Former Spy's Memoir Contains a Paradox ("Scattershot Paranoia Runs Through" Plame Bio)

New York Sun ^ | 10/25/2007 | Nicholas Wapshott

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

If Valerie Plame's memoir was intended to lay to rest the conflicting accounts of how she came to be outed as a covert CIA agent, it fails. Instead, she paints herself as a naïve, whinging victim of circumstance married to an angry, obstreperous egotist who volunteered to involve himself in a vicious battle between the White House and the CIA over how President Bush came to make untrue statements in a State of the Union speech.

Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House (Simon and Schuster, $26) shows how mistaken her husband's judgment was. Not long after Ambassador Joseph Wilson wrote a piece for the New York Times condemning the president for suggesting, on advice, that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy yellowcake uranium in order to make nuclear weapons, his business collapsed, and his marriage was in tatters.

"The frequent fights, seething accusations, hurtful words, and entrenched bitterness pushed us both to the brink," Ms. Plame writes. And she is talking about her fights with her husband, not Karl Rove.

[Paladin2]

This story is sssooooooooo over.

[rod1]

The Plame-Wilsons are making yet another attemnpt to fill their money bagson the back of Rove and the President. Start with the fact that they totally ignore Armitage (who admitted to “outting” the non-convert non outtable person) in making all those riduculous accusations and statements. Credibility is not on the menu at the Plame-Wilson house but apparently fairy tales still sell a few copies in the bookstores.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Start with the fact that they totally ignore Armitage (who admitted to “outting” the non-convert non outtable person) in making all those riduculous accusations and statements.

"Ignore," hell -- they flat-out DENY Armitage had anything to do with Plame's overheated and imaginary "outting":

When it emerged that Richard Armitage, a friend of Secretary Powell and no ally of Vice President Cheney, leaked Ms. Plame's status as a CIA agent, and not the Wilsons' suspects — Messrs. Rove, Cheney, and Libby — Ms. Plame turns on the Washington Post. "I was furious. I suddenly understood what it must have felt like to live in the Soviet Union," she writes.

You just can't make up stuff like this, really. ;)

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

We need a list of words or phrases that should be a warning sign of danger.
A few of mine are: Free, Fair, It’s for the children, compromise, undocumented immigrant, global, Government help.

Please add more.

[gunnedah]

Close your eyes and see another Hillary like victim. If she were so suceptible to the brow beating of Joe Wilson how could she ever been a successful spy?

[syriacus]

More "red flag" phrases:

to be honest with you
to tell you the truth

[jennyjenny]

Here are couple:

What’s really important to the American people is.....
At the end of the day ......

[johnny7]

Go read Joel Connely’s column in the P-I and get ready to blow chow...

[advance_copy]

I almost feel sorry for those two pathetic losers... almost.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Go read Joel Connely’s column in the P-I

Why? What have I ever done to you? ;)

[Dr. Sivana]

Please add more.

"It's not about [x] ..." diversity academic freedom offensive insensitive gender "global economy" progressive "fair share"

[and a golden oldie that is only seen rarely but is starting to make a come back] "Spaceship Earth"

[Dr. Sivana]

Please add more.

(formatted version)

"It's not about [x] ..."

diversity

academic freedom

offensive

insensitive

gender

"global economy"

progressive

"fair share"


[and a golden oldie that is only seen rarely but is starting to make a come back]

"Spaceship Earth"

[Carbonado]

Lets see. What should they call the movie made from this fanciful tale of the improbable?

How about "CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIME"?

I mean, it's not like the Wilsons are any less popular with the media types, they are just appealing to a more selective audience.

[syriacus]

she paints herself as a naïve, whining victim of circumstance

Speaking of weakness -- two things, which the Wilsons corroborated, make it clear that Valerie Plame would have been a weak link in the CIA's efforts to protect her fellow Americans.

1. An early article on "Saint" Valerie tells of her noble action of starting a support group for women who suffered from post-partum depression.

How could the CIA (allegedy) keep a person who is suffering from post-partum depression in a top-secret, super-duper, important position?

2. Joe Wilson said his wife was unable to deal with her daily life a few years back.

When it had been revealed that Valerie had "encouraged" sending Joe to Niger, Joe said that story was false. He backed up his position by saying that Valerie needed him at home, to help with the twins, so she never would have recommended that he go to Niger.

[wolfcreek]

Unless this book has nakid pictures of Plame....

[Loud Mime]

Similar scattershot paranoia runs through the book, most conspicuously in the decision to replace each word redacted by the CIA with a thick grey line, to suggest unbearable censorship. The paradox — that the whole gist of Ms. Plame's argument is that it was profoundly wrong to break the oath of secrecy that protects employees of the agency — is quite missed on her.

What amazes me is how the liberals don't understand the phoniness that surrounds Plame and Wilson. I believe their hatred of Bush has made all in the liberal camp blind to logic.

[johnny7]

LOL!

He's gotta' be the fattest, DNC boot-licker out there.

[syriacus]

Thanks for posting this short, but very sweet, column!

[Thebaddog]

I’m getting the sense that Joe was the driving force in the whole matter and that his wife agreed to volunteer him for the mission to Niger. Is DC full of egomaniacs like Old Joe, or is he special?