1. Karl Rove’s defense lawyer has been pushing the story that his client identified Joseph Wilson’s wife as a covert CIA operative simply to discourage Time from printing that Joseph Wilson’s trip had been authorized by CIA Director George Tenet or Vice President Dick Cheney. (Wilson never claimed that it was.)
“Rove did not mention her name to Cooper,” Luskin said. “This was not an effort to encourage Time to disclose her identity. What he was doing was discouraging Time from perpetuating some statements that had been made publicly and weren’t true.”
What I’d like to ask, if I were in a position to do so:
If Karl Rove believes that it was appropriate to mention that Joseph Wilson’s wife was a CIA agent in order to improve a journalist’s work product, will he continue to reveal the identities of other covert CIA agents if similar opportunities present themselves?
2. Holding an old-fashioned pity party about the media’s anti-Bush bias would be a lot more convincing if that same media hadn’t completely sat on this story, despite possession of all relevant facts about Rove, for two years through an election cycle.
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Steve LaBonne 07.13.05 at 7:11 am
So there’s a big difference between identifying her as “Valerie Plame” and as “Joe Wilson’s wife”? Remember the field day these goons had with Clinton when he tried to split hairs that way? Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican.
goesh 07.13.05 at 10:51 am
The prosecutor has nothing to hang his hat on, since Val had not been in covert status for quite some time. It seems she had been exposed some years ago by non-American sources and put on Admin duty at Langley. Her glory days of jumping behind enemy lines with nothing but a boyscout knife to slit enemy throats were long gone, her blood-lust cooling at a Langley desk.
Jake 07.13.05 at 10:55 am
Goesh–
while I must compliment you on your superb literary style, your story would be even better with some references.
glen 07.13.05 at 10:57 am
“if similar opportunities present themselves?”
Just so there is no confusion you should make it clear that “similar opportunities” means cases where someone who did a job for the CIA has:
(1) Lied about how he came to get the job.
(2) Lied about his connections to the White House.
(3) Lied about the contents of his own report.
And I suppose for completeness you should also mention that, as far as we know, Rove was not aware that Plame was a covert opperative, but only that she worked for the CIA.
Prudence Goodwife 07.13.05 at 11:00 am
For those in the comments section claiming that Wilson didn’t lie, I refer you to John Podhoretz’ column”
Oh well I guess that puts an end to this kerfuffle.
jexter 07.13.05 at 11:11 am
Who the fuck is Goesh?
theCoach 07.13.05 at 11:17 am
Interesting how Mark in Mexico thinks there is a difference between the GWOT and the news that a top Bush insider was willing to burn a CIA operative and her CIA front in order to keep alive the bamboozlement of the American people regarding the invasion of the war on Iraq.
Now, I would agree that the invasion of Iraq was a diversion from the GWoT at the time, but I doubt Mark feels the same way, and at this point it must be considered the central front in the GWot, so how the administration lied and broke the law into getting us into Iraq seems quite relevant to GWoT.
slayer 07.13.05 at 11:44 am
God, these people are pathetic. Every time I think my contempt for Instapundit can’t increase, he proves me wrong.
edhula3@hotmail.com 07.13.05 at 11:52 am
Your final sentence proves that the media is not anti-bush/liberal, nor is it pro-bush/conservative. It IS however complacent and too scared to ask tough questions. Especially in light of the recent growth of freedom of the press.
abb1 07.13.05 at 11:58 am
Rove, schmove. A small stinky piece of the tones of daily trash is exposed and everyone is thrilled.
Like if you didn’t know how political sausages are made.
I would be amazed if that exactly sort of things doesn’t happen every week there, at least. And that’s not counting break-ins, blackmails and occasional fractured kneecaps and murders. Just read any description of the Nixon presidency, the most thorough documented one. A freakin CIA agent – who cares.
RVD 07.13.05 at 11:59 am
Regarding Jexter’s comment: If the entire concept of academic enquiry and free speach is that all ideas are equally deserving to be aired–are not all ideas ADVOCATES equally deserving? So—–Who “gives a fuck” who ANYONE is in this forum?!
rea 07.13.05 at 12:01 pm
Gosh, Goesch understands CIA personnel issues better than the CIA! (which would not have refered this matter for criminal prosecution if it did not believe Plame was covert)
Barry 07.13.05 at 12:02 pm
Well, you don’t, obviously. However, I’m sure that you’ll recover your outrage in time for the next Democratic President.
abb1 07.13.05 at 12:22 pm
Well, actually I’d be thrilled too, of course, if this could bring down the bastards, but in all likelihood it won’t, so what’s the point. This is probably one of the most innocent corrupt things they’ve done.
MDP 07.13.05 at 12:44 pm
Steve Labonne: So there’s a big difference between identifying her as “Valerie Plame†and as “Joe Wilson’s wife�
link – “Luskin told NRO that Rove is not hiding behind the defense that he did not identify Wilson’s wife because he did not specifically use her name. Asked if that argument was too legalistic, Luskin said, ‘I agree with you. I think it’s a detail.'”
JR 07.13.05 at 12:44 pm
Goesh, it doesn’t matter if she personally wasn’t still working as a covert agent. The point is that by outing her Rove outed her cover. That means that everyone who ever met with her, or with anyone from her front group, was endangered. Maybe some of them are dead now- we wouldn’t know. How would you like to be an informer on the Paki nuclear program who was tracked down to a meeting with some businessman working for Plame’s supposed employer? You think you’d have any fingernails left by now?
Read this to get the picture- from a former CIA agent and co-worker:
“Until Robert Novak betrayed her she was still undercover and the company that was her front was still a secret to the world. When Novak outed Valerie he also compromised her company and every individual overseas who had been in contact with that company and with her.”
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/7/13/04720/9340
Jack 07.13.05 at 12:52 pm
Surely the point about this is that it is clearly wrong, not that it is very wrong.
I’m surprised that more fuss is not being made of the willingness of administration personnel to let people go to jail rather than fess up. Must be all that time reading about Andrew Jackson instead of about George Washington. No cherry tree is safe.
chris from boca 07.13.05 at 1:42 pm
no one wants to level about how this cinches the argument that the adminbistration had fixed the intelligence to fit their case for war. it’s the conspiracy to cover up those lies that led to these told by rove. keep your eyes on the big picture. W lied us into war. what treasonous methods were used are relevant inquiries, but the real crime is continuing in iraq. high crimes.
what’s with all the rethuglican whores here?
George Orwell 07.13.05 at 3:27 pm
It amazes me still that everytime someone from the wingnut right speaks on an issue, there is a complete lack of truth-telling. You would think that they would get tired of lying.
For instance, the idiot above who says that Wilson lied about everything. Well, Wilson didn’t lie about yellowcake from Niger to Iraq. He didn’t lie about who sent him to Niger (if the right could read, they’d be almost normal), nor did he lie about his connections to the WH. All of these are talking points in the memo sent out to once again get this corrupt administration off the hook! It’s about time we just called them the lying f***ing parasites they are!
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