Transcript of Chat with Ambassador Joe Wilson (Official John Kerry Blog Site)

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Transcript of Chat with Ambassador Joe Wilson
We've gotten many requests for a transcript of Ambassador Joe Wilson's chat this morning. He provided some dramatic insights into the workings of the Bush Administration, and talked about his feelings about having his wife's CIA identify exposed by the as yet unidentified senior White House aides. For more information about Joe Wilson, see www.restorehonesty.com.

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NOTE: This is an unedited transcript recorded live, October 29, 2003 at www.johnkerry.com
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Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 10:56:59 AM)
Ambassador Wilson, my sister and I are ardent fans of yours and wish you'd throw your hat into the ring. My questions, all related, are: how do we get a special prosecutor involved in the case involving your wife? Obviously, Ashcroft can't be allowed to investigate --talk about the fox guarding the henhouse!! Is bush's statement that he doesn't know whether the "leaker" will ever be found the end of the issue? Does anyone here believe that if he really wanted to find who leaked your wife's name, he couldn't? A crime has been committed --in the name of revenge and intimidation! Is nothing going to happen? HELP!!!!

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 10:57:41 AM)
Thanks very much. For right now, I am most interested in seeing that we get John Kerry elected as the next President so we can get our destiny back on track.

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 10:57:50 AM)
I want to personally thank you for your integrity Ambassador Wilson

Chatmaster3 (Oct 29, 2003 10:58:01 AM)
John from Florida asks: Why do you think it took the mainstream media so long to pick up on the uranium story?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 10:58:54 AM)
I don't know but it generally takes awhile for the press to get on to a story. There is also the fact that until now the press has been cowed by the White House on a lot of this stuff

Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 10:59:12 AM)
Manyrivers writes: admire your honest stand and your service for our nation. It is refreshing to even hear the word "honesty" in today's political circus. Please then, answer honestly one question. In your opinion, is this war in Iraq about the oil and gas reserves?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:00:04 AM)
Initially, I think the war was about redrawing the political map of the Middle East. That said, with each passing day it becomes about vested interests, of which oil is a big one

Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 11:00:13 AM)
Hi Joe, A question from your former assistant GSO, who greatly admires your courage. What are your comments on the apparently blistering report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which accuses the CIA of overstating the Saddam-WMD/terrorism case to the administration? Pat McArdle

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:01:26 AM)
great to hear from you. The problem is not the intelligence but the manipulation of the intelligence. That will all come out despite Robert's efforts to shift the blame. This was and is a White House issue, not a CIA issue.

Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 11:01:40 AM)
Frank writes: What was it like being the last American to meet with Saddam Hussein? Did you ever feel like you and the other Americans in Baghdad right before the first Gulf War were in danger?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:03:15 AM)
From the third day we had a meeting of key staff and concluded then that some of us were not going to survive. That was based on the history of Iraqi government actions in times of stress. Saddam himself was a thug extraodinaire. In fact, I like to point out that, actually knowing Saddam as I do, I can say that neither Rove nor Cheney or Saddam, hence I certainly fear them not at all

RonH (Oct 29, 2003 11:03:22 AM)
Ambassador, what was it about Kerry that made you decide to support his candidacy over let's say some of the other 'antiwar' candidates?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:04:20 AM)
Kerry faced down the Senate over the Vietnam war in a key statement when he said who is going to send the last man to die for a mistake. What I did was easy by comparison.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:05:06 AM)
Let me add that I was and am not anti war per se. I am and John is anti stupid war. Invasion-conquest-occupation unilaterally is a classic example of stupid war

Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 11:05:21 AM)
Joseph writes: Ambassador: First, let me express my gratitude for your courageous actions in exposing the lies of the Bush administration as to the Niger incident. My question is, how great a threat is this incident to national security? How possible is it that by revealing your wife's identity as a CIA operative will result in yet another deadly terrorist attack during the Bush administration's watch? Thank you again. Sincerely, Joseph V.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:07:28 AM)
This was a crime against the national security of my country, the security of which to which both my wife and I many years ago dedicated ourselves. Somebody, to protect their political agenda took a national security asset off the table. That somebody is still in the Administration and might leak again. Do you sleep better at night knowing that? I don't. And it impacts directly on WMD and terrorism

