globe, 5/4/04)

Newsweek’s Evan Thomas Wrote In The Washington Post: “[W]ilson’s Claims And Conclusions Are Either Long Hashed Over Or Based On What The Intelligence Business Describes As ‘Rumint,’ Or Rumor Intelligence.” (Evan Thomas, Op-Ed, “Indecent Exposure,” The Washington Post, 5/16/04)

9.) Wilson Claimed The CIA Provided Him With Information Related To The Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction:

“The Former Ambassador Noted That His CIA Contacts Told Him There Were Documents Pertaining To The Alleged Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction And That The Source Of The Information Was The [Redacted] Intelligence Service.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

However, “The DO [Director Of Operations At The CIA] Reports Officer Told Committee Staff That He Did Not Provide The Former Ambassador With Any Information About The Source Or Details …” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

10.) Wilson Claimed He Is A Non-Partisan “Centrist”:
Recently, Joe Wilson Refused To Admit He Is A Registered Democrat. NBC’s Jamie Gangel: “You are a Democrat?” Joe Wilson: “I exercise my rights as a citizen of this country to participate in the selection of my leaders and I am proud to do so. I did so in the election in 2000 by contributing not just to Al Gore's campaign, but also to the Bush-Cheney campaign.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 7/14/05)

“[Wilson] Insist[s] He Remained A Centrist At Heart.” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)

Joe Wilson Is A Registered Democrat. (District Of Columbia Voter Registrations, Accessed 7/14/05)

Joseph Wilson Has Donated Over $8,000 To Democrats Including $2,000 To John Kerry For President In 2003, $1,000 To Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) HILLPAC In 2002 And $3,000 To Al Gore In 1999. (The Center For Responsive Politics Website, "http://www.opensecrets.org," Accessed 7/12/05)

Wilson Endorsed John Kerry For President In October 2003 And Advised The Kerry Campaign. (David Tirrell-Wysocki, “Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry In Presidential Race,” The Associated Press, 10/23/03)

“[Wilson] Admits ‘It Will Be A Cold Day In Hell Before I Vote For A Republican, Even For Dog Catcher.’” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)

"http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=5630"

[Javani]

Randy writes:

"So the current talking point is still "Joe Wilson was a bad guy","

It's a long standing discussion, inherently valid, and proven by his own mouth, e.g., "literary flair"

"implying that his wife got what was coming to her."

That's not what it implies. The gravamen is Joe.

"I think the old "Joe Wilson outed his own wife. She was the talk of the cocktail party circuit" talking point has died down a little."

I don't know if he did, but writing in the New York Times he was sent on a CIA mission indicated to every intelligence in the world that his wife need be treated with suspicion. If not, they're stupid. (a possibility, I admit)

"It was funny to hear that one spouted by people who would never be let near a real Washington cocktail party."

True, it's a bad meme.

"Actually, Wilson isn't really such a bad guy. Did you know that he was the ambassador to Iraq just before the first Gulf War?"

Do I know Kerry served in Vietnam?

"Bush's daddy called him a hero, because he personally stood up to Saddam in behalf of about 200 Bechtel employees who's lives may have been in jeopardy."

Duke Cunningham was a hero in Vietnam, did you know that?

"You don't hear much about that on Fox News."

I heard him say it, repetitively, in many venues. Maybe Fox too. So?

"He was absolutely right to stand up to Bush's propaganda campaign and expose the lies about the Niger yellow cake."

Well, you're clever. Clever enough not to say "lies" about WMDs since I suspect you know well that Joe thought they existed. Pr

"Who but a coward wouldn't speak out if their wife's career had been damaged for the sake of political gain?"

He spoke out before that. And he lied. Lied about what he found. Lied about his role.

Maybe you shouldn't hitch your hopes on him?

[cathyf]

"They know what the president has done stinks- declassifing parts of the NIE so that it can be leaked to destroy a political adversary"

So a political adversary was lying about what a document said, and they declassified the document and destroyed the liars' credibility. My heart bleeds.

cathy :-)

[rachel]

Somebody's done a lot of impressive research but I don't see how you can get around the fact that Wilson was sent to Niger to find out about an Iraq-Niger uranium deal and he came back and said there wasn't one and that was the truth. So he refuses to admit to Jamie Gangel that he's a registered Democrat? Why is that a big deal? So he's biased -- does that mean that he was wrong? No, Cheney was wrong, as we all know now.

