Plame-Out?

Opinion Journal.com/WSJ ^ | 9-30-03 | James Taranto

[veronica]

Anti-Bush partisans are really piling on thick over the purported scandal involving the "outing," supposedly by White House officials, of Valerie Plame, who may or may not have been a covert CIA operative, and who is married to a critic of the administration named Joe Wilson. Josh Marshall blogged himself into such a frenzy yesterday that he almost matched Glenn Reynolds's output on a slow day. One random left-wing blogger sums up the tone of the attacks: "Conservatives have a long history in America of resorting to traitorous acts to further their own private agendas." We're half-expecting the bestseller lists to feature a book called "Leaks and the Leaking Leakers Who Leak Them."

[veronica]

FYI.

[deedgirl]

Yes, but it will make Bush look bad, and down his poll numbers. That's what the dems want to do,and the republicans can turn this to their favor blasting the dems for dirty tricks time and time again labeling them the party of liars, the party the people cannot believe,but they will sat back like fools!

[GailA]

I was interviewing a senior administration official >/b>on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told me the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. Another senior official told me the same thing. As a professional journalist with 46 years experience in Washington, I do not reveal confidential sources.

Could it be that ALL are missing a point here? NEPOTISIM, and that as the English teacher on Hannity is stating, this statement is NOT CLEAR, it does not clearly state that it could be a CIA admin official, a judicial official, or State Dept official he was talking to.

NEPOTISIM like cronism is highly frowned upon, especially NEPOTISIM.

[Diogenesis]

Hope you are wrong. Being quiet is to assent.

[hflynn]

Plame-Out is becoming Flame-Our. ovak says it wasn't the White House. The Democrats, if they were smart, would just say end of story and walk away from this BS.

[M1Tanker]

"Conservatives have a long history in America of resorting to traitorous acts to further their own private agendas."

Really?!?!? I can't remember when conservatives used the FBI, ATF, and IRS to harrass and "investigate" opponents. I can't remember when conservatives sold secret technology to China for campaign contributions. I can't remember when conservatives ignored attack after attack on US citizens and interests. I can't remember when conservatives castrated our intelligence gathering capabilities for political gain.

I CAN, however, remember the NEO-liberals doing this under Bill Clinton.

*Neo-Liberal is my term for the current "progressive" leftists who worship socalism, power, and destruction of the People's rights and freedoms. A Classical Liberal, on the other hand, is represented by our Founding Fathers who believed in this radical concept of a Constitutional Republic (not a democracy) and shuned tyranny and massive, intrustive government. A Classical Liberal is a Libertarian or a Constitutionalist.

So, a Neo-Liberal is a term for socialist, communist, fascist(aka national socialist), democrat, lefist, left winger, green, ELF/ALF/PETA, etc in my lexicon.

[Grampa Dave]

A great title, Plame out!

[veronica]

James Taranto is one of the best. In content, and style. Every day, his column contains gems.

[ex-Texan]

This smells like a put up job by a "Bush Hater." Believe that the facts justify a new complaint against Wilson for filing a false complaint against the White House resulting in an expensive investigation. He should be held liable for the costs of the investigation.

[egalois]

"In July, I was interviewing a senior administration official on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told me the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. "

This statement is ambiguous, and could hold a clue. To whom does the phrase "when he told me" refer? Is it the senior administration official, or Ambassador Wilson?

[Arrowhead1952]

the republicans can turn this to their favor blasting the dems for dirty tricks time and time again labeling them the party of liars

I think the Republicans are using an old saying, "Never argue with a fool. Some people may not know which one the fool is."

[Falcon4.0]

Regardless of the facts, the democrats are trying to whip this up to a point to require Bush to testify under oath and that's where they want him.

UNDER OATH!

Then they can claim something, Anything, was a lie and it's off the Impeachment Hearings!

QUID PRO QUO!

[tonyinv]

Indeed the story might actually be about a CIA employee sending her husband to a foriegn country to discredit the administration's (repeated from the British) claim about "yellow cake". Then said husband violating the law by publicizing that trip in the NYT.

Remember that at the time, that trip was attributed to a request by the Vice President. It's been reported that a request was never made. Was there flat out lying going on?

Could it be that the real investigation that has been going on, is into Ms. Plame? That this Wilson stuff is misdirection?

Was a CIA employee using her position in the agency to hurt this administration politically? Did Mr. Wilson compromise OTHER agents on the ground in Nigeer?

We'll get to the truth of this eventually, it may not be splashed in the headlines, but thinking people will know the truth.

[idetestdemocrates]

The dems remind me of dogs in heat,they would tear anything apart in thier path to get to thier object.

[NonValueAdded]

As of the 4:30 PM EDT CBS news, Pelosi is now chiming in. They also played GWB saying leaks are bad, he urges full cooperation, yada, yada, yada.

It is time for some ju jitsu. The RATS and the media on a tear about this? Sound bites galore? Fine, embrace the investigation but widen the scale. Doesn't Congress leak like a sieve? Didn't GWB and Rummy withhold briefings except to the top 8 congresscritters because of major leaks about troop movements? Isn't that far worse? Wasn't a certain Senator from the Peoples Republic of Vermont kicked off a committee for leaks?

Use the RATs and the media's "strength" against themselves. Investigate the Administration AND Congress. Stop All Leaks! (great name for a web site). Throw it wide open.

Want to bet it all quiets down in a hurry after that? Besides, the leaks really do need to stop.

[halfdome]

If the writer is using English, the phrase "when he told me" would refer to the senior administration official.

[MizSterious]

The Bush admin says they're investigating the issue--but they don't really say what or who they might be investigating. It could be they're looking into some of the issue you've raised either along with or instead of the "who outed who" question.

[NonValueAdded]

Interesting theory. How about this one? Someone in the State Department honked off that a "diplomat" of Wilson's "stature" [note Reuters scare quotes] got to do the Niger look-see and has a spouse working over in that agency. How very, very disturbing. And saddening. They probably thought "Let's out her, make it look like GWB did it, and get a two-fer." Sounds like something a State Department weenie might do.

[PhiKapMom]

If Novak didn't interview a Bush Administration official, but an Administration official, my guess is that the person is either high level Foreign Service from the State Department of Civil Service from CIA or State. That means the person is NOT a political appointee!