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Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 7/14/5 | Debra J. Saunders

Posted on 07/14/2005 7:54:19 AM PDT by SmithL

JUST AS the New York Times reported that Bush guru Karl Rove disclosed to a Time magazine reporter that Bush-hater Joseph C. Wilson was married to a CIA operative -- without naming her -- the Times had a real scoop: Valerie Plame "prefers" to be known as Valerie Wilson. Funny, for years, the Times and her husband referred to Mrs. Wilson as Valerie Plame. Now that reports say Rove mentioned that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, Plame is Valerie Wilson -- a fact that conveniently further damns Rove.

America now knows that Rove told a reporter that former ambassador Wilson, an official in the Clinton administration, was sent to Niger to investigate reports that Iraq had tried to obtain uranium for nuclear weapons -- and on the recommendation of his wife, who worked for the CIA. After Wilson wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about his mission, Rove questioned his credibility.

I understand the front-page treatment in the Times and The Chronicle when it came out that Rove spoke about Plame with Time's Matthew Cooper. President Bush made the mistake of saying he would fire any staffer who leaked "classified" information -- a Clintonesque pledge and hedge. Bush owes the public an explanation. If he doesn't fire Rove, he should explain why.

There is no evidence, however, that Rove broke the law, as he seemed completely unaware that Plame was a covert operative. He wasn't out to punish Plame, but rather to discredit her husband, who discredited the Bushies.

Now Rove critics argue that Rove was wrong to leak anything to the press, not because he might have broken the law, but because those White House denials undermine the Bushies' credibility.

This is funny, because Wilson has been caught in some truth-twisting himself. . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cialeak; judithmiller
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To: vaudine
The clips I saw of Bush showed he said he would fire anyone who did anything illegal. The media keep saying it differently--he said he would fire anyone who leaked. He did not say that.

Thanks for the info, vaudine.

21 posted on 07/14/2005 8:31:59 AM PDT by syriacus (Did one of Michael's girlfriends have a key to Terri's apartment? Did Lazy Bones McCabe ask anyone?)
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To: popdonnelly
Anyone who buys the Times should do it in disguise, out of shame.

I quit subscribing to the Times when I realized I might as well have been handing a monthly check directly to the "Elect Al Gore" committee.

22 posted on 07/14/2005 8:34:29 AM PDT by syriacus (Did one of Michael's girlfriends have a key to Terri's apartment? Did Lazy Bones McCabe ask anyone?)
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To: syriacus
We need someone to ask Cooper when he found out the Plame was once a "covert" operative (if she ever was) and who told him... Based on what has been disclosed so far it certainly doesn't appear that it was Rove who provided this info.
23 posted on 07/14/2005 8:35:24 AM PDT by RedEyeJack
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To: Tatze
I loved seeing "stretch" Pelosi on Television last night. She has changed her rhetoric to "it doesn't matter whether a crime was committed or not, Rove should be fired".

Gee, you think she knows the truth now and she's running for cover? I wonder if she's going to give Kerry the info, or let him twist in the wind?

24 posted on 07/14/2005 8:36:47 AM PDT by golfboy (character is doing what is right, when no one is looking)
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To: RedEyeJack
We need someone to ask Cooper when he found out the Plame was once a "covert" operative (if she ever was) and who told him...

The fact that he's so silent about the specifics is quite telling.

25 posted on 07/14/2005 8:38:02 AM PDT by golfboy (character is doing what is right, when no one is looking)
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To: doug from upland
I just had the pleasure of speaking with Debra. I love her work. Working with libs is all she has ever known --- she is from Massachusetts.

I agree, Debra is usually right on the money, but she seems to be a bit ignorant to some of the facts in this story.

26 posted on 07/14/2005 8:52:42 AM PDT by randog (What the....?!)
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To: SmithL

Wilson's number one lie is his claim to have investigated the Niger story. He never investigated anything.

His second lie is his claim that the Niger story was false. In fact, it was true.

So what we have is a case of two Kerry supporters using the CIA as cover to float a lie intended to wound Bush during an election year. Remember, Wilson outed himself as a supposed CIA agent, claiming that the CIA had sent him to do the investigation. Of course, we now know that was also a lie, since it was his wife that arranged it, and there was never a report written until his op-ed piece in the New York Times.