[cathyf]

Wilson was sent to Niger to find out about an Iraq-Niger uranium deal and he came back and said there wasn't one

Really? In what universe was that? Who did he tell? He didn't tell the CIA debriefers that. (At least not in this universe...)

cathy :-)

[rachel]

He said it in the op-ed piece in the NY Times. Isn't that what all this flap is about? That's why Cheney gave Scooter Libby "declassified" material and authorized him to give it to the Times -- because he wanted to rebut that story (the one that turned out to be true).

[Rick Ballard]

Sisyphus wept.

[Barney Frank]

Rachel,

If all Joe said was there wasn't a uranium deal then why the conniption fit when Bush merely claimed that Iraq had SOUGHT uranium in Africa during the state of the union? Joe never said Iraq didn't SEEK uranium, only that it never consumated a deal. In fact his report seemed to bolster the idea that Iraq sought uranium from Niger to some of his debriefers. One of his contacts told him he had been approached by an Iraqi and assumed he was contacting him for the purpose of acquiring yellowcake.

And yet Mr. Wilson claims BUSH is dishonest, while he engages in the politics of truth. Don't those facts reveal Mr. Wilson and his supporters to be the liars, not Mr. Bush.

[robert lewis]

They call what you are doing "clutching at straws." Cheney is clearly the mastermind behind the Plame outing. Both Bush and Cheney testified, albeit not under oath, to Fitzgerald. Funny thing, though, even if you're not under oath, its a felony to lie to a Federal agent - ask Martha Stewart - she did 14 months. Wonder what Cheney and Bush had to say about leaks to Fitzgerald?

More importantly however, Bush has now been clearly revealed to even the Kool-Aid drinkers as a pathological liar. His political capital is gone - down the same rathole in the desert into which he has poured a TRILLION DOLLARS of taxpayers treasure. All on a lie.

His approval ratings are now at 36% - and headed lower - into Nixon country. If the Democrats take either house - and have the subpoena power - there will not be a rathole deep enough for Bush to hide in. His presidency is doomed. He will go down as the worst president in the history of the Republic - and he's going to take the Republican party with him UNLESS the Republicans are savvy enough to lead the impeachment. Think about it - it could be the elephant's salvation.

[Devil's Advocate]

What Bush did was not illegal.

It was sleazy, amoral, and unethical. What else is new?

As far as sleaze, amorality, and lack of ethics are concerned, the Republican pols are the gift that keeps on giving.

[Sue]

I have never seen people so happy to lose a war before. Well, I guess I wasn't old enough to really remember Vietnam. Maybe they were this happy then.

"The quickest way to end a war is to lose it."

[rachel]

What Wilson said was that not only was there no deal, it would be almost impossible for there ever to be a deal:

"Given the structure of the consortiums that operated the mines, it would be exceedingly difficult for Niger to transfer uranium to Iraq. Niger's uranium business consists of two mines, Somair and Cominak, which are run by French, Spanish, Japanese, German and Nigerian interests. If the government wanted to remove uranium from a mine, it would have to notify the consortium, which in turn is strictly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, because the two mines are closely regulated, quasi-governmental entities, selling uranium would require the approval of the minister of mines, the prime minister and probably the president. In short, there's simply too much oversight over too small an industry for a sale to have transpired."

So Iraq might have "sought" uranium -- but he wasn't going to get it. Nonetheless Iraq's putative attempts to purchase uranium from Niger was expressly cited in the State of the Union to show that Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat.

The day after Wilson's op-ed appeared Ari Fleischer said" we've long acknowledged that information on the attempted purchases from Niger did, indeed, turn out to be incorrect."

[PeterUK]

Rachel my dear,the French? The IAEA who missed Saddam's nuclear project the first time round,who didn't know about Dr Kahn's Nuketorium? You jest?

[PeterUK]

Here is a touching picture of the Wilsons in their degradation after Plames "outing".If this is punishment,what does reward look like.

[Randy]

"writing in the New York Times he was sent on a CIA mission indicated to every intelligence in the world that his wife need be treated with suspicion. If not, they're stupid. (a possibility, I admit)"

I just don't get your logic. Joe Wilson had huge cred on his own as an expert in both African and Iraqi affairs. To the world at large, Valerie was no more than a consultant for Brewster-Jennings, which was an undercover front organization until Novak spilled the beans to the world. Unless you were already privy to inside information about Valerie, in other words unless your were CIA or a high-level administration official, you had no idea about Valerie's real vocation. There simply were no dots to connect until the leak was made. To think that Wilson pointed the spotlight on his wife by writing an article is ridiculous. I suppose if you're married to a CIA agent, you're supposed to sit by while the president lies his way into a costly, disasterous war.

