Are the David Kelly and Valerie Plame incidents related?

[ReadTomPaine]

I was reviewing some notes and political materials late this evening and this idea suddenly struck me. Considering they are both WMD experts who did extensive intelligence work in that field for close allies, and both were outed by vindictive pro-war elements acting from within their respective executive branches, the parallels are pretty striking.

I’m not sure what, if anything, this indicates but it seems worthy of further examination. Are the Blair and Bush governments working off the same game plan to the point that they deal with these internal threats identically? Did Plame and Kelly ever work together, and if so, what did they work on? Is all this just a coincidence?

It does have me second guessing pure politics being the only motivation on the Bush administration's part- there may have been a deeper reason to prevent Plame from continuing her work. What that motive might be is open to speculation.

[emad]

1. I've posted about this under 'general discussion' quoting

today's Times in the UK which says that 'Wilsongate not yet Watergate'

[ReadTomPaine]

2. Thanks - just took a look at the thread

Also did some examination of other news sources under "Plame" and "Kelly" on Nexus. While others seem to have drawn the parallel recently, there doesn't seem to be any in depth analysis beyond the “shades of Kelly affair” comments. Considering the small size of the intelligence community and the shared specializations of Kelly and Plame, I wonder if there are other links beyond outward descriptive similarities.

[ReadTomPaine]

3. Also of note - all the news sources carrying these stories are UK or Asia

US media isn't touching it, as usual.

[emad]

4. Maybe they're waiting for someone to be 'found dead by the

bushes' like Dr Kelly......

Sure hope David Kay has security looking after him!!!!

[ReadTomPaine]

5. If reports that Plame's network was quite extensive are true...

...Then it's possible the network itself was the target. Reasons for compromising a longstanding CIA WMD investigative operation could include a push by the PNAC elements in the current administration towards usage of other, more controllable intelligence assets. For instance, parsed information from Israeli intelligence obtained via the OSP.

[Blue_Roses]

6. I've wondered the same

thing. I think this goes beyond "retaliation" for Wilson's report. I try not to bite into the conspiracy theory threads here, but this time there is so much were are not hearing, because it hasn't been unraveled yet.

If you take it a step deeper it looks like someone didn't want anymore nosin' around or "big reports" from them. They are considered experts in their field.

I've always heard nothing is ever as it appears. Will be interesting to see how this developes over the next few weeks.

[0007]

7. A very intestersting thought, indeed.

For the moment it appears that the brits are on course to find the truth. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Both governments will be trashed if a connection is ever made between Plame & Kelly. The thought has crossed my mind that it was our spooks that tooks care of Kelly.

Who has a keener insight into the CIA than the head of the Carlyle boys?

[Jazzgirl]

8. I never thought about the similarity before.

Interesting that you should make this point. It seems like the US and UK almost always mirror each others actions in a show of solidarity.

Jazzgirl

[ReadTomPaine]

11. BTW, welcome aboard...

[newyawker99]

12. Hi Jazzgirl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[JackRiddler]

9. It's also valid to ask the question the other way around...

The two affairs wouldn't be a Bush/Blair "game plan" but a case of damage control against those who are out to ruin the game plan.

Now, who wants to do the damage? Has the CIA decided to drop Bush? Are the two affairs related, in that an elite decision has been made to get rid of these guys for having turned into liabilities?

Note that all of Bush's other astonishing crimes and lies did not produce the current effects. The beginnings were there, of course. But only when the CIA decided to protest something did the media declare open season - at last!!!

Remember that the CIA was forced to take the blame for the Niger uranium lie, though they apparently tried to stop it. The current affair may be in the way of payback.

To all of you I say:

1) We have no reason to assume we know anything about Wilson or Plame, or the nature of Plame's operations. I have seen nothing solid on Plame yet, just unsubstantiated claims about her network (& Al Martin's claim 70 assets have died as a result of the leak, which I discount given it's Al Martin, sorry).

2) Kay is a dedicated neocon. He's just failing to come up with the evidence he'd like to find. And maybe he's more reluctant to fake it than he might have been otherwise, given the present atmosphere. Another bad indicator for Bush.

Let's get them out before the election! Hell yeah!

[ReadTomPaine]

10. This is an excellent point, agreed. Could work either way.

And it bears the CIA's trademark 'plausible deniability'

[ReadTomPaine]

13. Some info *is* known on Plame btw…

She’s known to be a NOC at the CIA, this establishes her undercover credentials and her seniority. We also know that she was a player in the CIA's WMD investigations. These two items mean that it’s highly likely she did have an effective network dealing with these matters, but anything further is speculation. Not that any of this effects the validity of your scenario, but it seems worth clarifying.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Here are some additional questions for you...

1) Are the deaths of the WMD experts over the last couple of years related to the death of Kelly?

2) Did Kelly work at one time as a UN Inspector and with whom did he work?


IMHO, the primary motive for dismantling Plame's network is to ALLOW (LIHOP) the smuggling of WMD components into the U. S. The Bushies are in desperate need of another domestic "terrorist act" to not only regain the public opinion support of the American people, but to also implement those "security measures" that appear to be currently meeting some degree of resistance in Congress.

[emad]

15. Here's some of Kelly's work in the 1990s:

The Oxford-educated microbiologist had been scientific adviser to the proliferation and arms control secretariat for more than three years.

Iraq weapons inspections:

He was an expert in arms control having worked as a weapons inspector in Iraq between 1991 and 1998, following the first Gulf War.

Dr Kelly became senior adviser on biological warfare for the UN in Iraq in 1994, holding the post until 1999.

He was sufficiently well respected to have been nominated for a Nobel peace prize by the man who led the Iraq weapons inspections for much of the 1990s, Rolf Ekeus.

< In my opinion, David Kelly and his team should have won the Nobel (peace) prize for disarmament Rolf Ekeus >

During a lecture he Dr Kelly once said: "When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, little did I realise that Saddam Hussein would dictate the next 10 years of my life."

He also led all the visits and inspections of Russian biological warfare facilities from 1991 to 1994 under the 1992 Trilateral Agreement between the US, UK and Russia.

Garth Whitty, a former colleague of Dr Kelly who worked with him as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq, told the BBC the scientist was "internationally regarded" as an expert in biological weapons defence who normally coped well under pressure.

"He was a quiet man who got on with his job. He did it with the highest professional standards," he said.

Dr Kelly was married to Janice, and the couple had three daughters, Sian, 32, and twins Rachel and Ellen, 30. Neighbours described them as a "lovely family".

Dr Kelly came from a background in agricultural science.

He was chief science officer at Britain's Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Virology.

He rose through the ranks at the Ministry of Defence's chemical research centre at Porton Down in Wiltshire to become head of microbiology.

He spent the majority of his career as a consultant to the MoD and other government departments and agencies, advising them on his area of expertise - arms control.

Part of his job was to brief journalists on defence issues.

from:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3076869.stm

[ReadTomPaine]

16. Kick for comments from the lunch-time crowd <eom>