ABC: Plame/Libby Trial to Remind Americans of 'Dirty Politics' (Media bias alert)

http://newsbusters.org/ ^ | January 21, 2007 | Brad Wilmouth

[lowbridge]

ABC: Plame/Libby Trial to Remind Americans of 'Dirty Politics'

Posted by Brad Wilmouth on January 21, 2007 - 11:45.

On ABC's World News Saturday, correspondent Laura Marquez filed a story on the upcoming trial of Lewis Libby regarding his role in leaking CIA analyst Valerie Plame's identity. Marquez relayed the theory that Bush administration members deliberately leaked her identity "to get back at" her husband, Iraq War critic Joe Wilson, without mentioning the revelation that Richard Armitage, formerly an assistant to Colin Powell and a dove in the run-up to the Iraq War, admitted to having inadvertently been the original leaker. Instead of mentioning this aspect of the story which undermines the theory of a deliberate conspiracy, Marquez suggested "dirty politics" was behind the leak as she pointed out the trial's bad timing with the President's upcoming State of the Union speech. Marquez: "It will remind the American public just how dirty politics can get."

Marquez summarized the Libby story referring to the theory that the leak was an intentional retaliation against Wilson. Marquez: "At the heart of the mystery, leaking to the media the name of undercover CIA spy Valerie Plame. The apparent motive, to get back at her husband, Joe Wilson, for challenging the President's claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The man in the middle, Scooter Libby, charged with lying to a grand jury about how and when he learned Plame's true identity."

Marquez relayed Wilson's criticism of President Bush for citing evidence that Saddam Hussein had tried to acquire uranium from Africa without pointing out that some, including former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, have argued that Wilson's own investigation had bolstered that claim rather than undermine it.

After airing a soundbite of liberal law professor Jonathan Turley asserting that the trial would "remind people how the war was sold to them and how the original justifications proved to be false," Marquez concluded: "And it will remind the American public just how dirty politics can get."

Below is a complete transcript of the story from the January 20 World News Saturday:

John Berman: "In Washington this week, the beginning of a trial that reaches the highest levels of power. Former White House aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby is being tried on five felony counts stemming from the investigation into who outed an undercover CIA agent. While the case involves weighty issues of national security and could send a man to prison, for many in Washington it has all the makings of a good thriller. Here's ABC's Laura Marquez."

Laura Marquez: "The Libby trial is quickly becoming Washington's favorite parlor game, with a juicy plot and a who's who of characters."

Jonathan Turley, George Washington University Law Professor: "This is the World Series. This is the closest this city comes to a real organized sport. And everyone's going to be watching, you know. These are the Untouchables."

Marquez: "At the top of the witness list, Vice President Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby's former boss. Also, NBC's Tim Russert and the Washington Post's Bob Woodward. The plot reads like a whodunnit novel, with the Bush administration at its center. At the heart of the mystery, leaking to the media the name of undercover CIA spy Valerie Plame. The apparent motive, to get back at her husband, Joe Wilson, for challenging the President's claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The man in the middle, Scooter Libby, charged with lying to a grand jury about how and when he learned Plame's true identity."

Harry Jaffe, Washingtonian Magazine: "This is not necessarily about obstruction of justice. It is about power politics in the media and how we play that game in Washington, D.C."

Marquez: "Harry Jaffe, a national editor for Washingtonian Magazine, says the trial gives people outside the Beltway a front-row seat to how the game is played."

Jaffe: "I don't think anybody knows how to play nice. I think this is the way we play, and negative character assassination is what we do."

Marquez: "In what can only be called bad timing, opening statements in the Libby trial begin Tuesday, the same day as the President's State of the Union Address. It was the President's 16 words he gave at a State of the Union Address four years ago which Plame's husband originally criticized."

George W. Bush, dated January 28, 2003: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Turley: "This case is going to remind people how the war was sold to them and how the original justifications proved to be false."

Marquez: "And it will remind the American public just how dirty politics can get. Laura Marquez, ABC News, Washington."

[samadams2000]

R-U-S-S-E-R-T

[lowbridge]

bump

[proxy_user]

I think the American people are more likely to be totally baffled by the whole case....especially if it goes the way I think it will.

