A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-02-03...Where's My Yellowcake?! Part II

John Huang2; Aquamarine; Billie | John Huang2

[Aquamarine]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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Where's My Yellowcake?! Part II

by JohnHuang2

I'd have finished this essay sooner if it weren't for all the dang interruptions. Some weirdo calling himself "Anonymous Senior Administration Official" kept ringing my phone off the hook, peddling some CIA agent's name whose hubby (can't recall exactly) traveled to Africa looking for yellowcake sales receipts with Saddam's signature, or some such...anybody know anything about this? At first I thought it was some nutty new sales pitch by some nutty telemarketer trying to beat the Wednesday 'Do-Not-Call List' deadline. 'Keep it up , buddy,' I told the caller, 'and I'll have the Feds frog-march ya out of that house in handcuffs!' Then I thought maybe it's that South African businessman who keeps clogging my email with some incredible business proposition.

Okay, okay...I'll confess: There were no phone calls. I made it up. I think I was probably carried away by the spirit of the moment (to borrow a line).

So what's the media fuss all about this time?

First, chalk this whole thing up as more bad luck for Democrats. Just as Bush was beginning to 'slip' in polls, Bang! out of nowhere comes a "scandal" big enough to make Bush's ratings soar.

The "growing controversy" centers on who "leaked" the super-ultra-secret identity of a covert agent everyone but Robert Novak knew wasn't a covert agent but a pencil-pusher at CIA. Covert agents need low-profile, and, for whatever reason, CIA doesn't think marrying an Ambassador is a fabulous way to lower your profile. So Valerie Plame, wife of former Clinton NSC aid Joe Wilson, was good for pencil work but not cloak and dagger. So clandestine, so deeply-concealed was the mystery of Plame working at CIA that the Washington Post claims two "Senior administration officials" tried to get a bunch of reporters interested in a 'Wife-Gets-Job-For-Hubby-In-High-Profile-Iraq-Probe' angle, but only one reporter bit. Nepotism in Washington? Say it ain't so! (By the way, CIA neither confirms nor denies the identity of covert agents. CIA confirmed Plame's identity and employment when Novak called, which shows Plame was no covert agent.)

Democrats, who complained bitterly of Starr's $60-million-dollar independent probe, demand bitterly a Starr-like $60-million-dollar independent probe.

In a bid to show they're principled and consistent, Democrats, who blast the Patriot Act as horrid abomination, say the Patriot Act is indispensable here to probe who "leaked" to the media what the media and everyone already knew. Democrats also deny politics or the looming election season has anything to do with this, just undying devotion to high-minded principles so common in Washington.

Democrats say, Reuters reports, that "if such an incident had occurred during the presidency of Democrat Bill Clinton, Republicans who control Congress would be calling for hearings and issuing subpoenas." I might add that if such an incident had occurred during the presidency of Democrat Bill Clinton, Democrats, adhering scrupulously to high standards of ethics, would denounce calls for hearings and issuance of subpoenas as nothing but a right-wing witch hunt or fishing expedition to discredit Bill Clinton. Indeed, were it not for minor matters like Whitewatergate, Cattlegate, Travelgate, Zippergate, Paulagate, Juanitagate, donorgate, Chinagate, Pardongate, Filegate, etc., Clinton's would be The Most Ethical Administration In Human History.

MSNBC reports, quoting a profoundly knowledgeable college professor, that "the launch of a formal (Justice Dept.) investigation could be 'a turning point in terms of public perception'" of Bush, "a point of transition which eventually seeps down to public consciousness." I can vouch for that. Indeed, when I heard the Justice Dept. had opened a probe, I sensed a change of my public perception of Bush, a point of transition that immediately seeped down to my public consciousness; then a powerful desire overcame me, an urge to vote for Dean! Kucinich! Kerry! Lieberman! Anyone but George!

Bush's vow to cooperate fully with investigators was especially damaging to my public perception. Aren't moral presidents supposed to invoke Executive Privilege, suborn perjury, obstruct justice, cover-up, delay, deny, destroy a la Clinton? I'm confused.