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:07:37 AM)
At what point did you lose faith in the Bush Administration and why exactly do you fell that John Kerry is the best candidate?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:09:25 AM)
When Bush the candidate went to South Carolina and ran a subrosa campaign against McCain accusing his wife of being a drug addict and his kids of not being white (as if that mattered). That is not the change of tone I was looking for. When the neoconservatives got control of our national security policy, I knew we needed to mobilize to fight

Fe (Oct 29, 2003 11:09:37 AM)
Ambassador, do you think Senator Kerry's plan for Iraq peace is viable for the situation and the region? Fe

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:10:56 AM)
It sure is. Take a look at it and you will see that slowly the administration is seeing the wisdom of his ideas. Internationalize, turn over sovereignty, make it a reconstruction rather than an occupation. All that is key to success

Chatmaster2 (Oct 29, 2003 11:11:10 AM)
Dear Ambassador Wilson, On 'Meet The Press' Vicepresident Cheney says that he never met you, and didn't know who you were until you 'outed' the fact that you had been sent by CIA to investigate the supposed sale of yellow cake to Saddam by Niger. Is this true? Do you believe he didn't know who you were? Eugenio

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:12:21 AM)
Cheney was secretary of defense when I was in charge of the embassy in Baghdad. He was an addressee on cables I sent from there. I am sorry his memory is so bad but, frankly, I am not too sorry never to have shaken his hand. I take it as a badge of honor that I don't know him.

valacuda (Oct 29, 2003 11:12:34 AM)
However, Mr. Wilson, do you agree Saddam was a danger not only to Iraq but also to the rest of the international community?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:14:37 AM)
The liberation of Iraq was a noble objective, but we have armies to defend us, not to fight other people's wars against their own tyrants. Saddam was not a grave and gathering danger (to use Bush's own words) to us. We could have and should have dealt with him more imaginatively than shock and awe. The problem is always that war is a blunt instrument and the very real possibility exists that we have made more enemies than we have vanquished

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:14:55 AM)
Do you think the theory discussed in Hersh's Stovepipe that the Niger documents were forged by disgruntled CIA employees is plausible, or like Hersh, do you think it's better understood as an expression of the current disarray and distrust in the CIA?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:15:51 AM)
The important thing in Sy's article is that Cheney clearly shot-circuited the vetting process and allowed bad information to remain in the system. We spend 40 billion dollars a year to avoid just such stupidity.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:16:06 AM)
What do you say to those who didn't support the war in Iraq from the beginning and are turned off by Kerry's IWR vote?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:16:39 AM)
I go back to what I said earlier that the issue really was not about war or no war, it was about smart action to deal with the internationally accepted objective of disarming Saddam

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:17:24 AM)
and if you have to take military action that was entirely possible, it's important that that action be directed at the objective at hand, rather than something stupid. Invasion, conquest, occupation as we are now realizing was pretty stupid.

riverrat (Oct 29, 2003 11:17:37 AM)
The leak about your wife was a clear violation of a specific law about exposing the identity of CIA agents. But most leaks don't violate this particular law, although they often involve the release of other kinds of classified information that is illegal under other statutes. Can we really expect to have a government that doesn't leak? Don't people in the executive branch often use classification to hide policies from the public they think would be unpopular?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:17:57 AM)
But there are legitimate reasons to classify information.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:18:16 AM)
The problem in my case was that what was leaked was the name of a national security asset, my wife, which is unprecedented

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:18:40 AM)
not for the purpose of protecting a policy, but for the purpose of protecting a person with a specific political agenda at the expense of the national security of our country

Knight_of_the_Star (Oct 29, 2003 11:18:57 AM)
Ambassador Wilson, what was your initial reaction when you found out that your wife's identity as a CIA operative was leaked to the press?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:19:26 AM)
-what did my wife's name add to the article

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:19:48 AM)
-and what part of no didn't Bob Novak understand when the CIA told him not to use it

