It's far worse than that. They're not trying to prove that this stupidity was some sort of deep scandal; as far as they're concerned, that was proven a long time ago. They start from an assumption that it's true, and then build new conspiracy theories on top of their fallacy.
And the more they are frustrated in "proving" their initial conspiracy theory, the more convinced they are that the conspiracy is just deeper and more evil.
It is amazing to me how half of this country, and more than half of this world, have complete amnesia about what they themselves believed and publicly stated a short five years ago.
Bill Gertz reports today in the Washington Times that Ms Valerie Plame-Wilson was first outed in the mid-1990s by no less than the Russian state intelligence, and on a second occasion by no less than the US Central Intelligence Agency, who sent an uncoded letter identifying her to a European embassy in Havana, where it was intercepted by Castro's own intelligence agents.
Could all this be just more manufactured news?
I think otherwise. It would go far to explain why Mr Fitzgerald the special prosecutor would have thrown away what otherwise would have been the prosecutorial prize plum of the past 20 years; namely, the chance to nail a high-ranking official for having used his own key staffer to expose a truly covert agent of the CIA.
I think Mr Fitzgerald probably had been made aware of all this, explaining why he quit with getting the lesser indictment of Lewis Libby for lying to investigators. No prosecutor wants to be made to look like a fool for the outcome of a totally miscast investigation of some of the highest ranking officials in the country.
I also conclude that Ms Plame-Wilson's "covert" career consisted of little more than serving as a decorous messenger girl travelling from one embassy to another collecting information gathered from covert field agents and disseminating whatever the CIA wished to disseminate.
And if they had known her "cover" had been blown by the Russians and Cubans, I doubt seriously she would have been doing more than routine desk work at Langley ever since. Otherwise, we must be paying taxes for the most mismanaged intelligence agency in the history of the world.
As for Ms Plame-Wilson and her frequently hostile and vituperous husband, the hardly ambassadorial ambassador Joseph Wilson, I think they are miling this entire episode in their lives for purposes of building pre-publication sales of the book they almost certainly shall get published, along with being hired as editorial consultants for the production of the typical and expected TV movie melodrama.
No wonder 15 of the 17 Republicans on that House committee stayed away from the hearing starring this petulant princess. Good call.
The legal definition of covert is complicated. Mr. Fitzgerald has never said if he thought Valerie Plame met that legal definition. I think that means he had concluded she did not meet that legal definition.
The main damage done by outing Valerie Plame was it also outed the front company she was using as a cover, Brewster Jennings &Associates. While she may not have been a real covert agent, some of the other employees of that front company were.
Both Valerie Plame’s identity and Brewster Jennings &Associaters were classified information, but it is only a criminal offense to reveal classified information if it is done with the intention of harming the US, which does not appear to have been the case here.
It was reckless and hurt the CIA’s ability to gather information on WMDs, but it was probably not criminal.
We now know who leaked this classified information. Even though it was not a criminal offense, why haven’t these people been fired? Why are they still working in high level position with access to classified material? Why haven’t they at least had their security clearances revoked?
Well, mikeca, since Mr. Armitage no longer works for the State Department, you've got your wish!
3.18.2007 6:57pm
Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.
It's far worse than that. They're not trying to prove that this stupidity was some sort of deep scandal; as far as they're concerned, that was proven a long time ago. They start from an assumption that it's true, and then build new conspiracy theories on top of their fallacy.
And the more they are frustrated in "proving" their initial conspiracy theory, the more convinced they are that the conspiracy is just deeper and more evil.
It is amazing to me how half of this country, and more than half of this world, have complete amnesia about what they themselves believed and publicly stated a short five years ago.
Bill Gertz reports today in the Washington Times that Ms Valerie Plame-Wilson was first outed in the mid-1990s by no less than the Russian state intelligence, and on a second occasion by no less than the US Central Intelligence Agency, who sent an uncoded letter identifying her to a European embassy in Havana, where it was intercepted by Castro's own intelligence agents.
Could all this be just more manufactured news?
I think otherwise. It would go far to explain why Mr Fitzgerald the special prosecutor would have thrown away what otherwise would have been the prosecutorial prize plum of the past 20 years; namely, the chance to nail a high-ranking official for having used his own key staffer to expose a truly covert agent of the CIA.
I think Mr Fitzgerald probably had been made aware of all this, explaining why he quit with getting the lesser indictment of Lewis Libby for lying to investigators. No prosecutor wants to be made to look like a fool for the outcome of a totally miscast investigation of some of the highest ranking officials in the country.
I also conclude that Ms Plame-Wilson's "covert" career consisted of little more than serving as a decorous messenger girl travelling from one embassy to another collecting information gathered from covert field agents and disseminating whatever the CIA wished to disseminate.
And if they had known her "cover" had been blown by the Russians and Cubans, I doubt seriously she would have been doing more than routine desk work at Langley ever since. Otherwise, we must be paying taxes for the most mismanaged intelligence agency in the history of the world.
As for Ms Plame-Wilson and her frequently hostile and vituperous husband, the hardly ambassadorial ambassador Joseph Wilson, I think they are miling this entire episode in their lives for purposes of building pre-publication sales of the book they almost certainly shall get published, along with being hired as editorial consultants for the production of the typical and expected TV movie melodrama.
No wonder 15 of the 17 Republicans on that House committee stayed away from the hearing starring this petulant princess. Good call.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
The main damage done by outing Valerie Plame was it also outed the front company she was using as a cover, Brewster Jennings &Associates. While she may not have been a real covert agent, some of the other employees of that front company were.
Both Valerie Plame’s identity and Brewster Jennings &Associaters were classified information, but it is only a criminal offense to reveal classified information if it is done with the intention of harming the US, which does not appear to have been the case here.
It was reckless and hurt the CIA’s ability to gather information on WMDs, but it was probably not criminal.
We now know who leaked this classified information. Even though it was not a criminal offense, why haven’t these people been fired? Why are they still working in high level position with access to classified material? Why haven’t they at least had their security clearances revoked?
It was Mr. Wilson. He drew untoward attention to that he which he should never have done.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.