Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lame Plame Affair-- I Hope the Last Words
CBS's sclerotic Sunday program 60 Minutes used its crack reporter, hard hitting, while perky, Katie Couric, to misrepresent what really occurred about CIA desk jockey Valerie Plame a few years ago.
Here are a few of my problems:
Plame claims to have been covert when she was working at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA. So she's driving from her house to the CIA building, parking in their employee lot, and then driving back each work day. If that really qualifies as covert, we need to get a new definition of covert. She was covert only if her cover was 'openly working at the CIA.'
Plame says she believes she was 'outed' by the administration in retaliation for her husband's (lying) op-ed, but the original source to Bob Novak (pray for him) was anti-Iraq war, not part of the administration in spirit, noted gossip, deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage. How did the administration get him to leak the name to Novak? Jedi mind trick? (This question begged to be asked--it wasn't).
Plame calls this part of the 2002 State of the Union--The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa-- a lie. It is not a lie; it is literally true and the things lying Joseph Wilson discovered in Niger supported those words, which the British investigation into pre-war intelligence ruled were 'well founded' and which Christopher Hitchens has established as true to a moral certainty.
Plame says the fact that she repeatedly urged the CIA to send her husband to Niger, including a very forceful memo urging them to send Joe, was not nepotism. I guess we need a new definition of nepotism for her as well.
The final thing left out entirely was that the Court of Appeals recently affirmed the dismissal of her lawsuit against members of the administration. She has no case, well, except on left leaning, 'news magazine' programs where the hard questions are skipped and the lies of Wilson and the lies of Plame are repeated as fact.
I have one final question. Recently several hundred metric tons of yellow cake were removed from Iraq and taken to Canada. On the show, Plame was called "chief of operations for the CIA's joint task force Iraq ". Did she know about that uranium in Iraq?
Here are a few of my problems:
Plame claims to have been covert when she was working at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA. So she's driving from her house to the CIA building, parking in their employee lot, and then driving back each work day. If that really qualifies as covert, we need to get a new definition of covert. She was covert only if her cover was 'openly working at the CIA.'
Plame says she believes she was 'outed' by the administration in retaliation for her husband's (lying) op-ed, but the original source to Bob Novak (pray for him) was anti-Iraq war, not part of the administration in spirit, noted gossip, deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage. How did the administration get him to leak the name to Novak? Jedi mind trick? (This question begged to be asked--it wasn't).
Plame calls this part of the 2002 State of the Union--The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa-- a lie. It is not a lie; it is literally true and the things lying Joseph Wilson discovered in Niger supported those words, which the British investigation into pre-war intelligence ruled were 'well founded' and which Christopher Hitchens has established as true to a moral certainty.
Plame says the fact that she repeatedly urged the CIA to send her husband to Niger, including a very forceful memo urging them to send Joe, was not nepotism. I guess we need a new definition of nepotism for her as well.
The final thing left out entirely was that the Court of Appeals recently affirmed the dismissal of her lawsuit against members of the administration. She has no case, well, except on left leaning, 'news magazine' programs where the hard questions are skipped and the lies of Wilson and the lies of Plame are repeated as fact.
I have one final question. Recently several hundred metric tons of yellow cake were removed from Iraq and taken to Canada. On the show, Plame was called "chief of operations for the CIA's joint task force Iraq ". Did she know about that uranium in Iraq?
Labels: 60 Minutes ditto, Valerie Plame liar
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Joe and Valerie Plame Wilson--Husband and Wife Liars
Byron York doesn't like the Wilsons any more than I do and he has a good piece at NRO about them, especially Valerie. What follows is a short version.
Here's what Valerie Plame said under oath at the show trial/House investigation a few months ago about one of her husband's serial lies, namely that his wife never suggested him for the job in Niger.
I did not recommend him. I did not suggest him.
Unfortunately for her, there was the 2004 Senate Intelligence Committee report, which said she did. Regarding that, Ms. Plame stated under oath that the Committee was wrong and about the memo the Committee quoted from, where she suggested and recommended Joe Wilson, she claimed that the Senate had taken the memo “out of context” to “make it seem as though I had suggested or recommended him.”
Now we have the whole memo, thanks to Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) who declassified it recently.
The report forwarded below has prompted me to send this on to you and request your comments and opinion. Briefly, it seems that Niger has signed a contract with Iraq to sell them uranium. The IC [Intelligence Community] is getting spun up about this for obvious reasons. The embassy in Niamey has taken the position that this report can’t be true — they have such cozy relations with the GON [Government of Niger] that they would know if something like this transpired.
So where do I fit in? As you may recall, [redacted] of CP/[office 2] recently approached my husband to possibly use his contacts in Niger to investigate [a separate Niger matter]. After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison. My husband is willing to help, if it makes sense, but no problem if not. End of story.
Now, with this report, it is clear that the IC is still wondering what is going on… my husband has good relations with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity. To be frank with you, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency’s sloppy work last go-round, and I am hesitant to suggest anything again. However, [my husband] may be in a position to assist. Therefore, request your thoughts on what, if anything, to pursue here. Thank you for your time on this.
Here's what Valerie Plame said under oath at the show trial/House investigation a few months ago about one of her husband's serial lies, namely that his wife never suggested him for the job in Niger.
I did not recommend him. I did not suggest him.
Unfortunately for her, there was the 2004 Senate Intelligence Committee report, which said she did. Regarding that, Ms. Plame stated under oath that the Committee was wrong and about the memo the Committee quoted from, where she suggested and recommended Joe Wilson, she claimed that the Senate had taken the memo “out of context” to “make it seem as though I had suggested or recommended him.”
Now we have the whole memo, thanks to Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) who declassified it recently.
The report forwarded below has prompted me to send this on to you and request your comments and opinion. Briefly, it seems that Niger has signed a contract with Iraq to sell them uranium. The IC [Intelligence Community] is getting spun up about this for obvious reasons. The embassy in Niamey has taken the position that this report can’t be true — they have such cozy relations with the GON [Government of Niger] that they would know if something like this transpired.
So where do I fit in? As you may recall, [redacted] of CP/[office 2] recently approached my husband to possibly use his contacts in Niger to investigate [a separate Niger matter]. After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison. My husband is willing to help, if it makes sense, but no problem if not. End of story.
Now, with this report, it is clear that the IC is still wondering what is going on… my husband has good relations with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity. To be frank with you, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency’s sloppy work last go-round, and I am hesitant to suggest anything again. However, [my husband] may be in a position to assist. Therefore, request your thoughts on what, if anything, to pursue here. Thank you for your time on this.
(Emphasis added).
York has a lot more on the prior testimony and interviews of others to whom Ms. Plame admitted that she suggested and recommended her husband for the job. Lots more.
Except that we have completely soured on the use of 'special prosecutors' I would suggest here is a perjury charge that could be pursued. Since our justice department, under the excellent leadership of Alberto Gonzales, hasn't been able to indict Representative Jefferson or locate a single leaker of classified material, I'm not looking for any justice coming from there either.
Labels: Valerie Plame liar
