Posted on 11/01/2007 2:07:10 PM PDT by Doctor Raoul
Trentonian Editorial: Slow-footed truth Well, maybe “lie” is too harsh a word in any controversy involving the low standards of veracity that prevail in partisan political matters, which this one is. In the interest of reducing rancor, maybe we should substitute a euphemism. Instead of “lie,” how about “political prevarication”? The political prevarication that’s doing another lap around the globe while truth fumbles with its shoelaces may be summarized as follows: The Republican Axis of Evil (that would be George Bush and Dick Cheney) blew the super-secret cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame. And this was an act of petty retaliation. Her husband, Joe Wilson, had exposed the Bush administration for making up a story that the Saddam regime had evinced an interest in obtaining yellow cake uranium (a nuclear weapons ingredient) from the African nation of Niger. The above summary consists of a string of “stretchers,” to use another Twain term for liberties taken with truth. Plame is now recycling these, um, political prevarications as she hustles her new book on the controversy, “Fair Game.” These are the facts, if only truth could get its shoes laced up. Plame was more a CIA headquarters paper-shuffler than a James Bond. When columnist Robert Novak “outed” her, he wrote that it was already “well known” around Washington that Plame worked for the CIA. Bush, by the way, wasn’t the leaker, nor was Cheney, nor were any of their aides. She became fair game when she suggested, in the heat of a presidential campaign, that the CIA send her husband, Joe Wilson, a Bush-bashing partisan and former Clinton administration ambassador, to Niger to look into the uranium issue.
Further enhancing the political prevarications in this controversy, Plame is now suggesting on her book tour that right-wingers are falsely portraying her and her husband as partisan Democrats. But the portrayal doesn’t seem much of a stretch given her husband’s links to the Clinton administration, his adviser role in John Kerry’s campaign, and and other evidence, such as the couples’ political donations to Al Gore’s presidential campaign. (By the way, is it OK with the CIA if its agents are political donors?) While truth continues to fumble with its shoelaces, some other nagging questions go unaddressed: Why would the CIA dispatch someone of Joe Wilson’s background, instead of someone of less suspect objectivity, on a sensitive assignment to investigate Saddam’s activities in Niger? And why would the CIA look on with apparent bovine contentment while Wilson blabbed about his assignment in a Bush-bashing piece published in the New York Times in the middle of a presidential campaign? In this one instance, at least, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the CIA was more interested in pursuing a partisan agenda than tending to its national security duties.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
You’ve heard the observation, attributed to Mark Twain, that a lie can be halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. A lie attractively personified by a woman named Valerie Plame is on its third or fourth lap around the globe while truth continues to fumble with its shoelaces.
Plame’s husband didn’t actually expose Bush for making up a story about Saddam and uranium, because Bush never made up such a story. Bush only said that British intelligence had concluded that the Saddam regime had sought uranium from Niger. And British intelligence had indeed so concluded, and with valid reasons, according to findings of an independent investigative panel (the Lord Butler Commission).
— The Trentonian
ping
"Plame’s husband didn’t actually expose Bush for making up a story about Saddam and uranium, because Bush never made up such a story. Bush only said that British intelligence had concluded that the Saddam regime had sought uranium from Niger. And British intelligence had indeed so concluded, and with valid reasons, according to findings of an independent investigative panel (the Lord Butler Commission).
GREAT READ!!!!! As if we dedn’t know this, tho.
The whole “retaliation” scenario was never more than a fantasy concocted in Joe Wilson’s brain, but Fitzgerald took it as a starting point in his investigation, assuming it to be true.
it was a lie and yes lies are harsh........but not unmanagable
Somebody gets it...Just wow...
GREAT ARTICLE! and from The Trentonian is a surprize and a good one at that. Hopefully the GOP will use it to show the Electorate how the Dems are out lying to undermine Our Wonderful Nation.
It's frustrating when even a story that is trying to get it right gets stuff wrong. The President said they concluded that Saddam was seeking uranium from AFRICA. Niger was not named.
Still, it is good to see someone can see what's right in front of them.
The Editorial Staff at the Trentonian were the first to get it right.
This one is a review for the moonbats in the audience on the eve of the Grifter's book release.
Joe Wilson’s report concluded that Saddam was making inquiries via representatives, but never purchased any ore.
Libya did. Then it magically disappeared and reappeared in Iraq. The UN nuclear task force checked the ‘locked’ facility where tons of ore was stored. It was still there.
The old police evidence room trick. 50 tons out(to Syria), 50 tons in, nobody the wiser.
Here’s the best part. This was not the first trip to Niger to ‘spy’ for the CIA on yellowcake ore sales to Saddam.
Joe Wilson was ‘selected’ to do exactly the same thing back during CLINTON’s administration, and reported the same thing.
It wasn’t until Joe got hooked up by the DNC (with one of those AFDA type loans where they give you a million or so, and you never pay it back, with which he moved to AZ and retired), that he started going to the press, complaining that the Bush Admin was lying.
BTW, why was Joe Wilson going to NIGER in the first place???
He was going there on personal business. What Business???
He had to be the point man for his company because of a deal which involved the President of Niger.
What is the main export of Niger that the President of Niger is the main dealer for??? Sales of Yellowcake ore.
Joe Wilson owns a brokerage firm that handles deals for the President of Niger.
Deeper investigation into Joe’s trip might have disclosed what he was really doing there, so..... he had to protect his interests.
Wouldn’t want the country knowing that the DNC was supporting the sales of yellowcake ore to Saddam , would he???
There’s only so much space, it’s an editorial not a history book, though I would have liked to see it mentioned that Novack called Wilson before publication and Wilson did not object.
Anyone have that article link?
pinging for interest
I didn't know that.
Happy they woke up—it’s taken long enough though.
Lie is the correct word.
Yeah, but the media already spread the lie around the World, and did not clarify or correct it’s erroneous reports. So half the country believes the Joe and Valewrie Wilson side of the argument. And didn’t President Bush apologize for his statement, arming these liars further?
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