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Pure Bush Bashing
CNSnews.com ^ | 9-30-03 | Scott Hogenson

Posted on 09/30/2003 12:58:53 PM PDT by veronica

It's open season on George W. Bush, and the establishment media are playing their predictable role in the row over the naming of a CIA employee by a conservative columnist in July.

In case you've only now returned from a visit overseas, the media and many Democrats are positively lathered about the identity of a CIA employee that was revealed by syndicated columnist Robert Novak July 14.

The CIA employee in question is the wife of former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson, who was dispatched to Niger last year to check out allegations of Saddam Hussein trying to buy uranium.

It was a report by Wilson that was used by some to discount other intelligence reports about Saddam's alleged attempts to buy the guts of nuclear weaponry, which was noted in a 16-word passage in Bush's State of the Union address and has become a rallying cry for those who wish to see someone other than Bush occupy the White House.

Novak's column, which appeared on CNSNews.com July 14, noted, "Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger."

Over the weekend, this two-and-a-half-month-old story with a throw-away line about the wife of a former U.S. diplomat exploded into one of great intrigue, allegations of dirty tricks by the White House, endangering the lives of intelligence assets, naked politics to silence critics, even assertions that this could be worse than Richard Nixon's Watergate.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) isn't satisfied that John Ashcroft's Justice Department has launched an inquiry into the matter and was quoted by Agence France Presse Tuesday as saying: "This is a very serious national security matter where there is a clear conflict of interest for the attorney general because it could involve high-level White House officials."

Similarly, the Associated Press quoted Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark as saying: "It's wrong, it's shady, it's cheap."

But neither of those reports - and relatively few others - quoted Novak himself, who shed considerable light on the story Sept. 29 during his Crossfire show on CNN.

"Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this," said Novak. "In July, I was interviewing a senior administration official on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told me the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. Another senior official told me the same thing."

According to Novak's account of learning that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, "When I called the CIA in July, they confirmed Mrs. Wilson's involvement in a mission for her husband on a secondary basis, who is - he is a former Clinton administration official. They asked me not to use her name but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else."

As for whether divulging Mrs. Wilson's name would carry with it any dark or dangerous risks, Novak said: "According to a confidential source at the CIA, Mrs. Wilson was an analyst, not a spy, not a covert operative, and not in charge of undercover operatives."

Let's recap: Novak was presumably the first to mention the link between the CIA and Mrs. Wilson after the CIA confirmed information he learned when he contacted some people in the administration.

And let's be clear about another thing - "the administration" includes thousands and thousands of people working for all departments in the Executive Branch, including more than a few Bill Clinton cronies the Bush White House didn't have the good sense to fire on January 20, 2001.

There is nothing here about a White House leak. As for Schumer's claims of "a very serious national security matter," it's doubtful the CIA would have blown the cover of one of its own people. Ditto on the "shady" and "cheap" assertions of Clark.

But don't expect the facts to get in the way 13 months ahead of the 2004 elections. Democrats will continue to hammer away on the matter. Some say there's blood in the water on this, but it's nothing more than tawdry political opportunism.

And it will become tawdrier. When the Justice Department inquiry concludes that what Novak said Sept. 29 is correct, Schumer, Clark or other Democrat acolytes will say it only proves Ashcroft can't do his job; that an independent counsel is necessary to investigate the president and his White House.

There's no telling where the Justice Department investigation will go. This entire episode may be completely innocuous; it may reveal an individual with poor judgment; it may reveal a nasty punk who should be fired and jailed. My money is on innocuous.

Short of knowing, much of today's brouhaha is, as Robert Novak said Sept. 29, "pure Bush-bashing."


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bushbashing; bushhaters; cia; josephwilson

1 posted on 09/30/2003 12:58:53 PM PDT by veronica
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To: dennisw; SJackson; Grampa Dave; Bahbah; Brian Allen; JohnHuang2; kattracks; Peach; BenF; Nachum; ...
FYI.
2 posted on 09/30/2003 1:24:24 PM PDT by veronica ("I just realised I have a perfect part for you in "Terminator 4"....)
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To: veronica
"CIA refers crimes report over about once a week to the Department of Justice whenever there's a leak or any other potential violation of law that they come across."