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:19:56 AM)
Could you give us your reaction to the President's press conference in the Rose Garden yesterday.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:20:13 AM)
I thought the president was really uninterested, which is a shame, since Americans are dying

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:20:37 AM)
I am appalled by his nonchalance with respect to the outing of a national security asset, since whoever committed the crime is still in government

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:21:18 AM)
Ambassador, do you plan on travelling with John Kerry on the campaign trail?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:21:47 AM)
I would be honored to travel with Kerry, and am planning to travel to Iowa and New Hampshire in New Hampshire in November to speak on his behalf

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:01 AM)
Classic indeed. About a year ago I was involved with Moveon.org, but have never protested. Do you feel that all Americans can accomplish anything constructive by writing their Senator or Congressman? What will be affective? This seems to be a power play of departments. Who is accountable? President Bush should not turn his back on us and hide the truth. You and your wife's lives are still at risk. That is serious and no one seems to care. This is a disturbing time for our nation. What do you recommend? How can we help take this country back. Thank you, Deborah

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:14 AM)
The way we solve this is at the polling booths

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:21 AM)
I tell everybody who asks, write your congressman

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:43 AM)
And if there's a lesson from my experience, voices raised will be voices heard

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:53 AM)
Next year, vote, get 10 of your friends to vote

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:22:59 AM)
and tell them to each get 10 of theirs

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:23:18 AM)
What we are going to be up against next year is votes and enthusiasm vs money and propaganda

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:23:26 AM)
we cannot allow ourselves to be defeated by a message

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:23:35 AM)
that is no more sophisticated than fear, fear, fear.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:23:51 AM)
one from email: Given the fact that you've been labeled a "liberal", were you surprised when you were asked to vet the Niger uranium story supposedly at the request of Dick Cheney's office?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:24:13 AM)
I'm an American, and the national security of my country is not a partisan issue.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:24:31 AM)
I have a set of unique experiences related to Iraq, Niger, and uranium.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:24:53 AM)
I would remind you that had Mr. Cheney taken into consideration my report as well as 2 others submitted on this subject, rather than the forgeries

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:06 AM)
the lie would never have been in President Bush's State of the Union address

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:14 AM)
so when they ask, "Who betrayed the President?"

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:30 AM)
They need to point the finger at the person who inserted the 16 words, not at the person who found the truth of the matter

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:36 AM)
Mr. Ambassador--if the policy is Iraq is such a failure, and the administration is so nefarious in its handling of the truth, why then is the US public not in a frenzy against Bush et al. What is your take on that?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:57 AM)
It takes time, and effort to educate Americans as to the consequences of some of the actions being taken on their behalf

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:26:15 AM)
remember that during the Vietnam era, it was only 6 or 7 years after Americans were dying there that we realized

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:26:43 AM)
It was John Kerry, who took that message most directly to the seat of power when he appeared before the Senate. That, by the way

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:06 AM)
is the act as distinguished from mere words, that for me makes him the candidate I enthusiastically support

florida (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:12 AM)
can we expose the leaker and nail this administration for once. they have gotten away with so much thus far.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:15 AM)
Eugene writes: Dear Ambassador Wilson, Has there been any progress in the investigation on who disclosed your wife's connection to CIA to Bob Novak? And may I say that I'm thankful that there are Americans like you, in positions of power, who are true Patriots.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:32 AM)
The investigation is in the hands of the professionals right now

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:39 AM)
and so long as it's there, I'm confident they will do their job

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:27:52 AM)
I do worry about when the results are transmitted to the Attorney General

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:28:11 AM)
John Kerry has urged a special counsel be designated

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:28:38 AM)
I think that the inquiry results need to be free of any perception of potential conflict of interest

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:29:28 AM)
about why I'm supporting Kerry instead of Dean

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:30:01 AM)
I've always thought that military action might be required to achieve the objective of disarming Saddam, an objective that was unanimously supported in the United Nations

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:30:21 AM)
That's why I would have voted for the resolution, even though the language was far broader than any Democrat would have liked

