All things are not as they appear! Ignore the man behind the curtain!
Posted on 09/02/2006 5:19:23 AM PDT by Clive
Has a Washington scandal ever ended with a more anti-climactic splat than the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson affair?
This week it was at last fully and finally confirmed that it was former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage who had leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Put like that, the story sounds pretty bare. So let me put it another way. Imagine that Ken Starr's investigation had concluded that Monica Lewinsky had made the whole thing up -- and that it was established beyond all possible doubt that at the very moment Monica claimed she was experiencing ecstasy in the Oval Office with Bill Clinton, Clinton was in fact up in the White House family quarters helping Hillary sort old wedding photographs.
Imagine all that, and you only begin to imagine how utterly the biggest scandal of the Bush years has fizzled into nothing.
The scandal originated in George Bush's Jan. 28, 2003, State of the Union address:
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
Six months later, on July 6, 2003, The New York Times published an op-ed by one Joseph Wilson that accused the president of twisting intelligence. Wilson explained that the CIA had sent him to Niger in 2002 to investigate Iraqi uranium buying -- and that he had reported back that it was all bunk. Suddenly all Washington was asking the same question: Who the hell was Joe Wilson?
Wilson, a former ambassador to Gabon now struggling to earn a living as an international business consultant, seemed a very unlikely person to investigate a secret nuclear transaction. The next week, syndicated columnist Robert Novak provided the answer: Wilson had been proposed for the assignment by his wife, Valerie Plame, "an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction."
The administration's critics immediately erupted in outrage. "Did senior Bush officials blow the cover of a U.S. intelligence officer working covertly in a field of vital importance to national security -- and break the law -- in order to strike at a Bush administration critic and intimidate others?" So demanded David Corn of The Nation magazine.
For his part, Ambassador Wilson vehemently denied that his wife had anything to do with his assignment.
The administration succumbed to media pressure and appointed a special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, to investigate the case. Critics gleefully settled in to wait for "Fitzmas" -- the happy day when the prosecutor would indict the so-called neocon cabal. Many speculated that the scandal must touch the Vice President, even the President. Wilson himself said he was looking forward to seeing Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs.
Over time, it became clear that almost every detail of Joe Wilson's original story was false. Wilson's appointment was engineered by his wife. The report he filed did not acquit the Iraqis. Wilson had not detected forged documents. Above all: An Iraqi trade mission had in fact sought uranium in Niger in 1998 -- the President had spoken accurately.
Nonetheless, the Plame scandal ricocheted throughout the government. The Bush administration's pro-democracy, pro-Israel foreign policies were ferociously opposed by most of the U.S. national-security bureaucracy, and especially the CIA. Inflamed by the Plame allegations, CIA officials acted almost as part of the Kerry campaign organization through campaign 2004. Since Kerry's defeat, CIA betrayals of administration secrets have helped clinch one Pulitzer Prize for The New York Times and another for the Washington Post.
Yet somehow Fitzmas never came.
And then last week, Newsweek excerpted a new book co-authored by the magazine's Michael Isikoff and arch-conspiracy theorist David Corn that reveals that the Plame leak sprang not from Rove or Cheney, but from Armitage -- and that Patrick Fitzgerald has known this truth for close to three years.
Armitage was never an administration hawk. Indeed, he and his close friend Colin Powell loathed the so-called neocon cabal as fervently as David Corn himself. Armitage identified Plame to Novak not to settle scores, but out of a weak-minded delight in gossip.
Armitage, a former Marine, often questioned the physical courage of civilians who disagreed with him. But after the scandal exploded, and even as his administration colleagues and the President to whom he owed loyalty were exposed to enormous legal jeopardy by his actions, he kept silent to protect himself.
It's a shameful story. But the shame does not fall quite where the media promoters of the story hoped it would. Which may explain why newspapers such as The New York Times and left-wing blogs which once relished every last twist and turn of the saga have suddenly gone as silent about it as Armitage himself.
David Frum ping
Whole thing makes me want to throw up. Armitage is a yellow belly.
All things are not as they appear! Ignore the man behind the curtain!
I think Patrick Fitzsimons has some 'splaning to do also.
.
Can you imagine the outrage and "investigations to follow" had Ken Starr come up with nothing and knew that there was nothing to find almost from the get go of his investigations? This is one thing that I hate about this administration and that is its total refusal to fight back.
There was nothing to "leak". I don't know why they keep forgetting that little part. Plus, it was Wilson who "outed" his wife. It was on his homepage long before this media conspiracy became a fabricated "scandal".
The next chapter of this saga will probably the Plame/Wilson divorce.
Yep ole honest straight-shooter Fritz knew a long time ago the leak was a non-issue, but he continued down the path very carefully wording stuff so he could continue his non-investigation hoping something else may turn up all while collecting big fat government checks.
So let me see if I understand this...
There was nothing to this whole story, the MSM new it the whole time, and the President did not lie.
Is that basically correct?
Raymond
Why isn't the Old Media camped out on Armitage's streetcorner attempting to get a statement?
They share greatly in Armitage's shame.
David must be a FReeper.
Followed by the Plame appearance in Playboy.
