Posted on 11/22/2005 3:35:25 PM PST by smoothsailing
CRIME BEAT
Bob Woodward Torpedoes CIA Leak Case
By Jim Kouri
Nov 22, 2005
Legendary Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on the ratings-challenged Larry King talk show told viewers that the president, vice president and defense secretary were not the people who leaked the fact that Valerie Plame worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
In addition, he stated that his secret source was male, which eliminates secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and close Bush confidante Karen Hughes as suspects. A two-year investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame to members of the media has resulted in merely one indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice, charges that are a prosecutors best friend when he or she comes up with nothing.
Plame's now celebrity husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, claims that the Bush White House "blew her cover" in retaliation for his criticisms of the Iraq war. Of course, this is the part of the story the news media jumped on. The part they ignore is that Wilson's allegations about the war were discovered to be a tissue of lies. His report to congress even contradicted his statements on 60 Minutes and his op-ed article in the New York Times.
Woodward, who broke the 1972 Watergate case -- a case that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon -- refused to publicly disclose his source on the King show.
However, Woodward told Larry King that the information that Wilson's wife worked for the Central Intelligence Agency was disclosed to him in a "casual manner" while he was conducting an interview for his upcoming book Plan of Attack. Woodward's book covered the Bush Administration preparations for the March 2003 Iraq invasion.
Woodward claims the identity of Wilson's wife came up at the end of an interview with a source about a period of time leading up to the war, when he asked about Wilson and his mission to Niger.
According to Woodward, the still-unknown source told him that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a weapons of mass destruction analyst. Woodward intimated that he thought nothing of this conversation because as far as he knew Plame was not a covert agent and that he felt the allegations by Wilson were not to be taken seriously.
Plame's name was first revealed in a July 2003 column written by conservative columnist and Washington Insider, Robert Novak, following Wilson's blabbing about his Niger trip to anyone who'd listen. A former US ambassador to the African nation, Wilson at first denied his wife had anything to do with his mission, until a memo surfaced that showed she recommended his for the assignment.
Wilson subsequently wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times accusing the Bush administration of "exaggerating the Iraqi threat" to justify the war. Of course, what he didn't tell the NY Times' readers is that he has a history of being a left-winger and a contributor to the Democrat National Committee. During the John Kerry run for the presidency, Wilson was listed on the Kerry for President website as Kerry's foreign affairs advisor.
Then suddenly Wilson's name, photograph and biography were removed from the website when Wilson's credibility was blown by statements made by congressmen who examined Wilson's verbal report and found it contradicted what he wrote in the NY Times.
Woodward stressed that under US law, it is a crime to knowingly identify a covert intelligence operative by name, but not necessarily to describe his or her family ties. Nor does the law cover CIA analysts -- or janitors, for that matter.
Woodward is now undergoing a media smear campaign. He's shown how trivial the Valerie Plame affair truly is. The fact of the matter is that the Democrats and their stooges in the elite media made this a big case because they wish to hurt the Bush Administration and they're being disingenous when they claim they're concerned over national security and leaking of classified information.
If the Democrats truly were concerned about classified information leaks, they would have shoved a gag in Senator Patrick Leahy's mouth a long time ago.
...............................
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
© Copyright by NationalLedger.com
Bingo!
BTTT
Barney Frank is also in the clear.
Libby has been charged with lying. Even if Woody said he told ever reporter in town on January 01, 1982, Libby would still be in hot water.
The only thing Woody torpedoed was his own crediblity. He allowed a special prosecutor to go after the Bush White House knowing damned well the Plame info was out there long before Libby reportedly said anything.
Fun read! BTTT
You took the words right out of my mouth. GMTA
Watergate hero comes to the rescue of a Republican administration.
It was the bathroom attendent, I tell 'ya!
Good article and one which lays out the info with clarity.
Nobody "leaked" anything, and there was no crime committed.
>>If the Democrats truly were concerned about classified information leaks, they would have shoved a gag in Senator Patrick Leahy's mouth a long time ago.
Worth saying again.
According to Woodward, the still-unknown source told him that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a weapons of mass destruction analyst.
Here is the OUCH part:
"If the Democrats truly were concerned about classified information leaks, they would have shoved a gag in Senator Patrick Leahy's mouth a long time ago."
Now can Richard X have his chief of staff back?
I don't think it amounts to much. Fitz gave up on the leaks long ago. Now he's horrified to find that politicians lie. He hasn't learned yet that reporters lie even more. Woodward just means that he has to get more "creative" and do some more legislating from the prosecutor's office.
"Barney Frank is also in the clear." Why? He said the leaker was male.
LOL! Yeah, but Hillary isn't!
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