[Steve_Seattle]

I think York is making too much of this. We already knew that Wilson wasn't directly sent by Cheney, but by CIA intermediaries. If others at the CIA also had the idea - a day or two before Cheney - of checking out the Niger story, and were already thinking of sending Wilson, I don't that that is particularly significant.

[Dems_R_Losers]

It is extremely significant. Wilson sold Nick Kristof a bill of goods. The only reason Kristof wrote about Wilson in the first place was that he believed Wilson was sent to Niger directly on the request of VP Cheney. The reason the New York Times later published Wilson's op-ed was because they thought it would make Cheney look bad. Wilson would not have been nearly so interesting to the Times had he just been a low-level former ambassador sent to Niger by his wife at the CIA.

In addition, if it can be proven unequivocally that Wilson's trip was not connected to Cheney or anyone at the White House at all, then the whole "White House conspiracy to out Plame to retaliate against Wilson" theory is shot to hell, along with any possible motive for Scooter Libby to lie to the grand jury.

[maica]

Byron York wrote: In other words, Joseph Wilson’s visit to Niger, which everyone believes was undertaken at the behest of the vice president, was actually in the works before Dick Cheney asked his now-famous question. And if that is true, our current understanding of the chronology of events is wrong.

^^^^

You wrote: We already knew that Wilson wasn't directly sent by Cheney, but by CIA intermediaries.

^^^^^

Could it be that once again observant Freepers are light years ahead of folks at National Review?