For Heaven's Sake Keep Traitogate Alive!

[pippin]

"If you've been feeling that the Bush administration may be skating free of having to wrestle with the Valerie Plame controversy and are wondering why this is happening, let me submit one possible explanation: The major media are putting no pressure whatsoever on the administration, or the president, to do anything. . .
In the nearly three weeks now since the story broke on Sept. 28 -- that would be 18 editions of each newspaper, as I write these words -- the Times has written all of one editorial on the Plame-Joseph Wilson-Robert Novak matter. . .

What should these papers be doing? Lots of things. Most dramatically, they could call on Bush, if he genuinely wants to learn the leaker's (or leakers') identity, to order his staff to release all reporters from their confidentiality agreements. We'd get to the bottom of this in a flash, and the journalists would be violating no ethical charge. The public interest would be served.

Short of that, the editorial pages could be demanding a specific timetable from the White House and from Ashcroft; or they could be keeping pressure on Bush to make some public demonstrations that his White House and his Department of Justice are genuinely pursuing this matter."

http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/webfeatures/2003/10/tomasky-m-10-16.html

Furthermore: what should the public be doing?

[Selwynn]

1. What should we be doing?

I agree that this story should remain alive. I've written my representatives, I've signged petitions. I personally keep searching the world for news on the story...

Is there anything else I should be doing?

[spooky3]

17. Me too. My DEMOCRATIC rep wrote back to say he was giving

Ashcroft a chance, but that if they did not resolve it quickly, he would push for an independent investigation. That's not my preferred solution but if I can trust him, I would say we should lay low for a short while and see who gets frogmarched.

[Stephanie]

2. Try to catch the last five minutes of Chris Matthews show today

One of the reporters says that she's being told by people INSIDE the WH to keep after this story.

I think we're going to see some action on it by Wednesday. Tuesday is when the documents should be released from the WH to Justice after the two-week review by the WH counsel. That's when it should start to get interesting again.

Wilson, Schumer, and the senior admin official in the WH who leaked to Dana Priest are not going to let this die.

There's a Traitor in the White House. Why does he still have a job? Why is Bush* protecting him?

[diplomats]

4. Is the reporter who said that Dana Priest?

One of the ironies about this whole scandal is that the source who really blew it open, by revealing two top WH officials called six journalists with Plame's identity, WORKS IN THE ADMINISTRATION, as you say.

[Stephanie]

7. Now that I think about it I think she was on MTP, not Matthews

At the end, when he asks for predictions. Black woman, forget her newspaper. Not Dana Priest. I was puttering around the house when she said it, so sorry, I'm vague on it, but I did hear it. Tune in, West Coast, and let us know precisely what she says.

[jbfam4]

10. Meet the press

is over out here, but Dana Priest wasn't on it.

[Stephanie]

16. It must have been Robin Wright of LA Times

We can check the transcript when it appears:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/MEETPRESS_Front.asp?ta=y


SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19
9:00 P.M. ET - Sunday’s guests:

- Sen. John McCain, R-AZ and Sen. Bob Graham, D-FL discuss paying for Iraq.

- The Washington Post’s David Broder, the BBC’s Katty Kay, the New York Times’ William Safire, and the Los Angeles Times’ Robin Wright, Los Angeles Times discuss Iraq and Decision 2004.

[spooky3]

18. I don't think Robin Wright is black.

[Stephanie]

19. Then it must have been on Chris Matthews

Sorry for being so confused. Sort of was listening but not really watching. Someone else must have seen this. Anybody?

Matthews doesn't even have last week's transcript up yet:

http://www.msnbc.com/modules/chrismatthews/transcripts.asp

[Stephanie]

20. Okay! Alcuno's got it, and it is airing again at 12:30 tonight

It was on Chris Matthews. Airing again at 12:30 on CNBC.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php#559024

Alcuno's posts:

I just saw it.

