'Angry' Bush* Warns Staff Over Leak

[kskiska]

He sure does a slow burn!!

President Bush is privately seething over a reported leak about the identity of a CIA analyst and has twice in recent days reminded White House employees about their commitment to uphold the honor and integrity of the office, according to senior administration officials.

"The president does not like leaks. Anytime a leak becomes a distraction, he becomes particularly irritated," one senior administration official said, adding that the president "made it clear" Monday and Tuesday that he expects the highest ethical behavior by staff members.

Several Bush aides, all of whom requested anonymity, said the administration has not ramped up a damage-control operation to deal with reports that White House officials leaked the identity of the CIA analyst in order to punish her husband, a Democratic operative who had been critical of intelligence on Iraq used by the president.

Instead, they said, administration employees are barely discussing the matter within the White House and have been told to comply with any request by the Justice Department, which is handling the investigation.

more…
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20031003-112919-3116r.htm

[The Magistrate]

1. This Is So Cute

He knows perfectly well what was done, and who did it.

So does the C.I.A.

The reptile's only hope was to have turned the guilty minions over in chains before the weekend.

He has not done so....

[Best_man23]

24. Bush's Sense of Loyalty is so strong

If his administration was a human body, he would keep a cancerous sarcoma around rather than getting rid of it for fear of word getting out.

Dumbya reminds me of a 14 year old boy who is afraid his mother is going to find his stash of ill-gotten porn magazines.

[Old and In the Way]

2. I'm sure they've tightened up ALL leaks coming from the WH.

But it's doubtful that he's too concerned about that leak to Novak in July. I'm sure it's like a gulag in their now....probably has a the Office of Internal Surveilance in place.

[never cry wolf]

28. yup, no more leaks

especially about the identity of the Novak leaker or any other of the numerous crimes.

[patdem]

3. It's John Majors fault...you know that guy that runs Australia..

n/t

[Maccagirl]

4. ROTFLMAO

Please tell me Al Franken wrote this tripe as a joke! They can't even lie without looking like complete morons.

[maggrwaggr]

5. uh, sounds like an admission of guilt to me.

He's mad it happened, but it sure happened.

The buck stops with him, right? Oh, forgot, the buck never stops with him. It's always someone else's fault.

Even now. How dare anyone sully his integrity! He would NEVER do such a low-down thing, oh no!

[Kool Kitty]

15. He's not mad that it happened,

he's mad that they got caught.

[bobthedrummer]

39. Wisdom from Kool Kitty

I concur.

[punpirate]

6. Guess we know where his priorities are:

""The president does not like leaks. Anytime a leak becomes a distraction, he becomes particularly irritated," one senior administration official said...."

So our resident sociopath is irritated by _distractions_, not that two people he knows well have committed a fucking _felony_ from the offices of the President. It was okay for 2-1/2 months, as long as he wasn't _distracted_....

Utterly amazing. Even Nixon wasn't this self-absorbed.

[w4rma]

11. Bush* is leaking about how Bush* supposedly does not like leaks. Ironic.

"The president does not like leaks. Anytime a leak becomes a distraction, he becomes particularly irritated," one senior administration official said

I wonder if this is the same "senior administration official" who leaked to Novak and other journalists about Plume's secret identity.

[w13rd0]

14. Good catch!

Haha, that's funny. Oh, and remember, they ARE NOT ramping up damage control, so stop saying that.

One anonymous white house official leaked that Bush doesn't tolerate distracting leaks...yeah...ok...you really should email the moonie times with a comment about that. that's just damned funny...

:lol:

[indigo11153]

50. Exactly

This tripe is not even fit to print. "Senior administration offical" is code for BS spin. There is not one named source in the whole thing. The press, all the press should quit printing this crap! If they can't put one name to it then they should drop it in the shit can! Duh!
I have noticed dozens of front page stories just like this. The press are pigs for letting this game go on.

[JackSwift]

20. just because Nixon was paranoid

doesn't mean we weren't out to get him. Bush is just a malignant narcissitic psychopath who hasn't yet realized that the world is not a construct of his infantile desires. (No offense intended to infants, narcissists or psychopaths.)

[TomNickell]

29. None Taken

<<No offense intended to infants, narcissists or psychopaths.>>

None taken. :)

[Resistance Is Futile]

7. Note the slam

punish her husband, a Democratic operative

More fair and balanced reporting from the ever impartial media.

[annagull]

12. How DARE a Democrat operative make me look bad!

Thanks for pointing that out. Seems like if he were upset, he'd of handled it oh... a couple of months ago?

[Paschall]

16. "Democratic operative" indeed

Only a former ambassador, who traveled to Nigeria to investigate the alleged "yellowcake" uranium sale at the request of the vice president's office.

I guess this means we can now call Shrub a "GOP operative."

[Cappurr]

23. Besides.....didn't Wilson work for Bush I?

How does that compute?

