Thank you.
The forged documents were commissioned by the French and produced by the Niger embassy, and then passed to the US. When Bush mentioned African uranium, they were exposed in an attempt to embarrass Bush and his case for war.
At the same time, Wilson made his trip to Niger in which he did no investigating at all, and returned to accuse Bush of lying about the same subject.
The catch is that France knew of Niger's uranium smuggling, because they are involved, and the same French intel which commissioned the forged documents had real ones in their possession which they declined to mention.
Wilson, despite trying hard not to investigate anything, nevertheless found out that Bush was telling the truth, that Iraq had come calling, looking for uranium. But he didn't let that stop him from publicly accusing Bush of lying.
He also mentions having seen the supposedly forged documents, which he ought not to have seen, since they were classified. How did he have access to them? Did his wife bring her work home with her from the office?
Wilson and Plame cooperated to cover up the big story in Niger. France and Niger were deeply involved in uranium smuggling. CIA's WMD experts faked a mission in order to help cover up French smuggling. French intel forged documents in order to help cover it up, and passed them to CIA, meaning, Plame.
Thats the real story here. Is Plame a French agent? Is Wilson? Since Wilson is swimming in Saudi money, is he a Saudi agent? Is Plame? Or is she a victim of Wilson's gamesmanship? Did he use her for his ends? Or are they in on this together?
YIKES!! I had forgotten about those CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS that Joey Boy make mention of!! How DID he have access to them, indeed????
Double YIKES!! Thanks for reminding everyone of the Saudi money. Isn't Wilson tied somehow to Alamoudi who is in prison? Something about sharing Rock Creek International offices and other things?
WHere did the Wilsons get all their money? New home expensive car, Rolex watch etc. etc. (and he has 2 Xwives who no doubt took their share)
BINGO.......and the 3rd one from the original conspiracy is...........Judith Miller. She's sitting in a jail cell because she has no other choice. She can't very well say, "Well, my inside contact of many years at the CIA, Valerie Plame, let me in on a deal she and her husband had cooked up to blow President Bush out of the water..."
...and, marron, you've put your finger on the crux of the matter. This is what Fitzgerald is delving into - the Plame-Wilson/Niger-France WMD smuggling cover-up connections. That's the "big picture." Clearly, it has nothing whatsoever to do with Rove or even Novak, but it does have to do with Miller & Cooper, although in this 3 ring circus, ole Cooper is "odd man out."
Thanks for your GREAT comments and very educated analysis!
Char :)
France runs the yellowcake operations in Niger.
Could minor Ambassador Joe Wilson himself have been the source in blowing his own Wife's "cover" (even if she had not been a covert CIA agent at the time of the alleged "leaks")?
It is distinctly possible, (though it may be unlikely that Joe Wilson himself directly was NY Times Judith Miller's source), since Joe Wilson himself evidently routinely bragged openly to strangers about her CIA employment, prior to such "cover" being "blown" in the press.
Here's an example of Joe's apparently routine and open bragging about Valerie being a "CIA agent," which became known directly to me over a year ago:
He certainly bragged about it per a famous and highly reliable source's (named below) account of his own face-to-face encounter with Amb. Joe Wilson prior to Valerie Plame's "outing" as a CIA agent/employee.
Based upon a personal conversation (we were in a small group eating; it was NOT an "off the record") I had with eminent historian Victor Davis Hanson (we were at a luncheon table together during a trip to Europe), it appeared entirely possible that Joe Wilson himself was the (or one source, if not the original one) possible source in revealing his own wife's status as a CIA agent or employee.
Victor Davis Hanson (Wilson presumably knew Victor Davis Hanson wrote regularly for NRO (National Review Online), had done OpEds for the Wall street Journal, and other publications, and had his own Website with a widespread following) said he (VDH) & Joe Wilson were both in the same "Green Room" before a televised debate-discussion on Iraq, etc. and Joe first warned the TV make-up person not to get powder on his $14,000 Rolex watch, then he bragged to Victor about several things (possessions and trips to Aspen, etc.), like his expensive car (I think it was a Mercedes), and then bragged about his beautiful ("hot") wife who, Joe Wilson said (braggingly) was a CIA operative.