James Woolsey
Woolsey served from 1993 to 1995 as President Clinton's first CIA director (when the CIA was reporting leaks about once a week to the Justice Department)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/992522/posts

3 posted on 09/30/2003 3:22:12 PM PDT by Bubba_Leroy
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To: veronica
Thanks for the ping, my friend.
4 posted on 09/30/2003 10:12:51 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: veronica; xm177e2; mercy; Wait4Truth; hole_n_one; GretchenEE; Clinton's a rapist; buffyt; ...

5 posted on 09/30/2003 10:13:11 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2
Thanks for the heads up!
6 posted on 09/30/2003 10:24:52 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: veronica
"Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this," said Novak. "In July, I was interviewing a senior administration official on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told me the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. Another senior official told me the same thing."

The phrase "senior administration offical" means:

This was not a White House leak!

In an August column, Novak said ... " Consequently, senior White House aides began to consider the decision the president soon will face. " ... If Karl Rove was his source, he would have used a different term. JMHO, and Bush WH knows they are in the clear.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20030224.shtml

7 posted on 09/30/2003 10:37:21 PM PDT by WOSG (DONT PUT CALI ON CRUZ CONTROL & VOTE YES ON 54!)
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To: JohnHuang2; veronica
<< Thanks for the ping[s], my friend[s]. >>

Blessings -- Shalom -- B A
8 posted on 09/30/2003 11:05:10 PM PDT by Brian Allen ( Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: JohnHuang2
"pure Bush-bashing."

And so "nicely" detracts from the First Lady's trip overseas.

9 posted on 10/01/2003 12:22:55 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: JohnHuang2; veronica
It was a report by Wilson that was used by some to discount other intelligence reports about Saddam's alleged attempts to buy the guts of nuclear weaponry, which was noted in a 16-word passage in Bush's State of the Union address and has become a rallying cry for those who wish to see someone other than Bush occupy the White House.

ha ha ! I have a feeling that this will be yet another incident which will backfire upon the 'RATS.

Sixteen words, huh ?? I'm betting on THESE sixteen words ...

The GOP gained seats in the House and the Senate.
Meantime, President Bush wins in landslide !
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/951284/posts?page=97#97


November, 2004:
President Bush on the Road to Victory ...

10 posted on 10/01/2003 6:04:26 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (Check out the Texas Chicken D 'RATS!: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/keyword/Redistricting)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Ah, yes! And ol Joe Wilson's Op-Ed was printed the day before President Bush went to Africa. The coverage of his tour and meetings with African leaders that week was diminished by all the coverage of Wilson's charges.

These things are not coincidences.
11 posted on 10/01/2003 6:15:12 AM PDT by maica
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To: veronica; JohnHuang2; All
I was watching Fox & Friends this morning - they had a guest, IIRC, his name was Peter Brown, former CIA, and he said that Valerie Plame has been undercover for 30 years.

12 posted on 10/01/2003 7:05:07 AM PDT by baseballmom
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To: baseballmom
Yeah and she would have had to have ten (10) years old when she got her first assignment. She is forty years old.
13 posted on 10/01/2003 7:10:13 AM PDT by DarthVader (The only good liberal is one who is below room temperature)
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To: baseballmom
Yeah and she would have had to have ten (10) years old when she got her first assignment. She is forty years old.
14 posted on 10/01/2003 7:10:14 AM PDT by DarthVader (The only good liberal is one who is below room temperature)
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To: JohnHuang2
The Bush haters will not win ~ GWB will prevail!
15 posted on 10/01/2003 7:30:13 AM PDT by blackie
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To: DarthVader
Thanks for that info. I guess she was an charter member of "Take your daughter to work day". LOL

It's amazing, all the erroneous info being thrown about.
16 posted on 10/01/2003 12:24:44 PM PDT by baseballmom
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To: veronica
BUMP!
17 posted on 10/01/2003 12:36:11 PM PDT by jmstein7
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