Smearing Joe Wilson's critics

The Washington Times ^ | 4-12-06 | Editorial

[smoothsailing]

The Washington Times

Smearing Joe Wilson's critics

Published April 12, 2006

Some old canards just never die. New information from special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation about whether former CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity was leaked by the White House as part of a campaign to "discredit" her husband has spurred new efforts to depict him as an innocent victim targeted by a Bush administration smear campaign for telling the truth.     

Joseph Wilson, a retired Foreign Service officer, was dispatched to Iraq in February 2002 by the CIA, at his wife's suggestion, to investigate whether Saddam Hussein had tried to purchase "yellowcake" uranium from Niger. In July 2003, Mr. Wilson accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence in order to make a case for war with Iraq. He claimed that his investigation 17 months earlier should have debunked the notion that Iraq had attempted to purchase uranium from Niger.     

But the case against the White House, as represented by some in the mainstream media, is based on sloppy, tendentious reporting...

[EDINVA]

"... mainstream media, is based on sloppy, tendentious reporting"

how unlike them ;)

[Para-Ord.45]

ping

[DeaconRed]

"White HOuse official asks the very simple question of the CIA: " When was the last time (P)Flame was actually operating in a covert status?"

I have never understood that either.

[Coop]

Here's a Wash Post article referencing the numbers in the above chart:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14102-2004Jul25.html

[smoothsailing]

Good work,Coop! :)

[LucyT]

These links might help.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1612370/posts?page=13#13

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1613187/posts?page=19#19

[StarCMC]

LOL!! Well, ok, not REALLY laughing. But that graphic is true of just about every Anti-Bush story that has later been shown as false.

[Coop]

I'm sure many times it is. I keep thinking back to how the press treated Kerry's discharge date discrepancy and refusal to release his service records versus the exaggerated and forged Bush National Guard non-story.

[Shocked2]

Try www.justoneminute.typepad.com.

[Miss Marple]

Someone also brought up yesterday the difference between how John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs fiasco was treated compared to the Iraq War and President Bush.

Myself, I don't believe any of them any more, except for Brit Hume and Tony Snow. The rest of the time I am pulling weeds in the garden or cleaning my house.

[rwa265]

Here's something from Stephen Hayes in the Weekly Standard.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/217wnmrb.asp?pg=2

[hubno]

Declassifed intelligence is available to the public.
Can't be leaked.

Bush & Co.has asked the CIA about Plames status but the CIA is in a cover up role of no comment.
Or maybe Goes gave her up and they are waiting for the trial to expose her.
The more documents that come out the bigger the Wilson lie getsl

[eleni121]

Valerie's ex--this is all so boring

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[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Coop]

BTTT

[Dionysius]

Joe Wilson is the biggest lying piece of crap that ever lived. In other words, he is the face of the Democrat Party.

[kellynla]

BTTT

[angkor]

he actually said that Fitzgerald had said at least 3 times that Valerie Plame WAS undercover.

Here's the transcript from his Monday interview with Wolf Blitzer:

WILSON: Well, it certainly makes the case that my wife was a classified officer and, therefore, the leak of her name is a violation of national security. Whether that can be prosecuted and other relevant acts, I have no idea. But at a minimum, it's a violation of national security. There are administrative procedures for that.

BLITZER: But Patrick Fitzgerald is not going after that. He's going after the -- he's simply investigating, at least based on what he's charged so far, that Lewis "Scooter" Libby lied.

WILSON: Well, Mr. Fitzgerald has made it very clear and made it very clear in his press conference two things. One, justice would be served so long as somebody was prosecuted for a crime. And second, he made it very clear that the fact that Mr. Libby had perjured himself and had obstructed justice in the view of the special prosecutor, that had stymied his effort, really, to get to the bottom of the organic crime that he was -- that he was looking in to. But irrespective of whether he prosecutes on the crime, it's important to understand that if you're a classified officer -- and Mr. Fitzgerald has said that repeatedly, that Valerie was -- then the leaking of her name is a violation of the national security.

BLITZER: But why wouldn't somebody be prosecuted for that?

WILSON: Well, again, there may well be administrative sanctions. I think it's very clear if you look at the tact that Mr. Fitzgerald is taking, he's narrowing his prosecution of Mr. Libby to what -- what is, I think, prosecutable under the circumstances.

[Howlin]

Am I wrong, or has he NEVER said that?