Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Powell's halo knocked ajar
VirginianPilot ^ | 9-2-06

Posted on 09/02/2006 9:46:54 PM PDT by STARWISE

On July 14, 2003, a Robert Novak column in The Washington Post outed the CIA-agent wife of vociferous Bush administration critic, Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson. Thus was born the "Plame Affair" which quickly became a morality tale of how an out of control Bush Administration would do anything to justify its war in Iraq.

A mere three days later, journalist David Corn, summarized the allegations that would color reporting on the Iraq War for the next three years and eventually lead to the indictment of a top aide to the vice president for lying to a grand jury:

((((THE OLD DAVID CORN:)))"Now there is evidence the Bushies used classified information and put the nation's counterproliferation efforts at risk merely to settle a score. It is a sign that with the [Bush] gang, politics trumps national security."

Now we know the story is much more complicated.

In a book to be released next week, the same David Corn, of The Nation magazine and Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, reveal that the original leaker to Novak was actually a Bush administration insider who was opposed to the war in Iraq, but also suffered an irrepressible urge to gossip, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

The reporting duo also reveal that when Armitage realized that he was the source of the leak, he came clean to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Powell however, revealed the minimum amount of information possible to those outside the department. The State Department told the FBI of Armitage's role and informed the White House that they had given information to the FBI about the scandal, but nothing more.

The public learned nothing.

And as the investigation dragged on through 2004 and 2005, the Gallup Poll showed that a majority of Americans formed the opinion that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was deliberately outed by the Bush administration as an effort to silence him and discredit his claim that intelligence was twisted to justify the war.

Reflecting that view, Wilson wrote, "The conspiracy to destroy us was most likely conceived - and carried out - within the office of the vice president."

All along, Secretary of State Colin Powell knew that the facts were more complicated, yet he said nothing. And he had rather unflattering reasons for silence.

At the time, the relatively dovish State Department and CIA were struggling with the office of the vice president and the secretary of Defense for the primary role in shaping Iraq and Middle East policy.

Every day that the vice president was smeared with the Plame allegations strengthened Powell's hand in the Bush administration's internal struggle.

None of this changes the fact that the public presentation of intelligence was shaped to fit the decision to invade Iraq.

Nor does it preclude the possibility that Bush administration officials went too far in trying to punish Wilson. However, the previously hidden role of Armitage does reveal that, in Washington, easy morality tales - where the good guys and bad guys come prepackaged and clearly labeled - are often myths.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2003; 200307; 20030714; 200609; armitage; benevolence; benevolenceintl; bif; bookdeals; bush; chrismatthews; cialeak; comeycoven; corn; davidcorn; fbi; fitzgerald; foggybottom; gambino; gambinofamily; gambinos; hillaryclinton; iraq; isikoff; karendeyoung; libby; mafia; matthews; michaelisikoff; mob; newsweek; novak; plame; plamegate; plamenamegame; powell; richardarmitage; rogerclinton; shadowgovernment; statedepartment; statedept; thenation; tonygambino; valerieplame; wilson
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-77 next last
that Bush administration officials went too far in trying to punish Wilson"

BS!!

1 posted on 09/02/2006 9:46:56 PM PDT by STARWISE
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Howlin; Mo1; Peach; Txsleuth; ravingnutter; Laverne; Lancey Howard; Enchante; silent_jonny; ...

Ping !


2 posted on 09/02/2006 9:48:59 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
Nor does it preclude the possibility that Bush administration officials went too far in trying to punish Wilson.

If they wanted to punish him they would have just ignored him.
3 posted on 09/02/2006 9:50:22 PM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
Powell however, revealed the minimum amount of information possible to those outside the department. The State Department told the FBI of Armitage's role and informed the White House that they had given information to the FBI about the scandal, but nothing more. The public learned nothing.

Could it be because nothing actually happened. Good grief! Powell didn't do anything because there was nothing to be done. But of course that would imply that the media created the scandal for their own reasons. And that is the big scandal in this case.

4 posted on 09/02/2006 9:50:28 PM PDT by burzum (Despair not! I shall inspire you by charging blindly on!--Minsc, BG2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE

Never heard of the "Virginia Pilot". What college is it from?