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:30:40 AM)
It was always how best to achieve the objective of disarmament

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:31:03 AM)
The high risk low reward unilateral strategy implemented by the administration came in the face of widespread opposition

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:31:20 AM)
not because of the fact that military action was included

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:31:30 AM)
but because it was the wrong military action for the wrong objective

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:31:41 AM)
put simply, we were lied to by the administration, every step of the way

sandra (Oct 29, 2003 11:31:56 AM)
The arrogance of this administration in these matters is deeply disturbing. What if anything can we expect to see done about it?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:32:07 AM)
Arrogance is the right way of describing these guys.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:32:26 AM)
They don't even represent the positions articulated by George Bush the candidate in his speeches and debates

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:32:35 AM)
and they don't represent the views of mainstream Republicans

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:11 AM)
It is essentially a small cabal of zealots who seize the opportunity presented by the tragedy of 9/11 to impose a horribly destructive foreign policy on our country

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:16 AM)
Thank you, I certainly will, relentlessly.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:39 AM)
It's not a question of not supporting anybody

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:45 AM)
It's a question of supporting John Kerry

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:52 AM)
I think Howard Dean has added a lot to the debate

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:33:59 AM)
and has animated Democrats across the land

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:34:12 AM)
John Kerry's personal courage in Vietnam and in front of Congress at a young age

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:34:21 AM)
as well as his professional experience have convinced me

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:34:29 AM)
that he is best suited to be President of the United States

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:34:48 AM)
Thanks to Senator Kerry for hosting this event. And thank you Ambassador Wilson for daring to challenge the administration. It cannot be easy. Ambassador Wilson: Seymour Hersh's New Yorker article in March exposed the forged Iraq-Niger-uranium letters, but the media did not look back at the president's State of the Union statement and those now infamous 16 words to challenge him. Your New York Times editorial further debunked President Bush's SOU claim, but also clearly implicated Vice President Cheney, at least enough that the media should have pressed the V.P. for clarification on his bullish stance on Iraq and its nuclear capabilities, but didn't. (The president was allowed to pass the buck on the 16 words until he declared "I'm responsible for everything I say," which apparently closed the door, inexplicably, in terms of media follow up.) Finally, the cowardly outing of your wife provoked some critical questioning by the media. But the administration simply changes its story to suit the moment and escape

ChatMaster4 (Oct 29, 2003 11:35:09 AM)
Janet from Missouri asks: What were your impressions of Saddam Hussein? Do you think we should have ousted him in the first Gulf War.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:35:29 AM)
Saddam Hussein is a sociopath who tried to be very intimidating in my last meeting with him

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:35:36 AM)
I had not slept for 4 days and gave as good as I got

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:35:59 AM)
we go to war for objectives that we determine

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:36:17 AM)
And in the case of the 1st Gulf War, it was important that our objectives be harmonized with those of the international community at large

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:36:37 AM)
In other words, the first time that the UN Security Council agreed to military action since the Korean War

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:36:46 AM)
It was vital to abide by what was decided

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:36:55 AM)
And what was decided was throwing him out of Kuwait

BV (Oct 29, 2003 11:37:05 AM)
Sir: You have said you will campaign with and for Senator Kerry, yet he voted for the war resolution which you knew was based on faulty or manipulated information. How then can you - can potential supporters get beyond Senator Kerry's vote?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:37:22 AM)
If youu take a look at the arguments made by the President

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:37:35 AM)
he said he needed the resolution in order to negotiate at the UN

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:38:02 AM)
Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction were of concern to everybody, even if we haven't found them yet

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:38:11 AM)
The problem was not giving the President the authority

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:38:33 AM)
the problem was his abusing the authority to take a military action inconsistent with what he had told Congress in seeking the vote

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 11:38:36 AM)
This is a wonderful idea and this will help with Senator Kerry's campaign. This type of forum will reach many. Thanks so much! Well, my mind is made up. I do believe I will endorse Senator Kerry. I have downloaded his form and will mail off soon.

