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Still under house arrest
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Bush aide misled FBI, say reports — These guys would be in the slammer if they were Martha Stewart!
The investigation into the White House leak of a CIA agent’s identity is now focusing on whether two top administration officials provided misleading statements to the FBI, it was reported yesterday.
According to press accounts, Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser, and Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice-president’s chief of staff, both provided testimony that was later contradicted by other evidence.
Meanwhile, a parallel investigation is under way into who forged the Niger documents. They are known to have been passed to an Italian journalist by a former Italian defence intelligence officer, Rocco Martino, in October 2002, but their origins have remained a mystery. Mr Martino has insisted to the Italian press that he was “a tool used by someone for games much bigger than me”, but has not specified who that might be.
A source familiar with the inquiry said investigators were examining whether former US intelligence agents may have been involved in possible collaboration with Iraqi exiles determined to prove that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear programme.
I think this is the serious aspect of the story that is unreported. Perhaps this is in the secret evidence that the judge saw that made him put the journalists in jail. What Karl Rove or others leaked or didn’t leak is not a crime, but if this investigation involves the ‘fixing’ of intelligence, then that would explain things, including the diverting sideshow around Rove. Most of the media who would criticize Bush can’t seem to do better than take talking points from Democrats who all said there was WMD in Iraq. Since the media reported it themselves, they don’t really want to look too closely. Many of the same WMD claims are now being made about Iran.
The point everyone is missing is that Joseph Wilson had political motives behind his comments, and his wife got him the plum assignment to Africa to start with.
I would only add that the leaks specifically are a federal crime. Just as the same statutes used to send the Watergate crooks from the White House have again been violated. Folks may feel these acts shouldn’t be criminalized; but, the laws have been on the books for years. These creeps knew what they were doing was agin’ the law — and they should pay the price.
Plum assignment? Africa?? You’re kidding right?
Sitting by a pool sipping tea doesn’t strike me as dull or hard. If your at the invitation of the elite, it would be a plum assignment.
>>The point everyone is missing is that Joseph Wilson had political
>>motives behind his comments, and his wife got him the plum
>>assignment to Africa to start with.
Tee hee! See the Radical Right squirm, as this scandal dragging Dumbya’s fungus-laden regime right down into the mud WILL NOT GO AWAY.
These notions that Rove et al. did not reveal Valerie Wilson’s name, or that Valerie Wilson wasn’t really a secret agent, or that she was a secret agent but everybody knew it already, are desperately pitiful.
And these attempted secondary smears directed at Mr. Wilson, like “low-level operative Plame controls personnel asssignments for Executive fact-finding missions”, are beyond pathetic.
Face it, Rads. Dumbya lied since the day the Supreme Court appointed him to the White House, cooking up a tangled cock-and-bull story to justify his burning desire to start a war. And when people (such as Wilson, whom George H.W. Bush called a “hero”) began to point out the lies and deceit, the Watergate-style dirty tricks got kicked up a notch. You may not have learned that in home-schooling class, but them’s the facts.
And now it’s time to pay the piper.
AB CD,
1. Have you EVER been to Africa? I’ve been to a lot of it and with the exception of some white only resorts in SA that no longer exist, “Sitting by a pool sipping tea doesn’t strike me as dull or hard. If your at the invitation of the elite” is roughly equivalent to spending time sunning next to an inner city New York pool.
2. Leaking the ID of CIA agents is a crime. Sorry, I known it tarnishes your hero, but it is.
Mel Liu,
“The point everyone is missing is that Joseph Wilson had political motives behind his comments, and his wife got him the plum assignment to Africa to start with.”
Did you ever consider his motive was to keep the country out of a foolish and unnecessary war. One that even the military now admits provides a great live fire training for terrorists and radicals?
Anyone who has been in the military and under fire, unlike Cheney, Bush, Delay and Wolfawitz, knows how valuable this experience is.
Darn, what I wanted to say has already been well put by Ed, Mustard, and Sound. Well said guys.
Remember, tell a lie enough times, and it will become the truth.
Wilson made his comments after the war, not before, and his reports actually helped make the case that Saddam was trying to acquire uranium, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
AB CD
Quite to the contrary. Wilson’s report found NO EVIDENCE that Iraq had tried to acquire Niger yellow cake. The whole “fact” of Iraq trying to obtain uranium is and was a hoax perpetuated by Bush to give his phony war an excuse. This fact has been borne out in later investigations.
At the time of Wilson’s op-ed piece, there was a discussion of whether or not Iraq had any nuclear capabilities as the invading forces had yet to find anything. Dubya and especially Cheney were still spouting about the inevitable finding of Iraq’s nuclear and bio WMD. Wilson knew that his report had been seen by high ranking CIA officials and because it had been requested by Cheney’s office he assumed that Cheney would be aware of it.
As the facts developed, it turns out that dubya and his dubyites lied to the American public and manipulated the Congress and United Nations to get his way. Thousands of people died because of these cowards. Outing a CIA agent is not something a loyal American should be proud of. Although they should know better, they think they are so invincible that they just don’t care.
AB CD
Quite to the contrary. Wilson’s report found NO EVIDENCE that Iraq had tried to acquire Niger yellow cake. The whole “fact” of Iraq trying to obtain uranium is and was a hoax perpetuated by Bush to give his phony war an excuse. This fact has been borne out in later investigations.
At the time of Wilson’s op-ed piece, there was a discussion of whether or not Iraq had any nuclear capabilities as the invading forces had yet to find anything. Dubya and especially Cheney were still spouting about the inevitable finding of Iraq’s nuclear and bio WMD. Wilson knew that his report had been seen by high ranking CIA officials and because it had been requested by Cheney’s office he assumed that Cheney would be aware of it.
As the facts developed, it turns out that dubya and his dubyites lied to the American public and manipulated the Congress and United Nations to get his way. Thousands of people died because of these cowards. Outing a CIA agent is not something a loyal American should be proud of. Although they should know better, they think they are so invincible that they just don’t care.
Actually Wilson made his report to the administration and the intel com. BEFORE the war. He reveled it the public to support Clarks contentions about the Bush admin.
I’ve not read the reports since they are still classified. I know FOX supposedly reveled them, but FOX lies like the sun shines.
AB CD – how did you get a copy? I somehow doubt you actually read the report itself, but you never know. If you did, could you please provide the state dept reference number and if its on the WEB, the URL? Thanks.
BTW – You want a “cushy” job in Africa? I can get you one.
By WIlson’s comments, I am referring to his NYT op-ed, not the report after the mission. The Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman seems to have evaluated Wilson’s intelligence report differently. He had issued additional info after his trip, but before his op-ed which gave more weight to the Niger uranium story, and of course British intelligence still stands by their original claim.
Sound,
You are correct. Wilson went to Niger before the war but didn’t write the op-ed piece until after. The op-ed piece apparently refered to the summary of his report. I too have not seen his report.
to all,
forgive the double post above. Our ISP gets wacky here whenever we have electrical storms, and we were having a doozy when I posted .