Incidentally, CIA requests for probes of possible leaks are so rare, the Justice Dept. gets about one a week.

What's the fallout from all this, politically? How'll this shake out? Not to be pessimistic or anything, but this 'scandal,' phony though it is, has got the element of simplicity going for it -- it's easy to grasp -- and might resonate in ways that Enron and other previous pseudo-Bush "scandals" couldn't.

Indeed, I can, in one brief sentence, wrap up the gist of this whole 'scandal':

"Senior administration officials," in an act of 'revenge' against a prominent antiwar critic, brilliantly committed felonies by disclosing to reporters, who didn't seem interested because they knew felonies weren't being committed, the ultra-secret identity of a deep-undercover CIA agent that everyone and his sister knew worked at CIA because she wasn't deep-undercover at all, just an agency analyst who, to ensure a fair and impartial probe into White House claims that Saddam sought yellowcake Uranium from Niger, pulled agency strings so that former U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson, an antiwar activist and her husband (but that's just a coincidence) got appointed to head up a probe so thorough and exhaustive it lasted 8 whole arduous Sweet-Mint-Tea-Sipping days "with dozens of people" in Niger, after which the good Ambassador, in a classified report submitted to appropriate authorities at the New York Times, brilliantly OUTS himself (and by extension his wife) as CIA-connected, but that's not the point because, he says, the point is that after a week of not searching for evidence to back up White House claims, he failed to find evidence to back up White House claims, which, he said, drove him to think what he fairly and impartially wanted to think all along, to wit, that Bush IS AN EVIL LIAR and SADDAM'S INNOCENT and NO BLOOD FOR OIL!

Now, try cramming that cogent one-liner on a bumper sticker ;-)

Sure, the Democrats are toasting champagne, clicking their heels over Bush's grave.

Truth is, Plame-"Gate", or whatever they're calling it, will go about as far politically as the BUSH-KNEW-ABOUT-9/11-BEFORE-9/11-BUT-DID-NOTHING-TO-STOP-IT! "scandal" which was supposed to force Bush from office. Democrats were toasting champagne, clicking their heels over Bush's grave. Or the BUSH-DIDN'T-KNOW-ABOUT-9/11-BEFORE-9/11-BUT-SHOULD'VE! "scandal" which was supposed to force Bush from office. Or, recall the No-Weapons-Of-Mass-Destruction-Found-In-Iraq -- BUSH LIED! "scandal" which was supposed to force Bush from office. Or, how about 16-Word-"Gate"? Or the Bush-Was-In-Bed-With-Ken-Lay-And-Enron! "scandal" that would march Bush frog-tied out of the White House in handcuffs.

By the way, under penalty of law, you must keep my secret identity -- "JohnHuang2" -- and my work here at Free Republic as spammer and 'analyst,' a secret. Got that?

Anyway, that's...

My two cents..

"JohnHuang2"

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-29-03 Military Monday 09-30-03 Hall of Fame #5 10-01-03 Muscle Car Mania!

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[Aquamarine]

Good evening DH! Wish Lucy would get back to her old self...Daisy Mae sends her love (me too)! They're both such sweet dogs!

[LadyX]

Sorry to be so late in returning, but I called my sister in Florida and we talked for over an hour...thank goodness for all those cell phone hours.
She needed bucking up, it turned out, and as always, we ended up laughing and feeling better.
'She made me what I am today applies' - deal with it..:))
LOL

Ironing, Aqua?! Yikes!

Dutchess, prayers are being made for your cousin's family and you. It is so difficult a time, especially when it is unexpected.

Calpernia, doesn't the new granddaughter of ladtx share Frankie's birthday, and Lori's?

Greetings to MEG and Nan and Miss Dixie and all the other Finest Freepers within hailig distance.....

[deadhead]

"Daisy Mae sends her love (me too)! They're both such sweet dogs"

Thank You, Aqua. They are both sweet dogs, couldn't ask for more.
(((Daisy Mae))) (((Aqua))) (((Giz))) (((Cody))) (((Fred the Cat))) (((dutchess)))

Hope you are feeling better!