ChatMaster4 (Oct 29, 2003 11:38:47 AM)
George from Pennsylvania writes: what do you think of moveon.org's effort to get people to sign affidavits denying involvement in the leak of your wife's name.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:39:02 AM)
I had dinner last Friday night with the founders of MoveON.org

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:39:11 AM)
they are terrific patriots and citizens

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:39:23 AM)
They remind me of what a great nation, what a great people we are

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:39:36 AM)
I believe what they are doing is the wave of the future

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:39:54 AM)
It enables us to communicate on key public issues in new and imaginative ways.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:40:03 AM)
ambassador, since you believe Kerry to be the best qualified on national security issues, how can we get this message across more strongly in the campaign?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:40:40 AM)
Everybody participating will carry the message to your respective circle of friends and acquaintances

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:40:55 AM)
I intend to continue to speak out at every opportunity

gopher (Oct 29, 2003 11:41:09 AM)
in his press conference yesterday, bush was asked why he doesn't simply have his staff sign affidavits saying they had no role in the leak. his response was that he thinks the J.D. is best so that "people will believe the answer." Do you think he wants the truth, or simply for people to believe the answer?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:41:26 AM)
I am frankly appalled at the nonchalance exhibited by the President on this matter

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:41:45 AM)
At the end of the day, the person who may well have violated the national security of my country is still in place

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:42:10 AM)
I would note that it is on this issue alone that I have directly criticized the President

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:42:42 AM)
ON the other issues, I have directed my views at the administration more broadly but in this case the President needs to act

skeeter (Oct 29, 2003 11:42:45 AM)
Thanks for answering my question on why you are NOT supporting Howard Dean.

paulblum (Oct 29, 2003 11:43:14 AM)
Do you think Iraq was part of a wag-the-dog strategy? It sure seemed to work, at least until things started going sideways over there.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:43:33 AM)
We were sold a war as a threat to our national security when in fact

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:43:50 AM)
and has as its objective the redrawing of the political map of the Middle East

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:44:06 AM)
It is time that we begin to ask the question, which war did we send Jessica Lynch to fight?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:44:17 AM)
Was it ours? Ahmed Chalabi's? Or somebody else's?

Muneaux (Oct 29, 2003 11:44:23 AM)
What other qualities possessed by John Kerry make him stand out from the other potential nominees enough for you to support him rather than one of them? I am sure you are aware that the majority of democratic voters are having difficulty discerning their top choice, something that continues to be a big problem for the party.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:44:56 AM)
In addition to his experience in the Senate, which includes lead roles in the Iran-Contra investigation, and the Noriega investigation,

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:45:09 AM)
his previous service in the state of Massachusetts

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:45:32 AM)
he is the one candidate who like me, has a shared experience of speaking truth to a hostile power

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:45:44 AM)
that is an experience I can assure that tempers one

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:46:17 AM)
I have met with John on a number of occasions, and have been impressed with the breadth of his interests and with the passion that he has for our country and our future

saramagoddess (Oct 29, 2003 11:46:47 AM)
What are your thoughts on The Project for the New American Century

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:47:14 AM)
Everybody should read it, since it is a blue print for the most dangerous policy this country has pursued at least in my lifetime.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:47:23 AM)
Ambassador: I'm a Kerry volunteer. I support John because of his courage, leadership, and mix of military and foreign policy experience. I find John's statements as to why he voted for the Iraq resolution to be credible, logical, and just what I would expect of a President. I find John's opponents and some members of the press to be naive and disingenuous in their criticism of Kerry. They seem to prefer a simplistic thumbs up or thumbs down solution; nothing in between. Is that how diplomacy works? Thank you. John Hurley

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:48:06 AM)
but I hope that in the end the sound policies that John has espoused from Health Care to International Relations will win out

proud patriot (Oct 29, 2003 11:48:10 AM)
Mr Wilson , Thank You for the opportunity to touch base with you .