[calimary]

44. Weren't these a couple of Democratic operatives (Mr. & Mrs. Wilson)

who also gave 2,000 to the bush campaign in 2000?

[KharmaTrain]

8. He's Only Pissed Cause They've Been Caught

eom

[salin]

13. exactly. Fact of the leak has been known for more than 2 months,

but he is just now - upset about it? No, he is upset that someone did something that eventually brought less than adoring coverage to W.

[SammyWinstonJack]

55. He's upset that he has to answer for any of this

Remember, that is what is interesting about being pResident. He doesn't have to answer to anyone, people have to answer to him, but he doesn't have to answer to anyone. Or something like that.

[w13rd0]

9. He's seething about the REPORTING of the leak...

...please, sing us another sad song. This Moonie pap is so full of shit...

WHOA! HOLD THE F ON! her husband, a DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVE? EXCUSE ME? Yeah, no signs of ramping up ANY damage control. RIGHT!!!!

[paulk]

10. this is from the Washington Times -

part of the spin machine...

[roguevalley]

17. So its not treason. Its a distraction. As for Dem operative ...

does Amb. Wilson get his $1000 donation to W's campaign back?

[truthisfreedom]

18. don't even READ this bush*t. it's ALL propoganda.

no f*cking message.

[GCP]

25. True, did you catch this bit:

  Another "scandal" the White House battled was a charge that the president unnecessarily rode in a jet May 1 when he delivered a speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Then-White House spokesman Ari Fleischer had told reporters that Mr. Bush would have to take a jet from San Diego to the Lincoln because the carrier would be "hundreds" of miles at sea, beyond a helicopter's range.
    

No mention at all that the fuckin' carrier had to be turned away from the coast otherwise we would have seen San Diego over his shoulder.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. Furious George strikes again

Keep up the propaganda, folks. It must be getting through enough casual observers heads now that Republicans can only sell ugliness: running out of patience, not going to take it, with us or against us, it's all the same. The stench of retaliation and domination is unmistakable.

Folks don't like folks who are always "irritated" and "fixin' to get even".

[Resistance Is Futile]

52. Culture of victimization

Folks don't like folks who are always "irritated" and "fixin' to get even".

There are tens of millions of angry stupid white men out there who see themselves as victims of everything from gender equality to affirmative action and the evil Arab 'mud people.' They are itching for a chance to 'get even' and they're more than ready to vote for a leader who has 'getting even' on his mind.

[fishnfla]

21. "Slime" and "defend"

They are leaking that* doesn't like leaks?

[ewagner]

33. Hey Fishn'

Where did that "slime and defend" line come from?

Heard Bill Press use it yesterday but I didn't catch the source.

btw....nice avatar

[stevedeshazer]

48. slime and defend

Comes from Paul Krugman:

On July 14, Robert Novak published the now-famous column in which he identified Valerie Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, as a C.I.A. "operative on
weapons of mass destruction," and said "two senior administration officials" had told him that she was responsible for her husband's mission to Niger. On that mission, Mr.
Wilson concluded - correctly - that reports of Iraqi efforts to buy uranium were bogus.

An outraged President Bush immediately demanded the names of those responsible for exposing Ms. Plame. He repeated his father's statement that "those who betray the
trust by exposing the names of our sources" are "the most insidious of traitors." There are limits to politics, Mr. Bush declared; Mr. Wilson's decision to go public about his
mission had embarrassed him, but that was no excuse for actions that were both felonious and unpatriotic.

Everything in the previous paragraph is, of course, false. It's what should have happened, but didn't. Mr. Bush took no action after the Novak column. Before we get bogged
down in the details — which is what the administration hopes will happen — let's be clear: we already know what the president knew, and when he knew it. Mr. Bush knew, 11
weeks ago, that some of his senior aides had done something utterly inexcusable. But as long as the media were willing to let the story lie — which, with a few honorable
exceptions, like David Corn at The Nation and Knut Royce and Timothy Phelps at Newsday, they were — he didn't think this outrage required any action.

And now that the C.I.A. has demanded a Justice Department inquiry, the White House's strategy isn't just to stonewall, Nixon-style; as one Republican Congressional aide told
The New York Times, it will "slime and defend."

link: http://truthout.org/docs_03/100403D.shtml

[ewagner]

49. Thank You

It would be nice if we could see that in writing and with somebody's email address............never happen!

[tweekinnow]

22. Hilarious!

"he expects the highest ethical behavior by staff members"

Oh yeah? when did this start?

[Ferretherder]

27. Hold on there, tweekinnow! He DOES expect the highest ethical behavior...

...by staff members!.............

...just as long as they realize that HIS version of 'highest ethical behavior' happens to mean 'protect ME with your very life, if necessary'.

He is truly an arrogant, sociopathic, hate-filled idiot. The day we are rid of this crawling piece of shit will be, not only a great day for America, but, indeed, a great day for the world, as well.