[boris]

It was sleazy, amoral, and unethical.

When everything Bush and Cheney is characterized this way by moonbats it loses any impact.

Disclosing some pre-war intelligence to rebut revisionist history in the making is none of those things.

[boris]

I just don't get your logic.

Now there's a news flash.

Connecting himself with the CIA removed any possibility of his wife ever being covert.

[JM Hanes]

Rachel:

"Given the structure of the consortiums that operated the mines, it would be exceedingly difficult for Niger to transfer uranium to Iraq."

You'd have thought it would be exceedingly difficult to steal billions through the Oil-for-Food program too, wouldn't you? Alas!

PeterUK:
That's not all the IAEA has missed! Let's not forget N.Korea & Iran.

[boris]

because he wanted to rebut that story (the one that turned out to be true).

Whatever the claim that "turned out to be true" ...

The NIE discloure rebuts false claims about pre-war intelligence.

[Sue]

Why did Joe wait until March 2003 to start yapping about the Niger uranium? In September 2002, Britain released the report that cited Niger. In http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2002/16118.htm>December 2002 the State department released a Fact Sheet to the public entitled "Illustrative Examples of Omissions From the Iraqi Declaration to the United Nations Security Council" that named Niger and uranium. The president stated in his SotU speech the 16 words and then in March Joe gets off his duff and runs around Washington crying foul? Something is not right with this whole game being played by Wilson and his wife and Alan Foley. There is a story here if some brave reporter is willing to ferret it out. I would almost guarantee it.

[Sue]

Why is Foley being Plame's boss not clicking with anyone but me? He was the director of WINPAC a group of analysts. I don't understand how this all works, but would your boss be the head of a group of analysts and you would be a covert agent?

[JM Hanes]

Randy

"I suppose if you're married to a CIA agent, you're supposed to sit by while the president lies his way into a costly, disasterous war."

Well, unless you're trying to get your wife and her network killed, I'd say yeah, pretty much. Especially when, as I now gather from the left, there were apparently so many other folks who could'a would'a should'a blown that whistle.

[Rick Ballard]

JMH,

That's North Korea, Iran and Libya. Plus players to be named later.

[JM Hanes]

Sue

Yes, I think I've got it this time! Just how many covert agents does the average head of an analysis section run? Or to put it another way, how many covert agents does it take to screw in an analyst's light bulb? I'd guess...none?

Ditto what Sue said! :)

[History? Never heard of it!]

C'mon people.

If you believe there's something to this, you'd have to believe Bush, Cheney, Rove, et al are a bunch of petty little vindictive bitches who stomp their feet and "savage" those that don't "toe the line" on their way of thinking.

Preposterous, I tell ya'!!!

[boris]

"toe the line"

Shouldn't that be "tow the line" ???

a bunch of petty little vindictive bitches who stomp their feet and "savage" those that don't "tow the line" on their way of thinking.

Pretty much describes the trolls and moonbats 'round here lately.

[JM Hanes]

Rick

How could I have forgotten Libya! (Esp. as I'm planning an excursion there next winter, even as we speak). To be fair to El Baradei, though, I suppose we should note that Hans Blix was actually in charge of the group that was giving Saddam a clean bill of health when Saddam's son-in-law spilled the beans back in '95.

[TM]

Regarding the influx of newcomers, this post was linked by Peter Daou at Salon's Daou Report.

[TexasToast]

Are you suggesting declassifying the NIE was inappropriate? Or that false, politically-motivated leaks from CIA operatives and agents are appropriate?

Cecil

Nope. I'm suggesting that a "declassification" only known to three people is inappropriate - especially when "leaking" might lead to Tom's "appropriate measures". Lets give all three Medals of Freedom!

It seems awfully convenient that these two parallel declassifications of the same NIE were in the works - one by the usual method and another in a three way bull session with the President. Who says Bush can only concentrate on one thing at a time?

[boris]

"declassification" only known to three people is inappropriate

and ...

parallel declassifications of the same NIE were in the works - one by the usual method

Sooooo it wasn't known to only three people was it. It just hadn't hit the streets yet. A stickler for formality hmmmm ???