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 11:48:20 AM)
He is evil as the world has seen. Do you think he will be captured? If he is, will that really end terrorism? Look what just happened in Afghanistan.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:48:39 AM)
hasn't even been able to find the leaker

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:48:51 AM)
How can we be confident about anything these guys say and do?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:00 AM)
In fact, they have made the world a much more dangerous place

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:20 AM)
the shock and awe has added to the pool of people who hate our country and from whom a new generation of international terrorists will no doubt be drawn.

sandra (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:23 AM)
I think potential voters get beyond Senator Kerry's vote by realizing that he did the right thing, for the reasons you just outlined. The criticism must be leveled at the President, not John Kerry.

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:28 AM)
Too fast and too much authority. They rushed it through just as they did the war.

DP (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:33 AM)
Do you sometimes feel like the Daniel Ellsberg of present times, in that he was persecuted and harassed by the Nixon Administration in the 60's, for his positions and revelations during the Vietnam War?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:49:52 AM)
Dan Ellsberg is a man of conscience whose life was defined by his experience

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:04 AM)
I sincerely hope that what my wife and I are going through will be only a chapter

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:12 AM)
we believe that we have more to offer to our country

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:44 AM)
She repeated to Saddam what American policy has always been on these types of disputes

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:51:00 AM)
which is that we urge parties to settle them diplomatically and not go to war.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:51:36 AM)
I had lunch with a senior former Iraqi official a couple of months before he died this spring, and he confirmed to me that Saddam did not take Ambassado0r Glaspie's remarks as a green light

lou (Oct 29, 2003 11:51:50 AM)
Thank you for taking on the need for truth in our dealings with other nations, and indeed with our own citizens. I for one sat up and took notice when Bush used his "45 min" argument, his mushroom cloud metaphor as well as the Africa quote. I feel that you speak for me and millions more when you refuse to stop discussing this issue of truth in intelligence. While I'm undecided as a final matter, your endorsement of John Kerry makes me lean more heavily toward his candidacy, particularly if he can get Gen. Clark to join him on the ticket. Will you be in other public forums in the near future? Do you have a book coming out?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:52:03 AM)
Saddam invaded Kuwait because he wanted to

sue (Oct 29, 2003 11:52:17 AM)
does the CIA think Bush and Co. want to get rid of them and start their own agency? And what is Cheney building at the VP residence?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:52:41 AM)
It is clear that the Bush administration has circumvented the intelligence vetting process

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:52:51 AM)
regrettably that has led to an unnecessary war

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:53:01 AM)
unnecessary deaths and unnecessary hatred of our country

BV (Oct 29, 2003 11:53:11 AM)
Sir: Democrats keep crying that we were lied to, that the Bush administration manipulated information, etc. but what does that say about us? With the assest and connections available to us, why were we not more inquisitive than we were? Why didn't we know more than we did? At this point, how can we convince voters that John Kerry and the Democratic Party has a handle on the serious problems facing our country?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:53:30 AM)
After 9/11 all Americans wanted our President to succeed in his capacity as protector in chief

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:53:38 AM)
This administration took that good will and abused it

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:53:50 AM)
getting us into an unnecessary and dangerous war.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:54:00 AM)
Now we understand the depths to which we were lied to

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:54:21 AM)
and need to turn that disappointment and anger into votes to get these guys out of office.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:54:35 AM)
Let me repeat what I've said earlier: Voice raised can be voices heard

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:54:46 AM)
That is a lesson of my experience these past several months.

picstogo (Oct 29, 2003 11:55:27 AM)
In Tuesday's press conference from the Rose Garden, Bush said war was intended to bolster the credibility of the UN. He stated that if you say something will happen and nothing happens you have no credibility. Considering the things the administration said would happen if we attacked Iraq, does the president still have any credibility?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:55:41 AM)
There is very little that Bush says these days that bears any relation to the truth

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:56:00 AM)
that statement you cited is inconsistent with what some of his closest advisors were gloating about just a few months ago

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:56:36 AM)
Richard Perle wrote an article in the Guardian in which he said approvingly that a side benefit of the war in Iraq would be the destruction of the UN system

nefertit (Oct 29, 2003 11:56:49 AM)
Bottom line, we need to bring this evil cabal to justice and I think that Sen. Kerry is the man to do it.