[what's up]

The media, no matter how expensive their suits are, are reminding me more and more of used car salesmen. There is nothing there behind the pretty faces. They are vacuous people.

I'm sick to my stomach when I think of all the boring months of Hillary coverage ahead. It reminds me of the shrill propoganda China used to broadcast over the airwaves during the communist takeoever. I've already determined to ignore the Presidential coverage until it comes down to the last 2 months or so of the 08 campaign. There are so many more fulfilling ways of filling the mind (so many good books out there, for example).

TV news is junk food for the mind. I wish more addicted conservatives would turn it off.

[JerseyDvl]

I really can't imagine this circus going the way of a normal trial and making it to a verdict.
I keep wondering: How long can Fitzgerald keep this up?
Yet....he persists.

[roses of sharon]

No way should conservatives turn it off, they should emulate it, and learn how to spread propaganda from the masters.

Turning it off and curling up with a good book has allowed the commie-vampires to permeate our media, Hollywood and culture, academia, bureaucracies, and the judiciary, for 40 years running.

[Verginius Rufus]

The whole Fitzgerald investigation has been premissed on a fantasy of someone at The Nation magazine. The Clintons were constantly trashing anyone who posed the least threat to them politically, but the media was OK with that, and served as their accomplices.

[RussP]

The fact that they can get away with this stuff just shows how ignorant they think the American people are.

Unfortunately, this sort of garbage *keeps* large segments of the American people ignorant.

[CottShop]

Mmm, yes, march out just those connected to the admin in some obscure indirect way and ignore the democratic CRIMINALS like Jefferson, Reaid, Murtha- yep- let's not 'remind the public about dirty politics with ACTUAL cases of corruption, but let's rather glom onto cases that artn't as airtight, but will attempt to malign the GOP. Good job ABC- when you get your noses out of the left's butts, let us know- perhaps we'll start watching you again.

The following link does not relate to this thread http://sacredscoop.com

[Laverne]

What is just amazing to me about this whole thing, the one known liar -- Fitzy -- is allowed to go to court and accuse someone else of lieing. When Fitzy told the world, through the liberal media, that "Libby was the first known government official to leak her name" (not exact quote, but close I think) it was a deliberate lie. He knew at that moment in time that Armitage was the leaker. I am still hoping that next week the judge will just throw the case out, dismiss all charges, and Libby can recover all his costs and Fitzy can be shunned. Fitzy has shown he is nothing but another Niphong. The whole case is ridiculous.

[Fiji Hill]

Seems as though Fitzy is pulling a Nifong.

[Eva]

There was an interesting article in the WSJ that explained the motives behind the Libby prosecution. It seems that Libby crossed paths with both Fitzgerald and Comey in the past and the two may have been holding a grudge against him. Libby worked for the firm that defended Marc Rich in the eighties, Fitzgerald was on the other side, and Libby represented the administration on NSA wire taps when Comey was filling in for Ashcroft and did an end around on Comey.

[popdonnelly]

Dirty politics is right. By the damn Democrats and their fellow Democrats in the news media. They tried to tar the entire White House with this, and it didn't work.

[etlib]

At the heart of the mystery, leaking to the media the name of undercover CIA spy Valerie Plame.

The lie that will not go away. Tell a lie frequently enough and boldly enough and people believe it. Proof by repeated assertion!

[M-cubed]

Libby has been "Nifonged"....

[popdonnelly]

"undercover CIA spy Valerie Plame."

Her cover had already been blown, which was why she was working a desk job in Langley.

[PeskyOne]

I agree. I blame the Democrats and RINOS in Congress and the liberal media for a lot of the setbacks in Iraq. They have emboldened the enemy with their propaganda and criticisms. I wish there was a way to hold them legally responsible for their actions, and I wish we could have charges brought against Fitzgerald.

Jonathan Turley has become more liberal over the last few years, and I notice Fox is not using him as often as they used to...probably because he's lost credibility with some of his asinine comments.

[kcvl]

Yeah, the Clintons never run dirty campaigns. They would never trash women Clinton raped or tried to molest. /s

I just heard Hillary say that she was going to UNITE the country. In her arrogant self-serving manic dreams!

[bmwcyle]

As the Dems are saying, we lost, we lied, we are bitter.