Whatever Happened to the Plame Investigation?

[pistoff democrat]

An Act of Treason by the Bush Administration Gets Buried Alive.

Remember Valerie Plame? Ms. Plame was the CIA undercover operative who was outed by the White House in effort to punish her husband former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had publicly stated in a July 6, 2003 op-ed in the New York Times, that despite President Bush’s statements to the contrary, Iraq had not attempted to purchase yellow cake uranium from Niger. The existence of that uranium, you may recall, was presented to the public as "evidence" that Iraq had nuclear weapons which, in turn, was used to justify our unilateral attack on Iraq.

Ms. Plame, however, had nothing to do with any of that. Ms. Plame was an operative under deep cover -- the CIA had created an entire company just so that Ms. Plame could claim that she worked there. Yet once Joseph Wilson broke his silence and announced that the White House was lying, Karl Rove decided that Wilson needed to be punished and that his wife was "fair game." Two top government officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson’s wife. But only the ever-ready apologist for the Republican Party, Robert Novak, took the bait. On July 14, 2003, Novak wrote a piece outing Ms. Plame as an operative.

Neither Karl Rove -- or whomever among the Bush senior staff leaked it -- nor Novak gave a moment’s consideration to the lives that they may have jeopardized by outing Ms. Plame. Never mind that anyone in another country who had so much as met Ms. Plame might now be suspected of spying. No thought was given to the fact that others, who were in fact spies, might be outed through their connection to Ms. Plame, and no thought was given to the fact that actual lives could be lost as a result of this odious act. Never mind that outing an undercover CIA operative is a federal crime.

A very serious matter, yet you would never know that from the White House’s response. When the revelation first hit the press in July, the White House first refused to comment and later, had White House press secretary Scott McClellan claim -- without so much as a question asked of White House staff -- "that is not the way this White House operates," and that "no one was certainly given any authority to do any of that nature, and I’ve seen no evidence to suggest there’s any truth to it." It’s hard to find evidence you are doing your very best to ignore.

more:
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/12/con03369.html

[RobertSeattle]

1. I believe Ashcroft hired OJ to investigate

...Apparently the perpetrator spends lots of time on golf courses...

[pistoff democrat]

7. Yes,

OJ and Scott Peterson are looking for the real ... :argh:

[bif]

2. Who cares? Michael Jackson is the only issue now!

Until something else comes up. All distraction, all the time.

[BrotherBuzz]

3. Henry Waxman is doing something about it..

<snip>
Calling all spooks and spies. If you want to help Congress get to the bottom of the scandal over Iraq intelligence, nowÕs your chance. Later this week, a key member of Congress will issue an all-points call for intelligence analysts to blow the whistle on President Bush, Vice President Cheney and others in the Bush administration who may have distorted, exaggerated, manipulated or lied about intelligence on Iraq in the run up to war.

By creating a Òtip lineÓ on his official Web site, Democratic congressman from California Henry Waxman is encouraging current and former U.S. national security officials to come forward and disclose how the administration played with intelligence on IraqÕs alleged weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda. A ranking member on the House Committee on Government Reform, Rep. Waxman is making it possible for officials to go on the record or remain anonymous, according to one of his aides.

The announcement that Rep. Waxman intends to ask whistleblowers from the Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency and other agencies to come forward will be included in a letter to Rep. Tom Davis, the Virginia Republican who chairs the committee. The letter will also ask Davis to begin an official investigation of how the name of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph WilsonÕs wife, Valerie Plame, was leaked to the media. Wilson, a retired diplomat, helped quash forged documents that Iraq sought to buy uranium for bomb-making in Niger, and subsequently Plame, who was an undercover CIA officer, was outed by anonymous
<more>

http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9562

[pistoff democrat]

Thanks for the good news:

always liked that Waxman fella!

[TacticalPeek]

6. Cool. Waxman is setting up a tip line.

With such a wide net, he may even catch some surprises.

I figure the OSP/Sharon collusion is bound to have crossed the line of some laws or regs.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Yep...we're thinking along the same lines...

...too much pressure from Langley for this not to be fully investigated.

[Ernesto]

4. Plame who?

nothing to see here, folks

[stevedeshazer]

5. Add it to the incredible list of things

Bushco gets away with. Nothing will happen.

There are no investigations of Republicans anymore.

Bill Janklow had to run over a guy in broad daylight to get any legal attention, and he hasn't been sentenced yet.

It's really breathtaking.

[legin]

8. Probably the same thing that has happened

to the investigation into the death of Kelly in britain.

[pinto]

10. don't know, here's a link following issue

http://fando.blogs.com/armactalerts/2003/10/plame_investiga.html

[pistoff democrat]

11. Thanks

I will save this and act on it later tonight.

[Supormom]

12. Call, Email, Write...

I contact CNN and the local paper at least once a week asking for an update on this case. Still waiting for any replies.

[radfringe]

13. it's still running through the white wash cycle

Asscroft's adding more bleach and is waiting for the rinse cycle so he can add in the softener...

then it's off to get dyed and pressed - when he's done it will emerge as Clinton's fault

[mainer]

14. It's discussed in latest VANITY FAIR

Good, detailed article! Check it out. (Plus you get the added benefit of a cover shot of Viggo Mortensen.)

[cosmicdot]

15. "A" comes before "P", unless it's an "O" except before "S"

unless it's one of those Cheech & Chong fellas ...

... or something along those silly lines ...


Anthrax, Osama, Saddam

[Skittles]

16. last I heard she was posing for pics with her husband

in their artsy fartsy car. Instant credibility loss.

[glitch]

17. *co committed treason against the U.S., not against Plame

It's not her word vs the * admin, she doesn't need credibility.

She was an undercover operative working on weapons of mass destruction, they exposed her work and thus all her assets throughout her entire career.

She doesn't have to say a word.

[priller]

20. The pics of her in Vanity Fair

are actually quite good and funny. Yes, she's in the car, but her head is covered with a scarf and she has big sunglasses on. I don't know about "artsy fartsy" car, but it's a convertible. The other picture has them eating breakfast at a table, with only the very top of her head poking above a newspaper she's holding. So, no, she hasn't revealed herself.

[farmboxer]

18. Desertion Is Treason Also!

But notice how the Republican owned media covers that up?!

[grytpype]

19. The CIA is not going to let this drop.

Never you fear. They will keep this moving forward.