"Pathetic"??? My arse. These two (the Joe and Val Show) are saboteurs, nothing less. And another thing- isn't it kinda lame to do the old "imagine if the shoe were on the other foot" routine??? We all know the liberal biased media ain't gonna uncover their own bias or their misplaced loyalties. That's up to the New Media, to shout it from the rooftops, and not be "gentlemanly" about it. Shout it, and beat it to death, incessantly, then run "polls" about it and scream them out (how disappointed, shocked and outraged people are by the NYT, Wash Post, Fitzpatrick, Conyers, Schuman, et al, are). This needs to be screamed out, or a lot of people won't notice and certainly the likes of NYT/Wash Post won't "feel the shame".
Now I think it time for a special prosecutor to investigate Patrick Fitzgerald and his ham handed, expensive and thoroughly wrong-headed investigation. Let's start with an audit of the money spent and the people hired.
The real disgrace here is Patrick Fitzgerald who evidently knew the truth of the matter on day one, but decided that he'd spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to put a few people through hell for a few years all to the purpose of advancing his own career.
They ought to lock the bum up and throw away the key.
Sorry that I have offended you with my "lameness."
"They share greatly in Armitage's shame"
Ditto me, ditto me mucho ...
What a wonderful way to illustrate the significance.
The Dems, the Left, and the MSM can not be allowed to just drop this issue.
This was white hot in 2003 and 2004. This was going to be the Watergate, the turn of the screw that was going to lead to the impeachment of President Bush.
Oh yeah, the Left was orgasmic over the prospects.
Now, the MSM wants to just make this go away, when they were complicit in the lies. When Joe Wilson was exposed as a liar by the Senate Intelligence Committee last year, he wasn't worried--he knew the MSM would just cover for him, which they did.
Fitzgerald needs to be fired, and brought up on misconduct charges. Libby needs to have all charges dropped. After all, perjury is no big deal--that's what the MSM drilled into us in 1998-1999, when their buddy Bill Clinton was in the hot seat.
No, they can not be allowed to go quietly into this good night.
Just as important, now that the Niger issue has been proven true, what were the inplications for the War on Terror. It tuns the whole world view of the MSM on its head. That can't be allowed to die either.
It will be interesting when the Senate returns to "work".
Yeah and Iam sure the major TV networks will lead their news with the truth
Still waiting
"special prosecutor to investigate Patrick Fitzgerald "
Abismolutely!
At the very least, suspend his law lic until the investigation is over.
If there isn't money channeled to suspicious quarters and friends and relatives on the payroll.....well that would be quite a surprise.
It will be sold in the science fiction department.
They told the commission that they informed the military right after they found out about the hijacking. Seems they waited over an hour before telling them.
There goes all those conspiracies about the military letting the planes hit without going after them.
'Sorry that I have offended you with my "lameness."'
I'm sorry, asp1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm all worked up, but do appreciate the sotof example. It's just that I hear that type of thing all the time on conservative Talk Radio, and it kinda "softens" the message. Seems to be a too-nice way of pointing out the dastards and their deeds.
And you know what happens to Nice Guys ...
Unfortunately, Wilson is raking in some pretty big bucks on the college lecture circuit. Back in Michigan, my wife forwarded me the laudatory newspaper article announcing his presence; not one word about his documented lies. His lecture was attended by over 1,000 students.
review
Wow, I had not heard that.
All of these revalations are a smokescreen to bail russert and others out. They know that being deposed and called to testify would deflate this whole affair and make them look like the snakes they are. Hence book, and this whole CF just runs out of gas.
They will not continue to cover a non story
Iam looking for a article on it.
"GOP is PATHETIC when it comes to fighting back"
Yah, for sure. Rummy's fighting back, in a nice way, now!!! But I'd prefer to see the New Media nail this one, and nail it loudly, rather than see the GOP itself turn into something resembling the Nasticrats.
Is the problem that the Old Media have been bought-and-paid-for by so many years of Nasticrat dominance???
And the New Media is still playing by Duchess of Queensbury Rules?
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
~President George W. Bush~
State of the Union Address
January 28, 2003"The New York Times published an op-ed that accused the president of twisting intelligence."
"...almost every detail of" (the) "story was false."
"the President had spoken accurately."
"It's a shameful story."
She was young, single and somewhat attractive which made her both a high risk and high maintenance employee. At best she was an administrator who had access to sensitive information. But, she herself was never in a position that would put her in danger if her ID were to be known. had that happened, she would simply have been brought home and given a desk job. Which is exactly what did occur back in the early 90's when Aldrige Ames was caught giving information to enemies and we cleaned house in several areas.
Joe (I wanna be somebody) Wilson and his wife have done a lot of damage and cost a lot of money in their quest for 15 minutes of fame.
Bush/Rove machine got to them.
What you have right here boys & girls is RATher/Mapes/Burkett/Lockhart 1.0... with an upgrade. This time, the DNC had loyal operatives(Clinton stooges) in critical positions willing to whore for them... instead of some old, half-nuts DNC activist in TX.
No crude forgeries were needed on this one... it was all word of mouth... he-said... she-said.
I wondered about a class action suit against the publisher for publishing "fiction" as non-fiction". Some people may want their money back....
Good for Mark he gets right to the heart of the matter. Who's listeneing?
Yeah. The MSM is not gonna cover this to any large degree. This story is gonna go down the Orwellian memory hole.
Both Clintons, Richard A. Clarke, Mary Mapes, John Kerry, Algore, John McCain ... the list goes on.
You summed it up quite nicely.
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