Posted on 03/03/2004 11:58:03 AM PST by Quilla
Wilson leaks the story to Kristof at the NY Times (5-6-03) who focuses on the Cheney connection. Next Wilson leaks it to Pincus at the Washington Post (6-12-03). Then Wilson himself, having set the table, appears as himself in an Op Ed in the NY Times (7-6-03). A week later Novak writes his column (7-14-03), names Plame and identifies her as an agency operative on WMD. And a week after that comes Phelps and Royce in Newsday (7-22-03) taking any mystery out of Novak's reference by identifying Plame as an undercover officer. In this article the authors said that the White House Press Secretary referred questions to the National Security Council.
It's funny to me that both Clarke and Wilson held their last positions at the NSC (which is where Wilson retired from in 1998, he was in charge of African Affairs). It's also funny to me that Wilson was in Baghdad (as a senior American diplomat) during the time another story fell into the lap of Royce (the Newsday journalist). Royce, citing a US diplomat, said the Saddam had wanted a diplomatic solution to avoid the first Gulf War and that the first Bush administration ignored his efforts.
Connecting the dots makes this all look orchestrated. I don't think Wilson and Clarke are the conductors, they both profile perfectly though as men who would be easily lured by the financial gains and media attention if so tempted.
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