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End of an Affair [Plame]
Washington Post ^ | September 1, 2006

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: armitage; bullzogby; bush; bushhassers; bushlied; cia; cialeak; getbush; getrove; gotcaught; iraq; knewitallalong; lyingliars; makingitup; mediabias; misterplame; movealong; muchadoaboutnothing; nigerflap; nothingtoseehere; plame; plamebroiled; plamegate; plamenamegame; pravdaus; propaganda; retraction; smearcampaign; tempestinateapot; waronerror; washingtonpost; wilson; wilsondone; yellowjournalism
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To: tiredoflaundry; Enchante
Wilson's book was proved to contain brazen lies. Wilson's "credibility" was utterly destroyed by a bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee. Wilson is a DOCUMENTED LIAR.
241 posted on 09/01/2006 9:53:24 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: WOSG
Alger Hiss was Soviet spy and a traitor to this country.

How dare you speak of the visionary first leader of the United Nations is such a manner?! < /sarc>

the infowarrior

242 posted on 09/01/2006 10:32:27 AM PDT by infowarrior (The GOP runs the US, the Dems run their mouths... Freeper HardStarboard)
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To: oceanview

I'm with you. Seems there are too many here who have him convicted, in need of a pardon. Libby deserves to face his accusters.

If Fitz drops this, Libby should file a civil action. I think Fitz would be immune, unless there was malfeasance & that would be difficult to prove. Some members of the press, not to mention the initial instigator (Wilson) have left themselves wide open... book deal indeed.


243 posted on 09/01/2006 10:35:36 AM PDT by GoLightly
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To: js1138

"Think how much the dems have invested in this story. It's the heart and soul of their opposition to the war."

They Will not admit they were LIED TO... EVER...
They will run and run with this, KNOWING that it's been debunked, because a lie flies faster than the truth....

A Lib's response from another board:
"Sure Rove and Co. will try to put their spin to it, maybe another red alert or two before then, but 65%+ of the public is fed up with the lies, deceipt, and trickery.
Its just about over, let the truth and good times roll."


244 posted on 09/01/2006 11:42:54 AM PDT by tcrlaf (VOTE DEM! You'll Look GREAT In A Burqa!)
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To: Enchante

"Will Walter Pinko and others at WaPo now have to 'fess up to their roles in the fraud perpetrated on the US public and the world?"

Don't hold your breath......


245 posted on 09/01/2006 11:47:09 AM PDT by tcrlaf (VOTE DEM! You'll Look GREAT In A Burqa!)
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To: maica
"Journalistic standards" has become an oxymoron.

Yep. Ever since Watergate. Now it's all about themselves. Not all that long ago it was very bad form for a reporter to inject him or herself into a story. Now everything's an editorial.

246 posted on 09/01/2006 11:48:46 AM PDT by Bernard Marx ("Congress is a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate America." Pat Buchanan)
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To: Txsleuth

As you know, someone over there is always just $10 away...


247 posted on 09/01/2006 12:15:16 PM PDT by GoLightly
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To: Cap Huff
It would seem that the Jefferson business is due to come to the surface:

Yes, it is.

248 posted on 09/01/2006 1:07:51 PM PDT by Fedora
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To: Fedora

Kudos to you for all the fine research you've done on the Wilson/Plame connections.


249 posted on 09/01/2006 1:43:07 PM PDT by Cap Huff
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To: Sloth; West Coast Conservative

Sloth, your Emily Litella "never mind" pic is right on the money. For the last few months, I have been saying that whenever the MSM comes out with some new "scandal", I reserve judgment and wait for what I call the "Emily Litella Moment".

Example:
NSA wiretapping: Bush has been SPYING ON AMERICANS! Has he been spying on YOU????? Oh...wait a minute...it's a terrorist surveillance program. Never mind. But we're still going to call it DOMESTIC SPYING!

The news of the past few years has been RIDDLED with Emily Litella Moments.


250 posted on 09/01/2006 1:43:14 PM PDT by Purrcival (DemocRATs - working hard, on a daily basis, to ensure that terrorists win.)
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To: martin_fierro; West Coast Conservative

From the very beginning of this "scandal", when I was reading about it in the DUmp, before it even hit the headlines, one thing stood out to me as being particularly asinine:

If the Bush administration wanted to get back at Joe Wilson and try to discredit him, WHY in the name of heaven would they have to do it by outing Wilson's wife, if she was covert? How many other ways might they have of getting back at him without doing that?

To me the whole assertion was idiotic from the starting gate.


251 posted on 09/01/2006 1:50:55 PM PDT by Purrcival (DemocRATs - working hard, on a daily basis, to ensure that terrorists win.)
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To: Cap Huff

Thank you :-)


252 posted on 09/01/2006 1:53:08 PM PDT by Fedora
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To: tiredoflaundry

The DUmmies are so busy building churches to Joe and Val that they haven't noticed they are attention whores yet.


253 posted on 09/01/2006 5:16:50 PM PDT by Democratshavenobrains
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To: roses of sharon
I don't want to see ONE MORE FREEPER write that the MSM are dinosaurs. It is a false claim.

I have been posting the same thing

They still influence the vast majority of American opinion especially the TV
254 posted on 09/01/2006 7:05:27 PM PDT by uncbob
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To: MJY1288; xzins; CMS; The Sailor; txradioguy; Jet Jaguar; Defender2; OneLoyalAmerican; bkwells; ...
"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."

Guide to Local Media
"Point" the media to

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101460.html


Locate media in your zip code, gives you links to
YOUR local media with phone, e-mail etc info.

255 posted on 09/01/2006 7:06:56 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Have you said Thank You to a service man or woman today?)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Steve malzberg just had Jason Leopold on his radio show. It was a hoot. Steve laughed through the whole thing.


256 posted on 09/01/2006 7:08:36 PM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs doing the job of the media.)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Thanks


257 posted on 09/01/2006 7:10:31 PM PDT by MJY1288 (THE DEMOCRATS OFFER NOTHING FOR THE FUTURE AND THEY LIE ABOUT THE PAST)
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To: mware

It's amazing how BDS works, and how RATlibs will still stick by the hackneyed lie.


258 posted on 09/01/2006 7:15:31 PM PDT by Fudd Fan ("The purpose of the UN is to ensure that the U.S. never wins another war." -HonestConservative)
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To: Eva; demlosers; jan in Colorado
She was not an undercover CIA agent in the field, or on the CIA's NOC list at the time of public disclosure.
10 posted on 08/31/2006 10:17:34 PM PDT by demlosers

Eva --- Notice that the writer states, as did Fitzgerald,
that her status was "classified", not that her status was "covert".

They aren't the same thing, and Fitzgerald and the press knew that very well, when they started this whole thing.

Other FReepers said these very things months ago, almost a year, actually. They were ignored or ridiculed at the time. Much like your comments here have been.

The other thing I want to know is why all the "fiscal conservatives" are not jumping up and down about the MILLIONS of taxpayer dollars that were spent in 3 years on a non-crime of a non-outing of a non-covert employee that 100's of people knew about?

Then of course there is the attack on the President and his administration in an attempt to sway an election, turn the public trust against him and create a diversion of serious matters that need addressed.

259 posted on 09/01/2006 8:55:30 PM PDT by Just A Nobody (NEVER AGAIN..Support our Troops! www.irey.com and www.vets4Irey.com - Now more than Ever!)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

BTTT


260 posted on 09/02/2006 3:15:26 AM PDT by E.G.C.
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