President Bush sidestepped a question Monday about whether he authorized the release of classified information in an effort to discredit and punish Joseph Wilson, who challenged the administration’s contention that Saddam Hussein was attempting to acquire uranium. But special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald believes that was the White House’s clear intent. Fitzgerald’s legal filings last week describe “a plan to discredit, punish or seek revenge against Mr. Wilson,” The New York Times reported. And it concludes, “It is hard to conceive of what evidence there could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to ‘punish Wilson.’”
Fitzgerald’s filings also describe the strategy behind the leak: “Disclosing the belief that Mr. Wilson’s wife sent him on the Niger trip was one way for defendant to contradict the assertion that the vice president had done so, while at the same time undercutting Mr. Wilson’s credibility if Mr. Wilson were perceived to have received the assignment on account of nepotism.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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60 Comments
If Bush hadn’t done conspired to out Valerie Plame in meanspirited revenge for husband Wilson’s criticisms, he could just deny it.
Bush couldn’t deny it, because he did it.
He knows full well what happens to politicians who categorically deny something they did–they eventually get caught and are shown to be a liar. (”I did NOT have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinisky.”)
Bush can’t deny what will eventually shown to be true, and he knows it.
That’s why he won’t deny it.
BTW, still believe that “honorable, straight-shooting” President Bush wouldn’t stoop to dirty tricks like this.
Consider just the latest example to the contrary–
WASHINGTON – Key figures in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in 2002 had regular contact with the White House and Republican Party as the plan was unfolding, phone records introduced in criminal court show.
The records show that Bush campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 — as the phone jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060410/ap_on_go_pr_wh/elec...
Are we supposed to be surprised?
Given the motives, hasn’t criteria for charging Bush and Cheney with the CRIME of outing Plame been met?
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the law set up by GHW Bush is instrumental in ending the presidency of his son?
Bush is in deep doodoo.
I’d say that Bush has really Cheneyed up things!
gotcha
Get AIPAC’s files and start prosecuting.
Let us speculate that Fitzgerald (independent voter) is advertising to Bush/Cheney some of his future plans. Given that, what would we expect Bush/Cheney to do?
Do you suppose they might try to pull a Nixon and fire Fitzgerald (the current day Archibald Cox)? I don’t think Bush would think of this on his own, but it is hard to think that Cheney would not be counseling such action. Or, are they going to keep not commenting on the case (unless it furthers their needs some how) and hope the case drags on forever? Or, something else?
One last thing, Phillip, you guys are finding some good photos of GW.
In that NYT’s link, that G-d Bush even looks caught.
I’d love to see Bush fire Fitzgerald.
I’d like to see us fire Bush.
When someone is quoted as writing “a plan to discredit, punish or seek revenge against Mr. Wilson,”, that means discredit OR punish OR seek revenge. In other words, Fitzgerald doesn’t know the motivation.
Personally, I think there is little question the declassification was done to discredit and combat what the administration thought was disinformation being spread by Wilson. So what?
Didn’t we just have this lead in? Ditto what I wrote then.
The only disinformation being spread was that BY the administration.
LH, for the briefest moment, I thought you WERE the rudepundit–Holy Crap! On our little blog? WE’RE NOT WORTHY!
Still, I suspect you could do a good job of rudepunditing yourself.
Outlander?
So your point in posting here was to REASSURE us that you are still a parsing bush apologist? Well……..
No one thought otherwise.
Your reputation is secure.
bush on the other hand….
I think he best retreat to his strength. Probably he should just come forward and admit everything and say “Well ..heh heh.whatdidya Expect? heh heh.. Everyone says I’m an idiot. Can everybody be wrong?”
“I’d love to see Bush fire Fitzgerald.”
Ben–it’s been done. :)
You are being attacked. You release information that supports your position.
Were you defending yourself or attacking your attackers? Is there a difference?
If you suffer from BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) the answer is clear and it rises to the level of impeachment.
The differences Heckler, are simple. For one thing, Wilson wrote openly while Bush slimed under cover of darkness ordering his leaks. For another, Wilson provided truth; Bush provided “WMDs” – Words of Mass Disinformation.