[snippy]

26. Leaks bad . . .Lies good.

One question to Andy Card and Whistle Ass would have the leakers.

One interesting item of disinformation in this article is this: "the administration has not ramped up a damage-control operation." This means either that the administration has not ramped up the damage control operation because it has been operating at full strength since Card formed the WHIG, or there was no need for the administration to ramp it up since the RNC already had distributed the "slime and defend" talking points memo.

[Cocoa]

30. there's some GREAT journalism!

Just print the administration's spin, totally uncritically, as fact.

Lead the story with Bush's "privately seething" without pointing out the contradiction with his public behavior the last 3 months.

[Snellius]

31. What about the treasonous threatening the life of CIA agent?

A soldier in the war on terror?

[jamesinca]

32. They don't have time to do this.

<SNIP>

"Several Bush aides, all of whom requested anonymity, said the administration has not ramped up a damage-control operation to deal with reports that White House officials leaked the identity of the CIA analyst in order to punish her husband, a Democratic operative who had been critical of intelligence on Iraq used by the president."

<SNIP>

If they did this it would distract from fund raising and installing Arnold into office. Everything comes second to those important things. Everything like national security and integrity and the war on terror and domestic issues and the economy and the environment and education and .....

[lovedems]

34. I sure hope it didn't interfere with his poem writing!

Why didn't he choke on that pretzel?

[tlcandie]

37. The intimidation factor of his irritation ... sounds hauntingly

like what I've experienced in abusive relationships...the walking on eggshells syndrome.

Be VERY careful what you say or do or don't say or do because all hell could break out at any moment and hit you in the face...quite literally possibly!


More fear, manipulation/control via intimidation :shrug:

[lovedems]

38. They thrive on fear don't they?

(It is a trait they get from the religious right.) Let's scare the shit out of people and tell them the end of the world is close at hand to join our church, let's make the streets seem very dangerous so people will get guns so they can defend themselves, lets keep the terror alert at orange(? right color) before the elections so people will vote republican, let's scare the country about the recession so we can give tax cuts to the rich, let's scare the world using Saddam Hussein so we can get to the oil.... I am sure there are many other examples of this admininstration and those closely groups closely associated with it (NRA, Jerry Falwell) who thrive on scaring the shitt out of the ordinary american.

[robbedvoter]

35. Can W jail/execute people? (rhetorical question). This is sinister:

""My sense is that if there's any truth to this, the people have as much to fear from an
angry president as they do from any criminal penalty," the official said.

[leesa]

36. "Any time a leak becomes a distraction"???

Aw, did Dubya have to cancel a fundraiser?

He expects the highest ethical behavior. Unfortunately for us the bar is set to HIS highest ethical behavior.

[Beetwasher]

40. They're referring to her as an ANALYST

Scumbags.

"...White House officials leaked the identity of the CIA analyst..."

[lovedems]

41. More repuglican spin! No harm, no foul

[Wickerman]

42. Anytime a leak becomes a distraction, he becomes particularly irritated

However, when those leaks work as expected, he is happy as a hogg in shit on the Pig Farm.

What a fucking moranic (sic) socio-path we have occupying the White House.

[rocktivity]

43. Al Franken, Michael Moore and The Onion, eat your hearts out!

"The president does not like leaks. Anytime a leak becomes a distraction, he becomes particularly irritated," one senior administration official said...

Several Bush aides, all of whom requested anonymity...

So leaks are only ethical when they work, but irritating distractions when they don't. And we learned this via a leak from an administration official who wouldn't give his name so s/he wouldn't get in trouble for leaking. Not even The Onion could have made THIS up!


rocknation

[Rose Siding]

45. I think this part is true

"My sense is that if there's any truth to this, the people have as much to fear from an angry president as they do from any criminal penalty," the official said.
-----------------------------------------
They know he will destroy careers and do God-knows-what-all if he has any trouble as a result of their actions.

[truthisfreedom]

46. it's called FEIGNED INDIGNANCE and it's the repugnant way

they're indignant about anything and everything that makes them look bad, EXCEPT AHH-NOLD the groper, who could reach up laura the killer's dress without repercussion.

[muriel_volestrangler]

47. It's not a 'leak', it's a CRIME

A lot of the reports of this story are making it sound as though it's just someone in the White House breaking a confidence. It's a crime, and I think all Democrats (and democrats too) should refer to it like that, or as the 'criminal leak'. And we ought to pressurize the media to do the same.

[haymaker]

51. Bush is a fake.

Every single thing he does is scripted and planned. Including this "angry" bullshit.

[grasswire]

53. the CIA...

...will not be happy with the Washington Times for this. Especially for dissing Wilson as a "Democratic operative." Larry Thompson said Friday night on Nightline that they should "call off the dogs." And I suspect that Larry Thompson and crew can do a lot more damage to Bushco.

[myomy]

54. They had better watch out who they pick a fight with.

The CIA are the real experts in dirty tricks and IÕd love to see them strike back.