I asked Victor Davis Hanson Why he didn't write up this account.(?) He replied that Joe Wilson would probably simply deny it, since only he (VDH) & Joe Wilson were in the Green Room together before the broadcast.
However, it is now easy to surmise that Joe Wilson is a crass, materialistic, self-promoting, vain, egotistical, bragaddocio-opportunist, so this account is perfectly consistent with Valerie Plame's TWO photo shoots in Vanity Fair.
Grand Conspiracy to sink the Bush Administration, backfires and sinks, France, the Democratic Party in the U.S., Al Jazera, the Russian Intelligence Org, Move On DOT ORGY, and the Liberal Clintonista CIA Officers still working at the CIA (they might as well be foreign mole agents they way they act).
I wish I was swimming in Saudi money. ;-)
Joking aside, I don't know your sources for what you posted in #8, but it makes a great deal of sense. There is definitely something much larger to this case. However, I don't have any confidence in special prosecutors, so I'm not at all convinced Fitzgerald will do anything worthwhile.
Excellent insight, but I might add one thing--why are the dems jumping up and down and flinging all their poo at this? Because their oxe is getting lined up for a goring, too.
Certainly it is worth looking into the money angle. We have two career civil servants, one now existing on a pension, one with two ex-wives and a total of four children living in an expensive DC neighbourhood (Wilson's brother persuaded his wife they could afford it since it was cheaper than renting at the Watergate!), driving Mercedes, owning a $14K Rolex, maxing out donations to political groups, able to go on on an expenses only 2 week Niger trip (actually 8 days but you have to count travel time to Niger)while trying to make a living as a business advisor/lobbyist with no named clients, volunteer(?) for Kerry's campaign.
Saudi money? Oil for food money? Uranium smuggling money? French money? Family money? Someone, somewhere is paying the bills.
I see post 97 has already pointed out that Wilson's second wife was French. From Vanity Fair article:
Also in Burundi, Wilson met his second wife, then the cultural counselor at the French Embassy there. They spent a year back in Washington on a congressional fellowship, during which time he worked for Al Gore, then a senator from Tennessee, and Tom Foley, then House majority whip. "It was," Wilson says, "happenstance" that he worked for two Democrats.I think Wilson's a double agent.
Funny too how the MSM has totally ignored Mrs. Wilson's admission in Vanity Fair that "on the 3rd or 4th date" she revealed her secret CIA work to Wilson. At the time he was still married to the French woman.
Lastly, I've never heard mention in the MSM of the fact that he not only worked for Al Gore & Tom Foley, he was sponsored by them with a congressional fellowship [what the heck is that?!].
wow
How do you know that Wilson's money is coming from Saudi Arabia?
In what I have read of him, he is a very wealthy man and has been for some time, even while he was in the foreign service. The only way foreign service officers are wealthy is if they come from family money or marry it. It sure doesn't come from the salary.
Nonetheless Joe Wilson was quite flashy about his money and his profession when he met and wooed Valerie Plame in 1997- while still married to his second wife. Interesting that he has told the world that Valerie outed herself to him as a CIA agent in the grope of passion on their third date. Having held a security clearance or two in my life, this indiscretion alone makes Valerie a flake and unworthy of employment in any classified or even discreet position in any agency.
Anyhow, supposedly Joe Wilson's occupation since retiring was to start a "consulting business" which I have only read is quartered in an extremely sleepy and defunct looking building.....none of what I have read explains Wilson's $14,000 dollar watches and jaguars, not to mention his meeting financial obligations incurred during two previous marriages.
So- from where has Joe Wilson gotten his wealth?
Wonder what sent the alarm bells off so soon after 9/11/01 to have Wilson selected and on the ground in Niger by Feb. 02?
The liberals have touted from the beginning there was no connection between Saddam and OBL, yet somebody was worried about "yellowcake" shortly after 9/11/01.
Are your statements just a logical result of your reasoning? It does make sense. Veddy intuhdestink!
"French smuggling". Hmmm. Wilson was U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, a former French colony. Niger is a former French colony. I'm seeing a pattern here...