Posted on 02/25/2007 11:51:02 AM PST by RussP
Thanks. I've forwarded to non-freepers for their information.
Since there is no evidence that Plame was covert, and there is no evidence even hinting that President Bush terminated Plame's non-existant covert status, the entire discussion in this item is hypothetical and moot. In fact, this stated "reason" is completely immaterial to the Plame case, and might even mislead uninformed readers.
Yes, I know that it is tempting to rebut arguments from the left, no matter how unfounded and idiotic those arguments may be, but IMHO #4 is a non-sequitur that does little, if anything, to add to the already strong and relevant arguments in the rest of the piece.
It is amazing when you compare the media reaction to a real national security threat-- like Sandy Burglar's destruction of vital national security documents-- to this non-event.
Great job debunking the Plame Shame.
Don't forget Fitz-e-Baby. He definitely needs to be brought up on charges.
"Since there is no evidence that Plame was covert, and there is no evidence even hinting that President Bush terminated Plame's non-existant covert status, the entire discussion in this item is hypothetical and moot. In fact, this stated "reason" is completely immaterial to the Plame case, and might even mislead uninformed readers."
Well, I think the fact that the President has the legal authority to terminate an agent's covert status is very significant here. When the story first broke, I remember how the Left tried to make it out as if Bush had no more authority here than any private citizen. And the media parroted the same nonsense, of course. What I am saying is that, even if Plame *had* been covert at the time, the whole thing is nonsensical. The fact that Plame wasn't covert just compounds the absurdity.
It's the same trick the Left pulls on other national security issues too. Bush authorizes surevillence of terrorist cell phone calls from outside the US, and the Left accuses him of "breaking the law," as if the President has no authority unless granted to him by Congress. They just don't seem to understand the concept of separation of powers.
"The number one reason is the persecutor knew when he questioned and not just Libby but all the wittiness that no crime had been committed."
Yes, that's the kicker here. Novak told Fitzgerald very early that Armitage was the "leaker," and any reasonable person should have known then that no crime had been committed. So why did the investigation continue?
This goes to the heart of the Independent Counsel law itself. Fitzgerald or any IC is essentially given some sort of extra-Constitutional authority that seems to preclude any semblance of accountability.
I'd like to see the guy brought up on charges too if it is possible. But who would do it? Can you imagine the media circus that would ensue if the AG tried to prosecute him?
"One could go as far as to say that this was the scam of the century."
I think the most interesting question here is to what extent the scam was pre-meditated. In other words, when Wilson was sent on his baloney "investigation," did the people who sent him anticipate that his wife's supposed "outing" would become a major political and legal "scandal"? Or did that little gem just fall into their laps thanks to the pathetic media coverage?
I think the issue here is that if President Bush wanted Plame to be covert, he would have demonstrated some major annoyance at having her exposed. If he didn't want her to be covert, her exposure would not be a crime.
bttt
There is even a bigger picture.
This wasn't the first time Joe went to Niger to 'spy' for the CIA.
He was asked to do the same during the Clinton adminstration.
The situation was almost exactly the same.
He was going to Libya on 'company business'.
The CIA was trying to find out if Niger was selling yellowcake ore to Saddam.
Since Joe was going, and had plenty of contacts there (he was a close friend and business partner of the President of Niger), he was asked to 'spy' for the CIA.
All expenses paid, no non-disclosure agreements to sign.
Makes sense. Who would think he was a spy? In Niger?
Here's the BIG PICTURE.
That 'company business' that Joe was on. JC Wilson Ventures, Intl.
The reason he was going to Niger in the first place.
Guess what his company does, and why he had to be there.
They are brokers for foreign nationals. They specifically were the broker (and Joe was the primary handler on these deals) for the sales of yellowcake ore for the President of Niger.
Each time, Saddam somehow purchased large quantities of yellowcake ore. (likely through Libya)
A few weeks ago I was shouting at the radio while at work. An ABC news blurb mentioned something about the Plame story to the effect that Joe Wilson had "discredited" the White House's version of the Iraq's yellowcake dealings in Niger. Count on Big Media to keep repeating lies EVEN after they've been really discredited. The truth doesn't have a chance with Big Media.
That's interesting. I was not aware of that. Do you have any corroborating links?
Yes, the way they shamelessly repeat that lie is amazing, isn't it. But if you repeat a lie often enough...
She never worked "in Boston", particularly around time period you're looking at - She was introduced to Joe Wilson in 1997 in Washington, DC, at ATC meeting, and married Joe Wilson in 1998.
You probably refer to her supposed "cover" story of Brewster-Jennings, which was a mailbox and a phone number "virtual company", i.e. she didn't have "office" or cubicle in Boston, and had no reason to "work" or live there while being just married to ex-Ambassador and attending political parties in DC.
Here are some references to Brewster-Jennings, which was a well-known CIA front and couldn't possibly be used for real undercover work, but looked good enough to fill a resume or minor applications (while driving to Langley to work) or for any place else where "CIA" just wouldn't look good, like political donations.
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/10/10/apparent_cia_front_didnt_offer_much_cover?mode=PF
http://colombia.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/38643.php
( supporting info to above : http://cryptome.org/robert-ellmann.htm )
Here, we just "outed" a couple of more "spies" using Google :~)
If you revise your "big picture" essay again, you may want to add the Wilson's former RestoreHonesty.com site that was paid for and linked to by John Kerry's '04 campaign and taken out some time in 2004, when Joe Wilson has been proven to be a liar. it may go somewhere in your points #2 or #3.
Here's a good initial reference:
http://instapundit.com/archives/016744.php
And here I thought Indymedia was nothing but fringe leftist stuff...
That may well be, but I don't see a lot of happiness even from moonbats about this case, ever since Armitage story came out and it became painfully obvious that there was no "conspiracy" and that Fitzerald's game was from the beginning an attempt to entrap WH officials for political purposes and that he had to justify his witchhunt by indicting someone he personally had a grudge against from previous legal defeat...
If you told them from the get-go that Plamegate would end in Libby "perjury" trial and that lies of Joe and Valerie Wilson about mission to Niger would be exposed, that except for few in media (MSNBC, AP, Reuters) who still keep perpetuating the myth of Cheney "conspiracy" and "outing" by repeating misleading statements about the nature of the Plamegate using "allegedly" and "accused of" and "investigated", they certainly hoped for a lot more... and most may have conscience pangs about sending unquestionably innocent man to jail for a "crime" that was not there... especially, not one of the dreaded "neocons", just a lawyer, really.
In other words, many on that side, who are not hopelessly brain-dead, feel betrayed and by now just as enraged by breathless hype in the media and left-wing DU types and by Fitz's unadulterated partisanship that fueled this stupid thing into a "crisis", that they feel backfired on them instead of delivering some tangible political benefits.
They got far more political "wind" from Katrina in far less time than they got from plamegate and Fitzgerald.
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