Not cricket ???

Unsporting ???

[JM Hanes]

TT

"It seems awfully convenient..."

As Cecil might say, let's put that in our Occamizer & see what we get. Ah yes, convenient = logical, perfectly plausible. We're in the process of declassifying portions of the NIE, so go ahead and use anything we've already agreed on.

[boris]

Disclosing some pre-war intelligence to rebut revisionist history in the making seems perfectly appropriate.

[Barney Frank]

TM,
"Regarding the influx of newcomers, this post was linked by Peter Daou at Salon's Daou Report."

Please thank Pete for us. I have essentially quit reading. Trying to wade through all the monkeys emerging from asses or whatever clarice called it is making this too much like every other comment section, ie a nuthouse.

[boris]

I have essentially quit reading.

I understand the sentiment. It is however a target rich environment.

Pick a moonbat and fire away, just watch out for your hunting pals.

[cathyf]

robert lewis, they call what you are doing "just making shit up."

cathy :-)

[Rick Ballard]

And we've got some PhDs in MSU posting here today. We have to come up with a nice name for them in order to make them feel welcome.

Daoudos - Flighless birdbrains?

[TexasToast]

Lets face it guys - this was a "leak" in that it was spread "on background" to reporters to support the Niger yellowcake meme. The only difference is that it was "declassified" - but nobody who was given the info was told that. Like any other leak, it was to become "common knowledge" from an unknown source.

If you use the devil's tools, you are going to look a lot like the devil.

What is even better is you folks seem to be defending it on "purity of motive." Every leaker that ever was has the same defense.

[boris]

Conflating authorized disclosure with leaking is dishonest. Makes you look dishonest.

but nobody who was given the info was told that

Strange assertion. Likely false or irrelevant but unremarkable either way.

[JM Hanes]

Let me see if I've got this right: on background = a leak; authorized = unauthorized, grave and growing = imminent, risk assessment = cherry picking, mistake = lie, Administration = CIA, Africa = Niger, sought = bought, illegal = undocumented, win = steal...

High School students with blue state backpacks will be forever grateful to the left when they get their new, lightweight dictionaries.

[PeterUK]

I know JMH,but I didn't want Rachel hanging herself from a lampost.

[PeterUK]

"To the world at large, Valerie was no more than a consultant for Brewster-Jennings, which was an undercover front organization "

Unfortunately to the intelligence world at large working for Brewster Jennings is tantamount to walking round with an "Undercover Agent" T shirt on,dark glasses and a CIA cap.
Ye gods and little fishes,the woman worked at Langley,she parked her car in the car park,did she wear a mask in the canteen or are all the kitchen staff covert as well?
Real covert agents NEVER go near head office there are too many foreign military attaches ,cultural attaches,secretaries,dodgy diplomats and drivers from evey hostile embassy on the planet filming.
Covert agents lead very isolated lives,they don't chance their security by marrying high profile ex-ambassadors.

[maryrose]

PeterUK
The facts and truth are right there in front of their faces=yet they refuse to see or acknowledge what is real and factual.

[TM]

From Randy:

To the world at large, Valerie was no more than a consultant for Brewster-Jennings, which was an undercover front organization until Novak spilled the beans to the world. Unless you were already privy to inside information about Valerie, in other words unless your were CIA or a high-level administration official, you had no idea about Valerie's real vocation.

...There simply were no dots to connect until the leak was made. To think that Wilson pointed the spotlight on his wife by writing an article is ridiculous.

Let's see - Wilson writes an op-ed in which he announces that he does consulting work for the CIA. There is a positive probability that this tidbit prompts some foreign counter-intel chap to open a file on Wilson - maybe a bit of digging will lead somewhere, don't know 'til you try, right?

Relatively early in the process of building the Wilson dossier, the research turns to the wife (cherchez la femme, maybe the wife represents some sort of vulnerability, and anyway, his domestic situation is part of the basic package).

Learning that she works at Brewster-Jennings does not require Bob Novak's assistance - she had filed a public record 1999 campaign donation (Al Gore, $1,000) with the FEC with Brewster-Jennings as her employer. Check the FEC spy at this link, do an Individual search on Wilson, Valerie, and see for yourself. Cool, yes? She was listed there ten minutes ago, so don't let me down.