I know to some, Lucy is just a "dog", but to me she is part of my family, I thank all of my FReeper FRiends for there prayers and thoughts for Lucy. I also have lots of blessings from my family and friends for Lucy.

Good Night and God Bless

[Aquamarine]

Your sister must really be a fine person if she had a hand in the way that our Lady turned out! Thank her for me. :)

Don't worry I didn't finish the ironing, it's still in the background making me feel bad. lol

[deadhead]

Hi Maggie! Was just about to log off and saw your post.

Good Night and God Bless.

[Aquamarine]

Feeling much better but could probably use some rest so guess I'll call it a night!

[LadyX]

Good night, Colleen. Give Lucy a special very soft hug from me....

[LadyX]

Good night, Aqua.
Really love how well you do John's essays!

[Calpernia]

>>>Calpernia, doesn't the new granddaughter of ladtx share Frankie's birthday, and Lori's?

OMG! I TOTALLY missed that!

"Well we had some good news and bad news last night."

Lori! Ladtx's granddaughter's birthday is the same as yours and my son Frankie's!

GOOD catch Maggie!

How is your sister doing this evening?

[LadyX]

Anne and I are trying to plan her next trip up here.
Her daughter, Maureen, moved today into a new home in Summerville -one excuse to come.
Her other daughter and son live in SC - 'nuther excuse to come..:))
She has a house on Lake Marion (Taw Caw Creek side), a permanent residence, and surely she needs to come up and get some things to have down in Florida soon - Reason #3.

Needless to say, we are close and thoroughly enjoy one another...have taken numerous trips together down to Florida when she lived up here, going to Old Haunts, having been born and grown up there....
We are on the same wave length in many ways - shortcut conversations - do you have siblings like that?

[Calpernia]

Is Summerville near you? Or what state?

Lake Marion is where?

And I belive you are reason #4 :)

[Calpernia]

Have you been checking for low grade fevers? Can you do this a few times a day? You may not 'feel' a low grade; but it would be best to rule out a secondary infection.

[LadyX]

Both are in SC, Cal.
Summerville is near Charleston - about 90 miles from me.
(dixie sass lives there)

Lake Marion is the Very Big Blob of water near the center on your map of SC..:))

That house is 83 miles from me, near Summerton (where her big house was, now sold), not to be confused with Summerville..:))

End of SC Lesson for the Day.

[azGOPgal]

John, I loved it. I don't always post replys to your works of art, but I do enjoy reading them. This one was probably one of the best that I've read. You've got an amazing talent.

[Calpernia]

I follow now.

BTW, I'm not one to ask for directions :)

Mapquest is my lifeline!

[LadyX]

My children swear I was born with a Rand-McNally Atlas in my hands..:)) Good thing I loved geography and have a good sense of direction, traveling as much as I did.
On the other hand, The Other User is wired backwards.
You are familiar enough with Florida to appreciate this.

We were living in Port Malabar (Palm Bay now) and had to put my father in a nursing home, dispatching Bernie and Steve and Kevin (then teenagers) to pick up his belongings in Orlando.

In the center of Orlando, they told Bernie to turn right, but he stubbornly 'knew' it should be left, and they hushed, trying not to laugh.
Well - before long they reached OCALA - and he realized he was wrong. How to fix it was his dilemma, and he solved that by going east to Daytona Beach. Knew if he hit the Atlantic Ocean, he could go south and eventually reach Port Malabar!
LOLOL

Anne was visiting me then, and while they should have been back by noon, it was about 7 p.m. when they drove up....

[Calpernia]

Now my hubby is the one with directional sense. Oddly enough though, I am the adventerous one willing to got to unfamiliar grounds :)

I'm about done here for the night. Gonna post my deer now. See you tomorrow :)

[Calpernia]

Goodnight to the FINEST :)

[LadyX]

Need to go, too - good night, Cal.

[JohnHuang2]

Hiya, my friend