Excellent work ping!
First, let's identify a couple of seminal threads on the Wilson/Plame/Novak (and now /Rove) affair:
Set up? Anatomy of the contrived Wilson "scandal", Wolfstar, October 2, 2003. I.e., the thread you're on.
Joseph Wilson, Niger, Uranium and Bush’s Famous Sixteen Words: Evolution of a Confused Story, Shermy, April 16, 2004
Plus a third thread that appears related...
Democrats to raise doubts about America: Strategy memo calls for undermining public confidence, Jon Dougherty on World Net Daily.com, sourced from Capitol Hill Blue and posted by John Huang2 on January 8, 2003.
In addition, there are two other threads which are intimately related with this subject -- and, as I can't find them, I ask for your assistance.
1. A report in the MSM that references the meeting cited above, ostensibly of the Democrat Senate Policy Committee, where the decision was made to attack the President's credibility. It took place in early January, 2003 and the report I'm seeking specifically mentions that among the invited guests were Amb. Joseph C. Wilson IV (ret), Nicholas Kristof of the NYTimes and, I believe, a WaPo reporter (probably Walter Pincus). This report would've appeared sometime after Wilson gained prominence because I seem to recall that it was a "puff piece" about him. So, we're probably talking July-Oct, 2004. Nick Danger has asked for a link to this story, but all I have is a memory...
2. A Capitol Hill Blue rant by Doug Thompson, based on a "source" named Terrance J. Wilkinson -- who came "out of the closet" before Joe Wilson's op-ed and told a story very much like the story Joe Wilson told. My strong suspicion is that Terrance J. Wilkinson, who turned out to be vaporware, was in fact Amb. Joseph C. Wilson IV (ret.).
The point being is that there is linkage between all these events. Wilson, Schumer, et al hatched this scheme in January, 2003 -- twisting Wilson's Niger trip to their purposes. Or Wilson/Plame may have hatched it in Spring, 2002, when he went to Niger, then Joe retailed it to the Democrat Senate Policy Committee as the answer to their prayers in January, 2003.
Whatever... Here's another pair of items that may be linked:
1. Once Novak published the name -- Valerie Plame is a CIA agent -- Joe Wilson immediately identifies Karl Rove as the leaker, soon to be frog-marched from the White House. Evidently without any aforethought, and with stupefying certainty. He proclaims this version loudly, to anybody who will give him a forum, for a couple of weeks -- then begins to backtrack.
2. Judith Miller refuses to reveal her source and goes to jail.
Now, consider that:
a. Judith Miller is a Washington-based reporter for the NYTimes, who specializes in WMD.
b. Valerie Plame is a Washington-based employee of the CIA who, likewise, specializes in WMD. Plus, she and her husband are known to travel in circles frequented by the media.
Is it not likely that Miller knew Plame...and knew what she did? Is it not likely that she had cultivated Plame as a source? Indeed, perhaps, received some story guidance in the past from Plame?
What if Plame (or Wilson) were to purposefully let Miller in on a little secret about ol' Joe's trip to Niger? What if it was suggested (or planned or hoped) that she pass this word along to Rove once the balloon went up with Wilson's op-ed?
It makes sense, doesn't it? The pieces fit, don't they? There is certainly no shortage of motivation (or ambition), is there?
All along, the main objective of this little scheme is to "damage the President's credibility" by attacking the SOTU message and the underlying premise for an Iraq war. But if Karl Rove should end up being "collateral damage", what would be wrong with that?
Thoughts, everybody? And can anybody find those two missing threads -- Wilson at the Democrat Senate Policy Conference and Doug Thompson's report (and following mea culpa) on Terrance J. Wilkinson. Both of these fit in the timeline...
Oh! One other question. Was Chuckie Schumer, Joe Wilson's "handler" at today's press conference a member of the Democrat Senate Policy Committee and/or was he in attendance at their January, 2003 meeting?