Well. Once our spycatcher takes an interest in Brewster-Jennings, there is trouble in paradise - when the Boston Globe kicked the tires, the wheels fell off in about three minutes:

Apparent CIA front didn't offer much cover

By Ross Kerber and Bryan Bender, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent, 10/10/2003

At first glance, 101 Arch St. seems like the perfect setting for a spy story: an elegant office building downtown with an upscale restaurant, lots of foot traffic, and a subway entrance to stage a getaway.

"It's a great place to blend in," said Rob Griffin, regional president of Cushman & Wakefield Inc., the real estate firm.

The CIA may have thought so too. Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative once listed as her employer Brewster Jennings & Associates. A company by that name has a listed address but no visible presence at the 21-story office tower.

Plame's exposure as an intelligence operative has become a major controversy in Washington. Former intelligence officials confirmed Plame's cover was an invention and that she used other false identities and affiliations when working overseas. "All it was was a telephone and a post office box," said one former intelligence official who asked not to be identified. "When she was abroad she had a more viable cover."

That's a good thing, considering how little work seems to have gone in to establishing the company's presence in Boston, intelligence observers said. While the renovated building houses legal and investment firms, current and former building managers said they've never heard of Brewster Jennings. Nor did the firm file the state and local records expected of most businesses.

Both factors would have aroused the suspicions of anyone who tried to check up on Brewster Jennings, said David Armstrong, an Andover researcher for the Public Education Center, a liberal Washington think tank.

At the least, a dummy company ought to create the appearance of activity, with an office and a valid mailing address, he said. "A cover that falls apart on first inspection isn't very good. What you want is a cover that actually holds up . . . and this one certainly doesn't."

Well - having established that Wilson consults with the CIA and the wife works for a dummy front company, what will our spycatcher do next? Who knows?

But if he follows Ms. Plame around, he will drive right to Langeley, which may provide a helpful clue as to her employment.

Now, these were predictable consequences of the Wilson signed op-ed. Were they certain consequences? Of course not. But if she and the CIA took her cover seriously (A big IF), she would have implored her hubby to STFU.

[clarice]

And the CIA would have chosen someone more discreet fot the Mssion, made him sign a non-disclosure agreement and yanked his chain as soon as they heard he was blabbing.
Ay leasy I would've.

[topsecretk9]

Learning that she works at Brewster-Jennings does not require Bob Novak's assistance - she had filed a public record 1999 campaign donation (Al Gore, $1,000) with the FEC with Brewster-Jennings as her employer. Check the FEC spy at this link, do an Individual search on Wilson, Valerie, and see for yourself. Cool, yes? She was listed there ten minutes ago, so don't let me down.

And TM, a simple search on the internet turns up the Ambass's Epic bio and the Arab Institute bio which list Valerie Plame as the chap Ambass's wife. Easy sneezy - Brewster Jennings in a *snap*

[michael]

PeterUK wrote: Real covert agents NEVER go near head office there are too many foreign military attaches ,cultural attaches,secretaries,dodgy diplomats and drivers from evey hostile embassy on the planet filming.
Covert agents lead very isolated lives,they don't chance their security by marrying high profile ex-ambassadors.

I would just like to ask, what the HELL do you know about covert CIA agents? We call this talking out of ones ass. Doesn't sound pleasant.

[kim]

So, michael, since you don't talk out of your ass, you must be the horse's mouth. Was Val covert even before Joe ran off his mouth?
==================================

[robert lewis]

L'il Kim asks: "Was Val covert even before Joe ran off his mouth?"

Why not let the CIA answer that: Yes. The CIA was the agency that lodged the complaint with the Department of Justice that lead to Fitzgerald's investigation, and I believe they have a better idea of who is covert and who isn't than Kool-Aid swilling right-wing bloggers.

[clarice]

Then why is Fitz fighting tooth and nail to revent showing Libby the referral letter? Why has he said that he never fully investigated that issue and shouldn't have to turn over to Libby any evidence in his possession on her status?

[kim]

Well, lewis michael robert. Stand up and introduce yourself, the new kid in class. Do they talk like that in your old school?

We were just going to review. Since you brought it up, what does the CIA say about her covert status?
=============================

[PeterUK]

Robert Lewis,
How covert is parking your car at Langley every day?
The CIA was covering its arse because,despite the billions pumped into that organisation,it had no information on the movements of yellow cake out of Niger.So with all the analysts,field agents and covert operatives,all they could come up with is Mint Tea Joe.The CIA's less than sparkling performance over Iraq is something else again.
Interestingly there was no confidentiality agreement.