Ben
Using your favorite search engine search for the exact phrases “Wilson’t Lies” and “Wilson Lied”
You’ll find a lot of “stuff” but if you dig a little you will get steared to sources like the Washington Post and the LA Times. They will tell you about the lies that Wilson has been forced to admit to. But if you suffer from BDS dont bother, you wont believe it anyway.
One shouldn’t parse info. based on whether or not it backs up you preconceived position. The Administration used 10% of its collective brain in making a decision and 90% trying to back it up! Looks like this just ain’t going to blow over.I love how the Valerie Plame outing was supposed to be ‘the flavor of the week’ just like the Delay scandal. I knew long ago they both had legs (beating a path to the W.H. door). If the Plame investigation had been seriously undertaken when it happened the Idiot wouldn’t be in charge today.
G.W. needs to come out with a forceful statement “I did not screw that woman, Valerie Plame!”
Ann Coulter,Wash Times, New Republic, Jeff Gannon, Rob Wescott, FreeRepublic, NewsMax, Townhall, Karl Rove.
And yes, the Post and LATimes do print their writings.
Correction
“Wilson’s Lies”
I did them both. Meanwhile, under Bush’s Lies this from WorldNetDaily:
Yes, Bush lied
——————————————————————————–Posted: October 6, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
WASHINGTON – A year ago, on Oct. 1, one of the most important documents in U.S. history was published and couriered over to the White House.
The 90-page, top-secret report, drafted by the National Intelligence Council at Langley, included an executive summary for President Bush known as the “key judgments.” It summed up the findings of the U.S. intelligence community regarding the threat posed by Iraq, findings the president says formed the foundation for his decision to preemptively invade Iraq without provocation. The report “was good, sound intelligence,” Bush has remarked.
Most of it deals with alleged weapons of mass destruction.
But page 4 of the report, called the National Intelligence Estimate, deals with terrorism, and draws conclusions that would come as a shock to most Americans, judging from recent polls on Iraq. The CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and the other U.S. spy agencies unanimously agreed that Baghdad:
had not sponsored past terrorist attacks against America,
was not operating in concert with al-Qaida,
and was not a terrorist threat to America.
“We have no specific intelligence information that Saddam’s regime has directed attacks against U.S. territory,” the report stated.
Outlander,I think your last post was not up to your usual quality. I admit that this administration is not giving you very much to help you do your job as an apologist (BTW, whatever they are paying you for that job, it’s not enough).
To reiterate:Out:”When someone is quoted as writing “a plan to discredit, punish or seek revenge against Mr. Wilson,”, that means discredit OR punish OR seek revenge. In other words, Fitzgerald doesn’t know the motivation.”
Out,Let me clue you in, ANY of motives would suffice to CHARGE Bush/Cheney, et al. with a CRIME. It is not my man, Fitzgerald’s, job to be a psychotherapist and understand the nuances of Bush/Cheney’s motives. It suffices if this was done deliberately and intentionally to harm the said outted covert agent. I think YOU KNOW that already. I think your post above was a HUGE REACH, but as I say you can be forgiven, because the apologees are not giving you much to apologize for. I had you picked as the next convert from the deaf, dumb and blind Bush camp detainees. I can be patient. Have a nice day. But let me tell you, you would have a better day out here amongst us who are free to think.
DD: When I mentioned the declassification, it was obvious that I wasn’t referring to the outing of Plame.
I suggest you get on the same subject before you criticize, otherwise you sound silly.
You would think that report alone would be enough to spur Roberts into looking deeper at the cherry picking info. question.
Sounding silly, coming from you outlander? Please.
I take from your “so what” that you don’t think a crime was committed.
Let me script a statement of reality for you:
“In 2003, my boys were not being nice, nor were they playing well with others. If they committed crime, they should be held accountable.”
Fair enough?
Hey, Outlander -I’m holding the detainee camp door open for ya. Come on out.
DD: Am I missing something? What is the crime that no one has been charged with? Perhaps you could steer Mr. Fitzgerald that way.
Surely you jest steve. Ol’ Brown-nose Pat look into ANYTHING? It’ll never happen; he and outlander are like two peas in a pod!
You better just concentrate on writing DD and let go the door. Obviously, you can’t do two things at once and make any sense!
