Plame Out - The ridiculous end to the scandal that distracted Washington.

www.slate.com ^ | Aug. 29, 2006 | Christopher Hitchens

[neverdem]

fighting words
Plame Out
The ridiculous end to the scandal that distracted Washington.
By Christopher Hitchens
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006, at 1:02 PM ET

I had a feeling that I might slightly regret the title ("Case Closed") of my July 25 column on the Niger uranium story. I have now presented thousands of words of evidence and argument to the effect that, yes, the Saddam Hussein regime did send an important Iraqi nuclear diplomat to Niger in early 1999. And I have not so far received any rebuttal from any source on this crucial point of contention. But there was always another layer to the Joseph Wilson fantasy. Easy enough as it was to prove that he had completely missed the West African evidence that was staring him in the face, there remained the charge that his nonreport on a real threat had led to a government-sponsored vendetta against him and his wife, Valerie Plame.

In his July 12 column in the Washington Post, Robert Novak had already partly exposed this paranoid myth by stating plainly that nobody had leaked anything, or outed anyone, to him. On the contrary, it was he who approached sources within the administration and the CIA and not the other way around. But now we have the final word on who did disclose the name and occupation of Valerie Plame, and it turns out to be someone whose opposition to the Bush policy in Iraq has—like Robert Novak's—long been a byword in Washington.

[popdonnelly]

"it has only served to confirm that Joe Wilson is a partisan hack."

As are Issikoff, Corn, Matthews, Russert, and a lot of other "journalists" you could name.

[Suzy Quzy]

National Review doesn't even have the info that AmeriBrit posted!! Gee Reporters...get with it...here are FACTS!!

[Suzy Quzy]

Clarice Feldman...where are you??? Please write about this again...about Niger and Joe Wilson...please.

[Suzy Quzy]

Yes...the odious Wilkerson was Powell's Chief of Staff....another co-cabalist!! Coup plotters...all.

[Suzy Quzy]

Novak didn't say that about Armitage pers e, he said that about his SOURCE....I STILL think it's Powell and Armitage fell on his sword.

[popdonnelly]

"Fitzgerald has wasted years and hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars"

Fitzgerald had to know that Plame was not covert, that reporters knew who Plame was, and that Armitage had blabbed to Novak. Fitzgerald dragged Rove before the Grand Jury five times, trying to catch Rove in a perjury trap. Absolutely disgraceful. Fitzgerald obviously saw it as his job to nail something on the White House, and that's what he tried to do. In light of this, I don't see why he continues to have access to a Washington Grand Jury.

[Wolfstar]

Anyone know who left first, Powell or Armitage??? And also Tenet....who was first??

I'm going from memory only, not research, but I know Powell left after GWB was reelected and Armitage followed Powell. The part I'm not certain about is Tenet. I think he left before the both of them.

[Prost1]

From the picture, it appears her legs are a bit bowed.

Must be from her early "spy" days.

I doubt Joe Wilson is the cause.

[popdonnelly]

"They wanted to be insiders in the Kerry White House."

Absolutely no question about that. Joe Wilson's blaming the White House for "outing" his wife shows desperation on his part.

[Texas Songwriter]

List of shameless bastards: Powell,Armitage,Tenent,Wilson,Plame,Corn,Isakoff,Matthews, Odonald, Norah Odonell, Fitzgerald, Rather, the entire state department, the entire CIA, Main Street Media, all democrats, esp. Schummer.

I am so pissed off my brain hase vapor locked. Please add and complete the list of Plame-gate shameless bastards.

[Suzy Quzy]

Add Mary McCathy, Dana Priest and her huisband to that list of co-cabalists!!

[okie01]

It's hard to know the facts, hard to interpret them correctly, hard to avoid paranoia, hatred, self-delusion, wishful thinking, etc.

In short, it's not advisable to trust the media to get it right. About anything.

As a matter of fact, when it comes to things political, one would be advised to believe the exact opposite of what the MSM might say. As it turns out, one has a much better chance of being right that way...

'Tis a pathetic state of affairs, I agree. But, as Walter once said, "That's the way it is..."

[EQAndyBuzz]

"DEAD silence from the propaganda wing on the Democratic Party."

Mediacrats!

[JustDoItAlways]

Don't you think the left will just spin Armitage as being a right-wing Bush insider?

That is all they have done with this story since the beginning. They will not see the distinction between Armitage and Bush's people the way we see it.

In any event, it is truly a sad state of affairs that the Left has such power and control over the media that a story like this can be so distorted. How Saddam was at least trying to buy uranium from Niger turned into a witch hunt on right-thinking Republicans is beyond me.

[popdonnelly]

Don't forget "Pinch", "I'll publish anything if it screws Bush", Sulzberger.

[popdonnelly]

The really amusing thing is that Isikoff and Corn think people will believe a book that they wrote. Their record isn't very good.

[nopardons]

You're welcome!

Guess whose E-mail was out of commission, yet again. :-(

[the Real fifi]

She did.
Wilson and Niger. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5702

Armitage.http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5664&search=clarice; http://www.americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=5951

[Holicheese]

This really does not matter. The press will keep giving these frauds face time.
Everytime they mention these two nitwits it will be "Valarie Plame the undercover CIA Agent and her Husband who were victims of a smear campaign by the Bush administration because they brought evidence that Bush lied..."

[Suzy Quzy]

Thanks....great info....which it could consolidated and put in bullet point form as a timeline.