Oddly Mint Tea Joe never visited the company that runs the operations in Niger who have their head office here.

COGEMA Resources Inc. Head Office
P .O. Box 9204
817 45th Street West
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 3X5
Telephone: (306) 244-2554
Facsimile: (306) 653-3883

"Gee!" your going to say,"That's just next door,why didn't agent Plame sneak up there and run through the books?"...."After all she was a non-proliferation analyst"

Yes Robert,we are as puzzled as you as to why the CIA couldn't find a suitably qualified employee and thus had to send a civilian from the cocktail circuit.

[Friends of Monica]

What Bush did was not illegal.<<<

At least he didn't lie about a blow-job. Give him a free pass as long as he isn't sleeping with the help.

[kim]

I did not have sleep with that woman.
=======================

[robert lewis]

You guys are so uninformed its embarassing . . .but:

Newsweek has reported: "Lawyers for Libby, and White House allies, have repeatedly questioned whether Plame, the wife of White House critic Joe Wilson, really had covert status when she was outed to the media in July 2003. But special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald found that Plame had indeed done 'covert work overseas' on counterproliferation matters in the past five years, and the CIA 'was making specific efforts to conceal' her identity, according to newly released portions of a judge's opinion."

That seems to be the final word on those key questions. Drink your Kool-Aid - enjoy the coming impeachment.

[boris]

Then Fitz should prosecute UGO. Instead Fitz is prtecting UGO's privacy.

By publicly connecting himself with the CIA Joe removed any possibility of his wife ever being covert.

[windansea]

awww looky...a new one...pssst Robert...there's this place called Tradesports where you can bet on Libby getting convicted....really good odds for you right now....wouldn't it be great to come back here and tell us how much $$$ you made and how you were right and stuff?

there's no Chimpeachment bets available there yet but maybe you could like call them up and volounteer to cover the spread and then make a killing!!

[robert lewis]

"By publicly connecting himself with the CIA Joe removed any possibility of his wife ever being covert."

And you base this upon what legal theory - or are you just blowing more gas out yer ass.

"Then Fitz should prosecute UGO."

Fitzgerald will prosecute where the facts takes him - all in the fullness of time.

36% approval and falling. Now George wants to nuke Iran - hmmmm- Plame's area of expertise was Iranian nuclear programs - how long have the neocon psychos been plotting - and to what end? This is not going to end well.

[kim]

Slick, Bobbie. I didn't ask what Newsweek, or Fitz said about her covert status; I asked what the CIA had to say about her covertness. That was what you were talking about, wasn't it?

Now you might go look at Joe and Turkey, but if you're spinning fantasies about Plame and mullahs, things may not end well for you.
=====================

[robert lewis]

Even an idiot should know - the CIA does not either confirm or deny the status of their covert employees - however, the fact remains - the CIA filed the complaint with the Justice Department. What part of file a complaint don't you understand?

And - its not what Fitz said about her status - its what a Federal judge said about her status in his opinion that counts. The courts have recognized her covert status. All the rest is bullshit spin - the sole product of the Bush Administration.

[clarice]

the CIA does not either confirm or deny the status of their covert employees Well Harlow confirmed to Novak Plame worked at the CIA. Therefpre, she wasn't covert. Right?

its what a Federal judge said about her status in his opinion that counts. Which federal court said she was covert? When?

MMFOOHS

[robert lewis]

Judge Tatel, the judge in the federal court that is supervising the Fitzgerald investigation, incorporated into his February 15, 2005 opinion the statement Plame was "a person whose identity the CIA was making specific efforts to conceal and who had carried out covert work overseas within the last 5 years".

The same judge, concerning Harlow's statement, said it "strongly implies Plame was covert at least at some point."

[kim]

You've put a finger on it. You'd think if he was supervising the investigation, Tatel would like someone to prove his own words. w
Why doesn't he command Fitz to release what the CIA has said about her covertness. Remember, it was the CIA whose opinion we're after. Remember?
==================================

[kim]

"What part of file a complaint" can't I understand? That's easy, the part I can't read. Now tell me how you can read it, or do you take it on faith?
========================

[kim]

Joe blew whatever remaining cover Val had and when she tasked him about it he did what any normal husband would do and that is blame it on the other guy.

Unless she's involved, too. Let's ask Levin.
=============================

[kim]

Under oath.
=======