Bush will wiggle out of this just like he’s wiggled out of everything else. You can’t convict anybody if no charges are brought, and considering that the GOP Mafia is in control, there won’t be any charges. It’s that simple. Think it’ll change in November? I wouldn’t bet on it.
I predict that come November, although republicans are throughly discredited and unpopular, they’ll mysteriously just barely win the key races. The real squeekers will be in districts where electronic voting machines are used.
We saw our last clean election in ‘98.
“Personally, I think there is little question the declassification was done to discredit and combat what the administration thought was disinformation being spread by Wilson. So what.”
Except you fight lies with the truth, Outlander. You don’t fight it with petty vengefulness.
Wilson had no motive to oppose the Bush administration other than he told them what he found, and they (at best) ignored his good information and substituted bad information or (at worst) just lied.
Wilson wrote to the NY Times to correct the record, and BushCo pulls this stab in the back to get him and warn others of coming forward with the truth.
Then, Bush and all the King’s men LIE about leaking. “If there’s a leaker in my administration, that man will be fired.”
So what, indeed, Outlander. So what does the the Liar-in-Chief do now?
I’m with you DD
Outlanders posts seem half hearted. Almost like a grudging sense of duty.
But if you pursue it, he gets defensive because he would have to admit he was wrong.
Outlander? There is no honor in going down with the ship when you don’t have any reponsibility for sinking it.BELIEVE ME you will not be alone. Just watch the upcoming campaigns.Can this really be the same folks who howled with rage and laughter at “what the meaning of is is”?
Outlander:
Fitzgerald has repeatedly said that his investigation is continuing. He has not said, “I have Libby, I’m done now.” So, your underlying contention that there are no other alleged crimes/charges which will be brought forward in this investigation is without base or foundation.
I tried to type slowly enough that you could grasp what I was saying.
I have heard of detainees who grow so accustomed to their imprisonment that they fear freedom. I was hoping you weren’t one of those.
If you want out, let us know. It really is better out here.
And don’t forget J R; they also were all hot to impeach over a lie about a BJ.
We saw Bush’s vengefulness with the despicable rumors they spread about John McCain during the South Carolina primary. Bush really showed his true character there.
JR: You have noticed that my posts are not full scale defenses (you mentioned “grudging”) of the administration. If I have questions and doubts, I have to think that others should too. I do not like to see rushes to judgement by folks who know no more about the facts (and often less) than I do.
I also see misrepresentations of the facts by some that require correction. So you are correct, I am reserving judgement while trying to insist on fairness. Probably silly.
Out
Well DD seems to have a good sense of Fitz. I have not found DD to be rash and so I trust that.
This does not seem to be the sensational gotcha witch hunt that Ken Starr went on.This seems a deliberate and careful investigation.
I suppose you are right to err on the side of definitive answers. But I think you are also more than justified in hedging your bets.
Outlander, you have my sympathy. You seem to be the only conservative who’s even trying to defend Bush on this thread. That’s got to be a tough position.
No matter what political stripe, you have to admit that releasing classified information to get political revenge is pretty chickenshit.
Realizing your man is a dirtbag has to suk.
XXX: Thanks big guy, but I don’t need the sympathy, because I don’t agree with your thoughts.
JR, The mission from God thing?
The Zionist’s God lives in Hell and his definition of Israel is also his blood-soaked beachhead on Earth. The bloodshed by his innocent victims awaits our justice.
When viewing the cutthroat mindset of the Zionist Jew and his overall obedience to depravity, an accompanying clarity illuminates much more than just the shape of our enemy; we are also privileged to understand his many weaknesses and vulnerabilities which have been offered-up as the key to his destruction.
The sands of time will eventually forget him, not being worthwhile or anything of value, as the morning sun clears the coming day of the horrors of last-night’s nightmare.
Assigning Patrick Fitzgerald was the most competent thing that John Ashcroft did. If Fitzgerald says that he is dropping the whole thing on Libby and that there are no other charges he feels are necessary to pursue, I would like for him to explain his reasoning, but I would trust and accept his judgement.
I think Fitz is the real deal and we taxpayers are getting a good return on our investment.
