Agreed. Plus the article shows, once again, that it is the reporter that brings up the whole issue of the Niger trip and not the administration official:
"...the two first met for breakfast on July 8, when Miller interviewed Libby about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. At that time, she asked him why Wilson had been chosen to investigate questions that Cheney had posed about whether Iraq tried to buy uranium in Niger."
I have not heard or read of one instance yet where a reporter claims that someone in the administration first called the reporter to push the story.
From all the leaks so far (for what that is worth) seem to show that no one in the administration violated the Intelligence Identities Act (still not certain if Plame was covert and does not appear they knew anyway) nor did they lie under oath (it seems reporters stories sync up with the admin officials). I think the only question left is to the extent the admin officials (Libby, Rove, others?) knew about Plame, where did they get that info? Other reporters, known gossip or some 'confidential' document? I think proving it was from a confidential doc would be very difficult and the leaks regarding the testimony so far give no indication of that.
Me either. And Matt Cooper, on Meet The Press after he testified before the Grand Jury, told Russert it was he not Libby, who mentioned Wilson's wife first. __________________________________________________________
"..MR. RUSSERT: You also write in Time magazine this week, "This was actually my second testimony for the special prosecutor. In August 2004, I gave limited testimony about my conversation with [Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff] Scooter Libby. Libby had also given me a special waiver, and I gave a deposition in the office of my attorney. I have never discussed that conversation until now.
In that testimony, I recorded an on-the-record conversation with Libby that moved to background. On the record, he denied that Cheney knew"--of--"or played any role the Wilson trip to Niger. On background, I asked Libby if he had heard anything about Wilson's wife sending her husband to Niger. Libby replied, `Yeah, I've heard that, too,' or words to that effect."
RUSSERT: Did you interpret that as a confirmation?
MR. COOPER: I did, yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: Did Mr. Libby say at any time that Joe Wilson's wife worked for the CIA?
MR. COOPER: No, he didn't say that.
MR. RUSSERT: But you said it to him?
MR. COOPER: I said, "Was she involved in sending him?," yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: And that she worked for the CIA?
MR. COOPER: I believe so.
MR. RUSSERT: The piece that you finally ran in Time magazine on July 17th, it says, "And some government officials have noted to Time in interviews, (as well as to syndicated columnist Robert Novak) that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These officials have suggested that she was involved in her husband's being dispatched to Niger..."
"Some government officials"--That is Rove and Libby?
MR. COOPER: Yes, those were among the sources for that, yeah.
MR. RUSSERT: Are there more?
MR. COOPER: I don't want to get into it, but it's possible.
MR. RUSSERT: Have you told the grand jury about that?
MR. COOPER: The grand jury knows what I know, yes.
MR. RUSSERT: That there may have been more sources?
MR. COOPER: Yes.
MR. RUSSERT: The big discussion, Matt Cooper, has been about your willingness to testify... "
(Read the entire Cooper/Russert interview here) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8565312/
"I have not heard or read of one instance yet where a reporter claims that someone in the administration first called the reporter to push the story"
Excellent point...in fact, the whole point of the investigation was the accusation that the adminstration was pushing the story to punish Wilson...that was WILSON'S accusation. Both Rove and Libby were responding to journalist's inquiries on either a seperate issue or a direct question. AND both Rove and Libby were right to correct a LIE that Wilson was promoting.