5 posted on 09/02/2006 9:51:09 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: A Citizen Reporter; AliVeritas; alnick; AmeriBrit; AmericaUnited; arasina; BlessedByLiberty; ...
Scooter ping!
6 posted on 09/02/2006 9:51:29 PM PDT by Howlin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard

Virginia Beach, I think. Or Newport News maybe.


7 posted on 09/02/2006 9:51:57 PM PDT by Howlin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: P-40

Good point .. hopefully, you got read his email response to the new revelations. Unbelievable lala world he lives in.


8 posted on 09/02/2006 9:52:28 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: P-40
If they wanted to punish him they would have just ignored him.

LOL!

I keep wondering when "setting the record straight" became "punishing" somebody.

9 posted on 09/02/2006 9:53:02 PM PDT by Howlin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
Reminds me of the Truman line: "I don't give 'em hell, I tell 'em the truth, and they think its hell!" The Dems sure think Wilson/Plame were 'punished' for lying about Bush/Iraq/Cheney/etc and when somebody points out a simple fact like Wilsons lie about who sent him they cry bloody murder. If somebody lies and you correct them, is that punishment? Apparently it does if the liar is a liberal.

BTW, does Corn apology in the new book for his false predicts and lies in the original articles? I didn't see anything about it but I'm sure there are some apologies in there somewhere......

10 posted on 09/02/2006 9:53:23 PM PDT by bpjam (Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaida - The Religion of Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
The public learned nothing. Apparently neither did the White House.
11 posted on 09/02/2006 9:53:59 PM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
It is well past time for Colin Powell to step forward and apologize to the country and most of all to President Bush.

I believe Armitage is too much of a scum bag for us to expect anything from him. After all, he sat back and watched the show. What a disgrace he is to our country.

How interesting that he looks exactly the type that would sell out his brother if it would advance him a step or two.
12 posted on 09/02/2006 9:54:29 PM PDT by fabriclady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard
The Virginian-Pilot is a daily newspaper based in Norfolk, Virginia and serving southeastern Virginia, Virginia's Eastern Shore, and northeastern North Carolina..

FRom wikipedia

13 posted on 09/02/2006 9:55:14 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ......Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard

It's a newspaper .. says Hampton Roads, VA at the top of the link.


14 posted on 09/02/2006 9:56:47 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Rats) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE

The media, Wilson, Plame, Armitage, Powell and Fitzgerald perpetrated a massive fraud upon the citizens of the United States during wartime and must be held to account for their actions. Perhaps we need another "special prosecutor" to look into this, hum?


15 posted on 09/02/2006 9:58:08 PM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE

INDEED!!!This whole thing is so politically motivated with so many outrages committed by all to slime the administration and the President..Shame on them..shame on them

That is as much as I can say and keep my dignity and my membership.


16 posted on 09/02/2006 10:05:34 PM PDT by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE
"where the good guys and bad guys come prepackaged and clearly labeled - are often myths."

More BS! There are bad guys, namely the left. I'm sick of this parity crap.


17 posted on 09/02/2006 10:07:23 PM PDT by I see my hands (_8(|)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE; Howlin
I know. I was being facetious.
The editorial is so sophomoric in its attempt to brush over the revelation about Armitage (and blame Bush, Bush, BUSH!!! for "outing" Plame) that I figured it HAD to have been written by some recent Daily Collegian graduate. The editorial smells a lot like it's from the CBS "fake but accurate" school of "journalism".
18 posted on 09/02/2006 10:12:34 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE

This will certainly be the end of Mr. Armitage's career, and that of Mr. Fitzgerald. A fringe benefit is that it may end the career of Mr. Powell as well. None of them will be missed.

With luck, Mr. Fitzgerald will be tried for prosecutorial misconduct. Since this was a conspiracy to bring down the President, LOTS of Democrat and MSM skeletons may come to light in the process.


19 posted on 09/02/2006 10:13:45 PM PDT by EternalHope (Boycott everything French forever. Including their vassal nations.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: STARWISE

Boy...the media just canNOT accept that this is not and never was a conspiracy to harm the Wilsons.

And, until Armitage, Powell...and the Wilson's are interviewed and made to admit what happened...the perception of the "culture of corruption" will not go away.


20 posted on 09/02/2006 10:16:14 PM PDT by Txsleuth (,((((((((ISRAEL))))))))) Steve and Olaf have been released...pray for the release of the Israelis..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-77 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson