Posted on 07/12/2006 5:28:12 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
July 12, 2006 - 20:09
Was it Robert Novak who jolted aficionados of the vendetta-against-Joe-Wilson conspiracy theory, or was the message coming from . . . a Higher Authority? You be the judge, after having a look at the screen capture from this evening's Special Report with Brit Hume on FNC. Yes, that's a lightning bolt. No, it wasn't photo-shopped - it's the real thing.
The bolt hit while the panel was discussing the implications of the just-aired interview of Bob Novak by Brit Hume. Hume questioned Novak about his disclosure of Valerie Plame's employment by the CIA, in the course of reporting that it was she who had recommended her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, be sent to Niger to look into reports that Saddam Hussein had been looking to acquire uranium for purposes of constructing nuclear weapons.
There's no doubt that Novak's words were a devastating bolt to those who had spun the theory that the White House had intentionally leaked Plames' identity to Novak as retribution on Wilson for his criticism of the president's Iraq policy. For Novak could not have been much more unequivocal in stating this was not the case.
Brit: "The allegation has grown . . . this was part of a campaign by the Bush administration to discredit Joe Wilson after he wrote a column in the New York Times critical of the administration in Iraq . . . You're the person that's at the point of all this. What is your view on whether there was a campaign underway to discredit Wilson?"
Novak: "I saw no such campaign. Nobody in the administration ever said anything critical about Wilson to me. And my column was not critical of Wilson. The information came out to me in the course of an interview by a person who was not, believe me, not in the business of playing political dirty tricks. I initiated the call to Karl Rove [for confirmation]. We talked about Joe Wilson's wife for maybe 20 seconds in the course of the conversation, which I took as a confirmation."
So there it is. Oh, I suppose there will be some bitter-enders clinging to their vendetta theories. But there's no doubt, and we produce the proof here, that's it been a real shock to their system!
Nay, they will just come up with stranger and more bizarre theories to explain it.
"Is Novak's Primary WH Source - Cheney?......."
Great screen capture. Mara is just about the only liberal I can tolerate.
I'll tell you my theory behind this whole thing:
Novak's article and subsequent articles by various reporters exposed that Joe Wilson confirmed that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger.
Joe Wilson said otherwise publicly, but a Senate Bipartisan Committee which examined this issue said very clearly in a report that Joe Wilson is a liar and that what he said publicly was not true but what he said privately confirmed what the Bush administration said.
So: IRAQ WAS TRYING TO BUY URANIUM FROM NIGER.
The leftists could NOT let that stand. So they made this little dust up to detract attention away from the real issue which is: Bush did NOT lie.
Peter Yost of AP, for one. He's already initiated the spin that Rove was the source of the leak despite Novak's clear indication otherwise. In the face of what was said above that isn't simply mischaracterization, it's outright lying.
I'm thinking we'll be getting the Big Lie on this one. They don't like dry wells (ask Dan Rather if you can find him) and Fitzmas turned out to be coals in the stocking. And they'll keep lying as the public's attention tapers and hope that the last thing anyone remembers about it is the lie.
Oh...HE is after Mara it looks like! LOL
Glad you covered that..
Boy, I think we need to worry about ole Chrissy Matthews...he is over the top angry.
"I saw no such campaign. Nobody in the administration ever said anything critical about Wilson to me. And my column was not critical of Wilson. The information came out to me in the course of an interview by a person who was not, believe me, not in the business of playing political dirty tricks."
Mara's OK in my book too.
The weather machine is in top form I see.
Thanks for the ping...
I wasn't able to contribute to the thread during the interview, or WATCH the interview...because the 1 year old baby decided THAT was when she wanted to eat...and she CRIED HARD, and LOUD to let me know...LOL
Mara ............ZOT ............ ping
ZOT!!!
Mara get's struck................ ping
ping ......... (Mara ZOT)
She's got great hair.
What a great screen cap!
bttt
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