Posted on 08/31/2006 10:08:00 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Edited on 09/01/2006 5:56:51 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
WE'RE RELUCTANT to return to the subject of former CIA employee Valerie Plame because of our oft-stated belief that far too much attention and debate in Washington has been devoted to her story and that of her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, over the past three years. But all those who have opined on this affair ought to take note of the not-so-surprising disclosure that the primary source of the newspaper column in which Ms. Plame's cover as an agent was purportedly blown in 2003 was former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage.
Mr. Armitage was one of the Bush administration officials who supported the invasion of Iraq only reluctantly. He was a political rival of the White House and Pentagon officials who championed the war and whom Mr. Wilson accused of twisting intelligence about Iraq and then plotting to destroy him. Unaware that Ms. Plame's identity was classified information, Mr. Armitage reportedly passed it along to columnist Robert D. Novak "in an offhand manner, virtually as gossip," according to a story this week by the Post's R. Jeffrey
Smith, who quoted a former colleague of Mr. Armitage.
It follows that one of the most sensational charges leveled against the Bush White House -- that it orchestrated the leak of Ms. Plame's identity to ruin her career and thus punish Mr. Wilson -- is untrue......
Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming -- falsely, as it turned out -- that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senior administration officials. He ought to have expected that both those officials and journalists such as Mr. Novak would ask why a retired ambassador would have been sent on such a mission and that the answer would point to his wife. He diverted responsibility from himself and his false charges by claiming that President Bush's closest aides had engaged in an illegal conspiracy. It's unfortunate that so many people took him seriously.
The ComPost is finally admitting publically what freepers deduced 3 years ago.
Yeah, that's typcial.
As does mine.
My fury grows whenever I remember the crap Fitzie said for an hour at his 'presser'!!!
"Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson
And now they are pointing the finger at Wilson himself ???
Ok .. what gives cause this all SMELLS!"
You betcha, Red Rider! This smells like a huge pre emptive move to get out of the way before tons of Bull Fecal Matter hit the big high speed fans.
Remember there are five counts.
Count 1: Obstruction of Justice
Counts 2-3: False Statements
Counts 4-5: Perjury
This mostly appears to be based on Fitzgerald's interpretation and timeline and his apparent belief that Wilson was right about it all being a personal vendetta against him (Wilson).
Let me take this opportunity to wish everyone at DU a Merry Fitzmas. ;)
To sum up, we were right all along and the Bush-hating left was completely wrong - as we said they were - all along.
Nice to bury this on the op-ed page... getting mighty Orwellian over at the comPost: the DNC Post can report on something for months then misrepresent how they handled the non-affair on the pages of their paper and the headlines on their free commuter propoganda broadsheet? This story should be on the front page titled, "Media apologize to Karl Rove and Scooter Libby for Months of Slander."
Joe Wilson wouldn't happen to be a buddy of the Clinton's would he?
Standard Operating Procedure
Dont underestimate the liberal capacity for self-delusion.
Will Chris Matthews implode when he comes back from "vacation". I say he went to the "nervous hospital".
bump.
Yeah, that's typcial.
My thoughts exactly!
I am not to impressed to read this on Friday before a long weekend. Yet for a liberal rag like the Compost it is quite big! I hope Rush, Beck and Hannity are on this today.
I still wish the Compost and others in the drive by media would quit calling this Plame (or Flameout) woman a covert or classified agent. There is no proof that I am aware of showing her identity had to be kept secret.
Isn't it amazing how the truth always manages to come out. Sometimes to late, but better late than never I guess.
Hey WAPO, just because liberals scream and whine that there is a "crime" committed, doesn't mean a crime was committed.
In fact, most, if not all, of what liberals say is made up BS.
Now, when is the WAPO going to apologize to the Duke lacrosse players?
Unreal.
KOS is way ahead of the curve on this one.
Funny, didn't see anything about this headlining 'The Today Show' this morning as I sipped my coffee and had my nearly morning vomit (my wife has that awful show on).
I'm sure good ole Timmy Russert will be asking tough questions about this this weekend. Like asking all the liberals if they're going to apologize to the administration. Can't wait!
I'd like to see one of our Freeper writers write a book about this whole Plame Blame Game.
Why does it matter what Richard Armitage's "motives" were? I thought "outing" Valerie was the crime of the century - why isn't this guy being frog-marched out of State and indicted??
Doh!
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