Joel Rennie (Oct 29, 2003 11:57:20 AM)
I'm late to the chat, and have missed what's been said so far. Do you think there is still a chance that "Karl Rove will be frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs by the FBI for involvement in exposing your wife's employment by the CIA?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:57:34 AM)
I think that Karl Rove acted despicably in this matter

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:57:45 AM)
even if his pushing of the story was not technically illegal

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:57:53 AM)
The quote in a recent Newsweek article was accurate

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:58:04 AM)
He told a journalist friend of mine that my wife is "fair game"

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:58:18 AM)
Even if not in handcuffs, he should be frog marched out of the White House

dayton04 (Oct 29, 2003 11:58:33 AM)
Ambassador Wilson, Post-9/11 fears enabled Bush to pursue the neocon goal of ousting Saddam without the burden of a well-defined policy. Leadership will be required to allay our fears. Kerry is a leader and his military service is in sharp contrast to the President's. To what extent should Kerry emphasize his service? Can he go too far?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:58:59 AM)
What distinguishes Kerry for me from the other excellent candidates was the personal integrity and courage he showed when after serving his country

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:59:21 AM)
with distinction in Vietnam, he returned to tell the Senate that the war was a mistake, and who among them would send the last man to die for such a mistake

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:59:42 AM)
For me to have spoken out late in my career was easy relative to what he did speaking to hostile power so early in his life

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 11:59:57 AM)
I am a citizen of Iowa, who is deeply concerned about affording healthcare in the coming years, how do you feel about Mr. Kerry's plan for healthcare reform?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:00:19 PM)
I'm looking forward to coming to Iowa in the near future and meeting with its citizens

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:00:39 PM)
I know that John is there frequently and I think that he tries to address Healthcare reform at every opportunity

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:01:02 PM)
I know enough about it to know that I like it, but I'll leave it to him to describe it in detail

cindyw (Oct 29, 2003 12:01:07 PM)
How will you be mobilizing to help us get Kerry the nomination?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:01:29 PM)
I intend to do a number of things besides this chat including speaking on his behalf in November in both Iowa and New Hampshire

Snodra (Oct 29, 2003 12:01:40 PM)
Incompetence and arrogance are a dangerous combination.

valacuda (Oct 29, 2003 12:01:49 PM)
Let's all get busy with the business at hand and get a Democrat in the Presidential Seat and aye aye for Kerry!

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 12:02:01 PM)
Are you considering running for public office in the future and what office would that be?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:02:20 PM)
Right now, I am most interested in getting John Kerry elected President of the United States

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:02:34 PM)
The good will that has come my way in recent months has been heartwarming

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:02:42 PM)
unfortunately I live in DC where we have no representation

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:02:55 PM)
so I will look for other ways to contribute to my country's well being

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 12:03:25 PM)
for far too long, the Republican administration of George W. Bush has labeled dissenters as unpatriotic. When one actually reads the history, they find that the country was founded on dissent.

Guest (Oct 29, 2003 12:03:31 PM)
Mr. Wilson, My concern is the Pentagon. Is there anything John Kerry can do to make them (all of them) accountable for this horrible action in Iraq? Maybe start with a clean slate.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:03:53 PM)
If we ever hope to succeed in the reconstruction in Iraq, we will need new leadership in the Pentagon

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:04:25 PM)
I have argued publicly for a house cleaning beginning with Rumsfeld and including all those of the neo-conservative movement, John Kerry has called for the same thing repeatedly

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:04:35 PM)
What they have done to our country is inexcusable.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:04:55 PM)
I cannot begin to tell you how many e-mails I receive from soldiers telling me their concerns that they are breaking the army

cindyw (Oct 29, 2003 12:05:00 PM)
What you did for this country in revealing the administrations lies was very brave. You are a true patriot and I thank you. What they did to your wife was absolutely unforgivable. She is in my prayers.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:05:35 PM)
I'm sorry we couldn't take all the questions

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:05:49 PM)
and my poor typing skills trying to answer

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:06:24 PM)
communicate with the campaign, and by all means, get out and tell your friends and colleagues that a better day is coming

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:06:43 PM)
Also go to http://www.restorehonesty.com

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:07:40 PM)
I'm writing a blog posting as soon as I finish this, so please send me your comments there as well.

skeeter (Oct 29, 2003 12:07:53 PM)
Thanks Joe!!!! Great Job. I really learned a lot.

sandra (Oct 29, 2003 12:07:59 PM)
Thank you for answering our questions. We will be working very hard to elect John Kerry, you can count on it!

