Set up? Anatomy of the contrived Wilson "scandal"

Multiple & linked in article | 10/2/03 | Wolfstar

[Alamo-Girl]

Buuuump!

[piasa]

Well .. I think the wife is more involved than you have noted. She and Hillary are bestest of friends, and the Wilsons have held fundraisers for both the Clintons.

I missed this... where did you find the info for this?

[Miss Marple]

Wolfstar, this is an invaluable piece of research and writing. Thank you so much!

Now, drawing on the comment made by Ann Archy, the question remains as to why the lower-level people in the WMD group (apparently without the knowledge of Tenet or anyone else in senior authority at the CIA) send a known Clinton partisan to Niger on this mission? Surely they knew who he was, so why send him?

We are handicapped by not knowing who the other members are of Valerie Plame's group, but I think it not unreasonable to conclude that they either had no idea of Wilson's background (pretty bad for an intelligence agency) OR they knew it and thought it was immaterial, or perhaps (and this is what worries me) PREFERABLE.

What if that whole WMD group has been filled with people who are like Wilson and his wife? What if they are more interested in advancing their agenda than finding WMD? And what if they are looking the other way for a price?

What if Wilson wasn't in Niger to investigate, but rather to carry a message and/or warn someone?

The latter part of this is speculation, of course, but Novak did ask the correct question: How and why was Wilson sent to Niger?

[cyncooper]

What if that whole WMD group has been filled with people who are like Wilson and his wife? What if they are more interested in advancing their agenda than finding WMD? And what if they are looking the other way for a price?

What if Wilson wasn't in Niger to investigate, but rather to carry a message and/or warn someone?

My husband and I were puzzling this out tonight and came up with questions exactly as you put it. I've said before, I question the loyalty of a CIA agent whose spouse carries on as Wilson does. And tonight we talked about why on earth WAS he sent? And I suggested to my husband what you say--that maybe it was to meet someone, etc.

I would just add to your comments that there is evidence that someone in the CIA was interested in promoting Joe Wilson's embellished and burnished version of his trip. See the BBC story of July 9---after Wilson wrote his July 6 op-ed but before Novak's July 14 Plame citation. The BBC quotes an anonymous "CIA official" who totally promotes Wilson's story and says the WH was briefed on his Niger visit. This turned out to be false. George Tenet specifically said in his statement that the WH, VP and senior WH administration officials were not briefed about Wilson or his trip. It is not clear to me when Tenet learned of it.

So the question is, which purported "CIA official" had an interest in pushing this angle----an angle that was not based on fact?

[Miss Marple]

Good catch on that BBC article. I am still trying to figure out how Plame kept her clearance after Wilson got involved with MoveOn and other radical groups. Doesn't anyone at the CIA pay attention to stuff like that, or don't they care?

I think the real story here is one that we probably won't ever know, and that is who is in Plame's group and what mischief they have been up to.

[dalebert]

Wilson outed his own wife in his bio. Is anyone investigating or charging him with anything?

[nopardons]

This is a concerted effort by the usual suspects, and I'm unwilling to believe this report...as it now stands.

[Taxman]

Thanks for the good post. This story will backfire and lose its legs, just like all the rest.

[CyberAnt]

When the Niger story first surfaced, I was on a thread on FR discussing it and the information that Wilson's wife worked for the Clinton campaign surfaced. I was shocked. And .. I was told that it was common knowledge that Valerie and Hillary were best buddies.

[yoe]

An incredible bit of work Wolf; sent it to Sean and others who will pass it along. Thanks so much.

[piasa]

Everyone's looking at Niger but sometimes I wonder if Iraq could simply have bought uranium off of the number one or two producer, Canada... seeing as how their Frenchlike leader loves us and all, and how half of al Qaeda already lives there. ;o)

[yoe]

Cy, I have been reading all the comments and Mrs. Clinton kept popping up in my sleepy head, I think you are the first to mention her. Remember Livingstone and the FBI files and no one seemed to know who hired him all though it slipped at some point that Hillary had hired him, though she denied it. Somehow the Clinton connection with the Wilson’s is well documented, and Mr. Wilson was a Clinton 'operative' during the '90s, they are in a position to do some Clinton dirty work, for lack of a better word, as they are still working within the government. This is how the Clinton Mafia works past and present.

[PhilDragoo]

REDS REDUX

Undercover Vamp Valerie Plame

Ink-stained wretch Walter Pincus

Unidentified source Terrance J. Wilkerson

MoveOn.org (left) and CPUSA (right) convene for address by Joseph C. Wilson

On-A-Mission-to-Destroy Wilson

[autoresponder]

Your Plame-Blame Theory is correct I believe -

How could Wilson have written for the NYT, WP, and NATION without wifey downloading her input?

I'd like to see a short concise hit done on Wilson outing his wife year(s?) back in his (WhosWho?) bio -

Hard to believe the CIA has less control and reaction then the army did when I was instructing confidential courses aimed at breeching enemy information security.

Notice I told you zero.

We also kept our heads down and mouths shut.

I am getting hostile feelings about Wilson & Plame; similiar to those I had just when I found Coral Snake hatband material -

[autoresponder]

MEEK : CHECK LABZ FILES

[autoresponder]

EXACTLY

BIO

[nopardons]

You're right and Wilson and his wife and Pincus and anyone and EVERYONE connected to them should be investigated.

[MeekOneGOP]

Great post, PD !! Thanks ! ...

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks. I'll check that site sometime today !! :O)

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed. Thanks for the heads up!