Transcript of Joseph Wilson on CNN's Paula Zahn Now (9/29/03)

CNN ^ | 09/29/03

[Pokey78]

ZAHN: And joining me now is the man at the heart of this growing controversy, Ambassador Joseph Wilson. He joins us from Washington.

Welcome back, sir.

JOSEPH WILSON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR: Hi, Paula. How are you?

ZAHN: I'm fine. Thanks.

[Pokey78]

FYI, since no one watches her show.

[netmilsmom]

How brave of you!!! To self sacrifice your brain cells to report back to the FReepers. You are a hero!

I can't watch that dribble....

[michaelt]

This guy is all speculation, conjecture, and hatred of Bush.

[Shermy]

After the article appeared, I called him and I said: "You told me it was a CIA source. You wrote senior administration officials. What was it, CIA or senior admiration?" He said to me, "I misspoke the first time I spoke to you." That makes it senior administration sources.

Novak said it was both "senior" officials and the "CIA".

[OldFriend]

Novak is clearly a piece of garbage. Trying to protect his sources at the expense of the President. Clearly he 'misspoke'. The question is where is the TRUTH.

[af_vet_1981]

WILSON: Bob Novak called me before he went to print with the report. And he said, a CIA source had told him that my wife was an operative. He was trying to get a second source. He couldn't get a second source. Could I confirm that? I said no. After the article appeared, I called him and I said: "You told me it was a CIA source. You wrote senior administration officials. What was it, CIA or senior admiration?" He said to me, "I misspoke the first time I spoke to you." That makes it senior administration sources.

ROFL

Put Wilson and all the journalists under oath. Administer polygraphs (even truth serum). We simply must get to the bottom of this and report the truth to the American people. Obviously we can't trust the media by themselves.

[Semper Paratus]

Wilson must be exausted!
How many shows has he been on in the last 36 hours?

[MasonGal]

Yes, thank you for your courage to watch the show and give us the info. I, too, cannot stomach Paula, Chrissy, Aaron, and well - practically all of them...even Fox today was just like the others... BLECH!!

[prairiebreeze]

So I really am apolitical in all of this

Yeah, Wilson is a real political neuter alright. This is yet another, who knew what, and when did they know it trump from the RATS. Gives me a headache the more I try to understand it.

Prairie

[Williams]

What a bunch of nothing. But when will republicans realize that's what the democrats do. Make scandals out of nothing, and nothing out of scandals.

[Williams]

yeah he's apolitical, that's why he dropped from his stump speech the red meat line about "frog walking" a senior White House aide in "handcuffs." What a scummy dirt rag.

[Cobra64]

This guy Wilson, should sqirt some KY jelly in his ears and have a good time. His delusional mental-masturbation in destroying this country is beyond belief.

[gaspar]

Wow, is this bum bull of merde. Novak says his wife was an analyst (not clandestine), and Wilson responds to the nitwit Paula Zahn -- without providing a shred of evidence -- that Novak knew his wife was in operations. Now, we have a wonderful situation. Wilson himself seems to be claiming that his wife was ops, while others argue she is an analyst. I can't imagine the CIA (oops, lets put that in the past tense, I couldn't imagine) playing it so fast and loose with its people that it would allow a clandestine op to name her husband to handle a very delicate mission. A mission, by the way, that was suggested by Cheney.

The thing that scares me about all this is that Tenet was ignorant of what was going on around him (or so he says). One thing that Reagan knew, but that Bush has yet to learn: If a member of your team screws up, can that person. Don't wait around to give him a kiss on both cheeks. Dump Tenet now!

This contretemps will have an unexpected benefit for Bush and the nation. Tenet will have to go.

[austingirl]

Great line, LOL!

[austingirl]

Am I slow or is it still unknown whether this woman was an operative or an analyst?

[jbstrick]

Rush mentioned at the end of his show that we would be VERY suprised at the original source.

He dropped a hint that the source was from State.

[RandyRep]

This is really a tempest in a teapot, I think.

Reading Novak's original column over, he says something like "senior administration sources tell me that Wilson's wife got him the job going to Niger for the CIA." Apparently that statement is true without parsing it any further -- someone in the administration told Novak this fact. He then confirmed it with the CIA that Wilson's appointment was a result of Wilson's wife's efforts.

Novak then went on to identify Wilson's wife by name, and called her a CIA operative. Novak does not attribute the name or her CIA position to the senior admin source - only the fact that she greased the skids for the appointment.

Where's the indication that the senior admin source explicitly named the wife and her position? Novak now claims that they didn't tell him that - he knew it beforehand.

Perhaps other journalists will have more to say about this?

[Mike Darancette]

Will Wilson take the Kelly Cure?

[GunRunner]

Huh? I didn't hear all of his show today. Does Rush know the source? Is it Powell he was hinting at?

[WilliamofCarmichael]

If we're slow just imagine how dumb ol' Joe is.

Based upon the transcript I've got a question. Doesn't the Democrat Party hack know what his wife does at the CIA? What kind of response to Novak was that? Why didn't CNN employees ask him outright, "Is your wife an analyst?"

BTW, Wilson worked for both Senator Gore and Representative Thomas Foley

If you remember Foley was the one who said of the "October surprise," (paraphrasing) "We must investigate because there is no evidence." Foley lives.

Why do the mainstream media have so much trouble reporting on just what was the lady's job! Enough with "operative." Is there a classification, Operative, classified, 0215-014 (GS-11 - GS-14)? Or is she an analyst?

google for "CIA analyst"

from the first five pages of summaries (first 50 hits)

CIA analyst Stephen Pelletiere

WAGNER JOHN (CIA ANALYST)

Ray McGovern, a CIA analyst

CIA analyst Melvin Goodman

Patrick Eddington and his wife, Robin - also a former CIA analyst

CIA analyst Martha Kessler

Yes, most of these are former CIA analysts -- but would they not be exposed to whatever face current employees of the CIA? No, I did not include JackRyan.