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 12:08:10 PM)
The chat room will remain open for you to discuss amongst yourselves.

manyrivers (Oct 29, 2003 12:08:14 PM)
So true.......get involved. Each of us and our heirs.

Jay13 (Oct 29, 2003 12:08:25 PM)
You are a true patriot, I wish our congress people had half the backbone you have!

I searched for this a couple of ways and I didn't find it. In light of Joe Wilson being outed at a liar, I thought it was appropriate to review this "chat" that he, which was and is posted on the Official John Kerry website.

There are several very odd, and quite telling, responses from Joe Wilson during this chat.

I'm sure this will be pulled off of Kerry's site soon, so I am posted here for posterity, disection, whatever....

spooky2 (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:26 AM)
Did Ambassador April Glaspie essentially give Saddam the go-ahead to invade Kuwait when she told him that the administration has no position on Arab-Arab disputes? Especially given the fact that Saddam and the Bush administration had been doing business for years and had solid relations at the moment Kuwait was invaded.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:30 AM)
No.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:50:44 AM)
She repeated to Saddam what American policy has always been on these types of disputes

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:51:00 AM)
which is that we urge parties to settle them diplomatically and not go to war.

---

This is another lie. April told an Iraqi diplomat that the US did not consider Kuwait to be under its protective umbrella. In diplomatic-speak this translates to "rape and pillage, we won't make a fuss over it". Funny how Wilson is so quick to whitewash one of the worst diplomatic mistakes of our generation.

Knight_of_the_Star (Oct 29, 2003 11:18:57 AM)
Ambassador Wilson, what was your initial reaction when you found out that your wife's identity as a CIA operative was leaked to the press?

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:19:07 AM)
My initial reaction was unprintable

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:19:11 AM)
but it starts with an F

Seems like Joe Wilson and John Kerry really are peas in a pod.

http://www.restorehonesty.com

The Irony.

Joe was even Bitching that Bush was not fit to be a leader because he had not got Hussein, yet.

Bush could have done everything these Thursday morning quarterbacks asked for and they would still hate him.

*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:57 AM) It takes time, and effort to educate Americans as to the consequences of some of the actions being taken on their behalf . . . remember that during the Vietnam era, it was only 6 or 7 years after Americans were dying there that we realized . . . the consequences.

It was John Kerry, who took that message most directly to the seat of power when he appeared before the Senate. That, by the way . . . is the act as distinguished from mere words, that for me makes him the candidate I enthusiastically support

That to me is the issue of the Kerry candidacy. The nomination of x42 was the vindication of the "antiwar" movement at the very moment that the "Right Wing Cold Warriors" under Ronald Reagan achieved their purpose of stopping Soviet expansionism.
John Kerry's entire political history has been in opposition to Ronald Reagan and to his poliltical heirs. And that means that - like Clinton and in contrast to the fantasy Clinton expressed that he wished 911 had happened on his watch so that Clinton could have been a hero in response to it - Kerry is opposed to actual heroism in defense of the Constituiton of the United States.
Naturally that will be inverted in the Democratic Convention, where Lt John Kerry will be glorified as the great warrior. And that is the whole resume of John Kerry and John Edwards. That, and "Bush him bad" rhetoric.

"When Bush the candidate went to South Carolina and ran a subrosa campaign against McCain accusing his wife of being a drug addict and his kids of not being white (as if that mattered). That is not the change of tone I was looking for. When the neoconservatives got control of our national security policy, I knew we needed to mobilize to fight"

And he lied about Rove, and he hates Cheney.

Folks, this guy was a partisan hack from the get-go.

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