The CIA leak (Latest From Novak)

townhall.com ^ | 10/01/03 | Robert Novak

[YaYa123]

LOL!!

Even funnier since Novak alerted the world that Wilson's wife is named as married to Wilson in his "Who's Who" listing. AND in his official biography for The Middle Eastern Institute, here:

http://www.mideasti.org/html/bio-wilson.html

Wilson & the Democrats making out like Novak and The White House blew his wife's cover has become laughable.

[Steve0113]

ping

[Hillarys nightmare]

"There you have it, she wasn't involved in Covert ops and therefore there is no scandal. period."

Thank You! My sentiments exactly!
This is so unimportant, that it begs to be forgotten, and soon! Of all the important items of News, it is incredible that this tripe gets so much attention.
Any one with a brain ought to see this non-story for what it is. It is A desperate attempt to by the Communist Left in this country to denegrate the Administration.

[Catspaw]

As I posted on another thread:

To point out the obvious, Novak has a vested self-interest in spinning this story to his benefit.

First, Novak has moved from being a reporter (actually a columnist) writing about a story to being the story. One of the cardinal rules of journalism is that the reporter is not the story--the story is the story and the reporter is the background, and that's where Novak has crossed the line.

Second, Novak knows that he is going to be questioned by the FBI and possibly hauled before a grand jury. He has to be very careful about what he says because, although he's said that he will not reveal his confidential sources, his public words will be used in the investigation and he will be questioned about them. He has to carefully choose his words, because whatever he says will be scrutinized.

Third, Novak said he will protect his sources. This means that he cannot give any clues to their identities in what he says publically, or privately.

Forth, Novak wants to continue working as a journalist. Although he has been critical of the administration's policies in Iraq and Israel, he still wants to keep working, and his sources are within the current administration. He's walking tightrope. He has to diminish his role in this, because if he doesn't, his sources will dry up. OTOH, his ego says he has to play up the story and his role in it to get more publicity for his column, and for Novak, getting his column published means income.

When I come up with more, I'll let you know.

[YaYa123]

In fact, this may be a good thing....I mean, exposing the democrats closeness with Wilson, and by extension, his wife. How many others are there?

Americans need to know that the corruption Clinton inflicted on all agencies of government continue to this day. His tokens, FOBs, incompetents, and spouses of, are all over the government.

I'm wondering if Susie Hubbell still has her 80,000 gubbment job in Washington. I forget which agency got her services courtesy of Clinton intervention.

[Chad Fairbanks]

And now Dashole has joined Schumer in calling for a Independent Counsel, but unfortunately for him he fought against renewing the Independent Cousel Law, so he's SOL ;0)

[Fracas]

Yes...written and published by CPI.

You have mail.

[kattracks]

Amazing how the Dims railed against the Independent Councel law and now suddenly see the beneift of it.

Of course, if it's your ox being gored....

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes LOL... They should have planned ahead, but I guess they thought they had the 2000 election sewn up and there was no need for it LOL "Oops!"

[kattracks]

Hey, voter fraud always worked for them before.

[txrangerette]

So has Colin Powell served during
both administrations, and could be
descibed as apolitical like Tenet,
who is a Democrat, I understand.
Rush seems to think State is the
problem...

Powell the leaker? or a Dep. Sec.?

[txrangerette]

Grassley of Iowa was on Fox with
John Scott, and both said exactly
what you did about Dems hollering
for a special counsel. They hit
them very hard on the point.

[hobbes1]

State is the problem.

Novak differentiates between CIA and 'senior administration officials', Wilson's OpEd says he was debriefed at State, though the CIA paid, and TIME magazine, puts it this way

And some government officials have noted to TIME in interviews, (as well as to syndicated columnist Robert Novak) that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These officials have suggested that she was involved in her husband's being dispatched Niger to investigate reports that Saddam Hussein's government had sought to purchase large quantities of uranium ore, sometimes referred to as yellow cake, which is used to build nuclear devices.

Government officals, Not Administration....= State.
(Keep in mind that Novak likes to play himself off as an Administration insider...)

[Ben Hecks]

" And when he got back, Wilson did not submit a written report. He told Koppel he got back, and a CIA staffer came to his house and took notes as Wilson prepared for another trip."

Since Wilson was traveling in an official capacity for the CIA, any work product belongs to the U.S. Government. Someone in the CIA would determine the appropriate security classification for the work product - not Wilson. If the work product was classified, Wilson violated the law by going public with the information and should be subject to indictment.

[txrangerette]

Thanks, hobbes1.

[okie01]

"why was wilson an "incredible" choice?"

The "former diplomat" seems to have demonstrated himself to be a "partisan hack". Therefore, a notably unreliable source, wouldn't you say? Incredible, in every sense of the word. That is, without credibility...

[Steve_Seattle]

"One of the cardinal rules of journalism is that the reporter is not the story--the story is the story and the reporter is the background, and that's where Novak has crossed the line."

Novak is simply defending himself in this story, as probably most people would. He - unlike Geraldo, O'Reilly, and many others - does not cultivate himself as a personality. I don't think he's crossed a line at all.

[hobbes1]

It is unlikely that the FBI will go near Novak. And a Grand Jury apearence is OUT.

Both things have to be approved by Ashcroft himself, and absent a definitive crime, that ain't gonna happen.

See

(k) In requesting the Attorney General's authorization to question, to arrest or to seek an arrest warrant for, or to present information to a grand jury seeking a bill of indictment or to file an information against, a member of the news media for an offense which he is suspected of having committed during the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of a news story, or committed while engaged in the performance of his official duties as a member of the news media, a member of the Department shall state all facts necessary for determination of the issues by the Attorney General.

[beckett]

Novak's source should come forward today and resign. I think it's safe to say the source is not anybody high up in the WH, certainly not Rove. My guess is he or she is a State Dept Deputy Secretary.

[hobbes1]

Secondly He is a Columnist, Not a journalist, there is a difference.

IN fact the argument is made routinely these days that the Media generally employs the former disguised as the latter.....