Having said that, Fitz is obviously thorough and anally retentive. I have no question on his integrity. And because of the preceding, I don’t think he will say he’s done until he’s done the best job he can do.
Because of this prosecutor’s commitment to his work, I would venture to say that Cheney, Rove, and yes even Bush should be feeling intense fear right now. And I’ll bet privately they are. This is speculation, but we will all find out when it’s over, if I was correct, or not.
Outlander, it wasn’t really sympathy. Try to keep up, eventually you’ll get the hang of this blogging stuff.
XXXGOP MofiaSkull & BonesThe Sodi familyFoxKen LayOil BarrensDick Chaney”People are judged by the company they keep”.
Thank you HarryNo incombents
XXXYour handle was not to be included with that other mess.
“Outlander, it wasn’t really sympathy. Try to keep up, eventually you’ll get the hang of this blogging stuff.”
X, remember that Out is in the cognitive detention center of Bushworld.
S/he can’t really help what s/he is saying. Too bad, really.
Though s/he will give out this nonsense that s/he is merely seeking the truth, that is total hogwash. S/he is seeking only a viable excuse that will let her team off the hook – this time the criminal hook.
I am thinking this won’t happen with the personal responsibility prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald.
And, because I have respect for Out, it would be best to quietly ignore him/her while s/he makes an utter fool of him/herself.
Take care,DD
“This does not seem to be the sensational gotcha witch hunt that Ken Starr went on.”
It’s too bad it isn’t. The Republicans would deserve it.
Joe Wilson lied about being sent to Niger by the “Vice Presidents Office”.
Joe Wilson lied about his wife not having anything to do with sending him to Niger.
Joe Wilson told the committee he reported to at CIA that he found indications that Saddam had tried to buy uranium from Niger. He told the public through his book and interviews that he did not. One of them was a lie, I dont know which.
The President is under attack over policy decisions and he releases information that counters what his critics are saying. WTF!!!
George Bush lied about the trailers.
George Bush lied about flowers.
George Bush lied about Saddam-alQuada linkages.
George Bush lied about yellowcake.
George Bush lied about centrifuges.
If George Bush wanted to release information then why didn’t he just release it? Why slither in the darkness behind Libby? Why was he so ashamed of the lies he was releasing?
Spell-check, guy from up north, or a dictionary.
This from a friend of mine who is into neuro/stuff and reading:
Try to read this. I’m sure you can….very interesting.
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid tooCna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch atCmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in awrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer bein the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raedit whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raederveylteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and Iawlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
My sincere apologies to Joe Williams. Keep after it Joe.
Guy from up north,You keep after it, too.Regards,DD
DD?
I read through that without any problem at all. What special 55 am I part of?
How does this have to do with Joe?
JR,I used to give Joe primate poop about his spelling. He had nothing to apologize for. This was mainly a rebuff of GMBTM’s comment on A Guy Up North’s spelling. Plus, my wife the expert on this type of stuff sent this to me, becaue she knew I was interested in this kind of thing.
Take care, my friend,DD
if you can Read this, you have a strange mind tooCan you read this? Only 55 people can.
i could believe that I could actually understand what I was Reading.The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to a research atCambridge University, it doesnt matter in what order the letters in aword are, the only important thing is that the frist and last letter bein the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still readit without a problem. This is because the human mind does not readEveyletter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh? yeah and Ialways thought spelling was important! if you can read this forward it.
My sincere apologies to Joe Williams. Keep after it Joe
DD,Since Ed already spilled the beans (did you do that by hand, Sir Dude?), you’ll have to trust me, but I too had no problem reading it as is.
Linguist Steven Pinker has similiar examples in one of his books (I’ve read three of them, but I can’t recall which one). Fascinating stuff.
“skid crash hospital”
Fitzgerald has made a new filing that corrects his filing last week. The difference in the filings is that Fitzgerald is now seeming to say that Libby was not encouraged to exaggerate the NIE findings.
This link from the NYTimes:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/13/washington/13inquire.html
This one from the NationalReview:http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200604130852.asp
In the NR piece, they declare Bush, Cheney, Libby and all other members of the Republican party as innocent of any crimes. (only a slight exaggeration).
It does seem to make a difference as to which news sources you rely upon.