27 posted on 07/14/2005 8:52:51 AM PDT by marron
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To: SmithL

DFU presents Joe Wilson's diary of his excellent adventure in Niger
secret source | 7-14-04 | dfu


Posted on 07/14/2004 10:44:48 AM PDT by doug from upland


JOE WILSON'S secret diary; entries Feb. 17 - 25, 2003


Monday, Feb. 17
my biggest worry - when was I last immunized for yellow fever?...hectic cab ride to the airport...grabbed a latte on the way at the Starbucks where Caity Mahoney was murdered...awwww, she didn't get her chance to talk to Ken Starr...damn Republicans...caught United flight to Paris.....caught Al Algerie and landed in Niamey...20 hours and a lot of smelly people....man, I better find a way to get a book deal out of this


Tues, Feb. 18
fourth floor suite at the Gawaeye is okay...jet lag hitting hard...sat by the pool sipping sweet mint tea most of the day...asked a bellhop if he knew anything about Iraq buying yellow cake...he didn't


Wed., Feb. 19
spent about three hours sipping sweet mint tea...watched some CNN...I don't know whether to thank or blame Valerie for getting me this gig...if she ever finds out about the student who came in on my flight from Paris, she will hang me by my nads...asked Bridgette if she knew anything about Iraq buying yellow cake...she didn't


Thurs, Feb. 20
had a traditional Niger breakfast and stomach felt queasy most of the day...met with a few government officials...we sipped sweet mint tea...can't remember their names...asked if they knew about Iraq buying yellow cake...they didn't


Fri, Feb. 21
went to the Niamey Grand Market to do some shopping...asked the cabbie on the way if he knew anything about Iraq and yellow cake...he didn't...had a leisurely lunch and sipped sweet mint tea for about an hour and a half...asked 10 shop keepers if they knew about Iraq buying yellow cake...nine of them knew nothing...one guy heard some kind of a rumor from his brother-in-law in Chad but didn't trust him, particulary after his honor killing of their niece ...bought Valerie an authentic Djenne-Djeno copper alloy bead necklace...got one for Bridgette, along with a copy of Leaves of Grass in French...put it all on expense account...thank you, taxpaying suckers...watched a little CNN and a porno tape I brought with me


Saturday, Feb. 22
it was a tough week, so I thought I deserved some R&R...went to see camel races...asked three camel jockeys if they knew whether Iraq had bought yellow cake...they didn't...the races were fun, but the sweet mint tea had me jumping up to go to the bathroom too often...ha, ha, kind of like Al Gore was not in the room because he drank too much iced tea and had to go pee...took Bridgette out for some dinner and entertainment...we had a fairly decent meal of rice and sauce, couscous, kebabs, grilled fish and chicken...then went to the Jet-7 and drank a few too many beers

Sunday, Feb. 23
slept in late...this stinking place has no decent Sunday brunch in the whole damned country...had a continental breakfast -- orange juice, coconut milk, stale pastry of some kind...sat by the pool most of the day drinking sweet mint tea...in the evening, I went by a mosque and asked some kids outside if they knew anything about yellow cake...then ran away...I think they were scared and thought I might have been out gay cruising...maybe I'm lucky I didn't get beaten up like Kevin Spacey when he was out cruising in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park in London


Monday, Feb. 24
last day here...in good faith, I really wanted to do my job and find out about this yellow cake stuff...a police officer knew nothing, a librarian knew nothing, three tribal leaders knew nothing, a high-ranking military officer knew nothing, a peddler knew nothing, a guy I met in a public restroom knew nothing...spent another few hours by the pool to get in my last several cups of sweet mint tea


Tuesday, Feb. 25
another 20 stinking hours from Niamey to Paris to D.C....if this religious warrior and cowboy thinks he is going to get away with claiming Iraq was a threat, I have all the info I need to nail him...hell, he was never elected in the first place...I wonder if it will be Howard Dean or Hillary who gets the nomination...if I were Howard, I would worry that Hillary might whack me...whoever gets the nod, if they win, I had better get a good job...but I'm not going back to Niger...give me Paris


28 posted on 07/14/2005 8:56:04 AM PDT by doug from upland (The Hillary documentary is coming)
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To: SmithL
Call the Quran and Rove stories examples of a new trend: We-told-you-so journalism. Gotcha journalism has a new name: Gotcha this time. No, gotcha this time. No, really gotcha this time.
29 posted on 07/14/2005 9:07:44 AM PDT by listenhillary (Don Rumsfeld /Karl Rove - Next US supreme court justices - Will Dem heads explode?)
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To: SmithL
There is no evidence, however, that Rove broke the law, as he seemed completely unaware that Plame was a covert operative. He wasn't out to punish Plame, but rather to discredit her husband, who discredited the Bushies.

let's see, now... Rove's little disclosure occured in 2003... and Plame became a non-covert desk jockey WHEN? 1997, IIRC?

To my eye, it seems likely that Rove was well aware that Plame was no longer a spook.

period. Paragraph. END OF STORY.

30 posted on 07/14/2005 9:18:07 AM PDT by King Prout (I'd say I missed ya, but that'd be untrue... I NEVER MISS)
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To: doug from upland

Hahahahahaha! Doug, you're a genius! What a treat to read this (again)!


31 posted on 07/14/2005 9:35:28 AM PDT by alwaysconservative (9-11 & London: Don't forget your sneer quotes when you refer to the "religion of peace")
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To: King Prout

There should be a turnabout on this. Valerie was outed in print long before any of this took place. Probably why she was no longer a spook.


32 posted on 07/14/2005 10:24:47 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk
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To: Kenny Bunk

she got benched as part of the fallout over Ames, IIRC.
she was not a spook when Rove made his mildly phrased disclosure.
in a rational world, the lamestream media and the dims would end up looking like morons over this fart-in-a-whirlwind "scandal".


33 posted on 07/14/2005 10:28:03 AM PDT by King Prout (I'd say I missed ya, but that'd be untrue... I NEVER MISS)
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To: SmithL
There's a bigger issue here that everybody, especially the media, is ignoring - nepotism combined with government spending habits.

When some governmentpayroller can get her husband out of town for a week at taxpayer expense on a mission he is unqualified for and does nothing to accomplish, there's the scandal.

What's the difference between Joe Wilson and an empty seat on that airliner? An empty seat doesn't write a book about being an empty seat.

34 posted on 07/14/2005 10:36:39 AM PDT by Bernard (Let's have the next Democrat convention in Aruba.)
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To: RedEyeJack
We need someone to ask Cooper when he found out the Plame was once a "covert" operative (if she ever was) and who told him... Based on what has been disclosed so far it certainly doesn't appear that it was Rove who provided this info.

Good catch.

35 posted on 07/14/2005 11:39:17 AM PDT by syriacus (To which flag do Joe and Val Wilson pledge allegiance?)
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To: SmithL
He wasn't out to punish Plame, but rather to discredit her husband, who discredited the Bushies.

Why is it okay for the mainstream media to refer to Bush and his staff as "the Bushies"? Why didn't they ever refer to Clinton and his staff as "The Clintoons" or "Clintonistas"?

36 posted on 07/14/2005 1:02:35 PM PDT by Bon mots
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To: Bernard
There's a bigger issue here that everybody, especially the media, is ignoring - nepotism combined with government spending habits.

When some governmentpayroller can get her husband out of town for a week at taxpayer expense on a mission he is unqualified for and does nothing to accomplish, there's the scandal.

BINGO! We have a winner!

37 posted on 07/14/2005 1:04:54 PM PDT by Bon mots
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To: popdonnelly

"What makes the New York Times think they can trash the reputation of Rove? They should be called on this. Anyone who buys the Times should do it in disguise, out of shame.

I stopped buying the Times once my parrot decided it wasn't worth the effort to drop bombs on it.

My b8ird now craps on the WAPO.


38 posted on 07/14/2005 2:14:14 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Liberal Talking Point - Bush = Hitler ... Republican Talking Point - Let the Liberals Talk)
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