She said she had been approached by a couple of people in the White House who said that they hope that the press doesn't just accept that there is an investigation, etc. They didn't want to be named but are concerned that the story not be allowed to just fade away.

Just came to me. Rosalind Jordan of NBC.

[diplomats]

3. I agree with Tomasky about the media negligence on this

although I did see a great editorial in yesterday's Boston Globe. Even so, I'm pretty confident the scandal's not going away. Julian Borger made a good point in his article in the Guardian. He said the DOJ investigation will have two possible outcomes: The guilty parties will be revealed, which will damage the Bush WH considerably, or the DOJ will say the leakers can't be found, which will provoke outcries of a whitewash. Neither of these is good for Bush.

[Stephanie]

5. I think your second possible outcome is unlikely

Because many people in DC already know who the leakers are. Six reporters were contacted. Probably those reporters' editors also have the names. Wilson likely has the names from the reporters who contacted him about it. My guess is that it is some kind of open secret in DC. I don't believe that the leakers' identities are so hidden. I truly believe the truth will come out, one way or another.

[diplomats]

8. I also doubt that will happen for the reasons you say

A week or so ago, there were those stories quoting Bush and others saying the leaker may never be found. But too many people know the truth for this to just go away. There's too much pressure on the DOJ for them to drop the ball on this.

[rasputin1952]

6. I just saw Dick Armey on CNN...

and amazingly enough, HE is calling for Novak to reveal the source.

This story has legs. If those legs can move without being broken, we have a chance to get to the bottom of this.

:kick:

[jbfam4]

9. I heard Armey too

almost fell off the chair. This story isn't going away.

[huckleberry]

11. I had the same reaction to Armey's comments!

And, at the time, I was reading an article about Daniel Ellsberg where he states that he is trying to encourage people within the White House to speak out against the administration.

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Oct/10192003/utah/103357.asp

[dofus]

12. Keep in mind that

Watergate took two full years to unravel. The actual break-in took place on June 17, 1972, and Nixon didn't resign until August 8, 1974.

[dkf]

13. Drudge teaser on Time article

OFFICIALS WITH TWO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TELL TIME THAT THEIR SPY CATCHERS ARE CHECKING WHETHER VALERIE PLAME HAD WORKED ON THEIR SOIL
Sun Oct 19 2003 10:06:24 ET

-----

FBI Has Interviewed Over Two Dozen Officials, Including White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Bush Political Adviser Karl Rove as well as other West Wing Aides, Government Sources tell TIME

New York – Officials with two foreign governments tell TIME that their spy catchers are quietly checking on whether Plame had worked on their soil and, if so, what she had done there. Security agencies all over the world are now quietly running Plame’s name through their data banks, immigration records and computer hard drives as the White House leak scandal continues to percolate, TIME’s Michael Duffy and Tim Burger report in this week’s issue of TIME (on newsstands Monday, Oct. 20th).

The FBI has interviewed more than two dozen officials in several Washington offices, including White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Bush political adviser Karl Rove as well as other West Wing aides, Government sources tell TIME. The FBI has obtained desk diaries and phone records and is examining the network server that handles White House e-mail. So far, the initial face-to-face interviews, which are typically not done under oath, have been somewhat informal. In a sign of high-level interest in the leak case, several of the interviews were conducted by veteran G-man John Eckenrode, the lead FBI official on the investigation. Agents asked interviewees to keep mum about their chats so as not to disclose the government’s strategy. Both McClellan and Rove declined to comment on the probe, TIME reports.

Developing...

[proud patriot]

14. Treason is Treason and bush should be impeached

:grr: I will not have American men and women be used
as private corperate mercinaries for those with
close ties to the president and vice president .

American's blood is worth more than profit for the
few friends the president and vice president .

Americans blood is to be given for the defense of this
great nation , not the offense of Tyranny for profit.

The Constitution has been violated , it is only
the American People who can hold to account
those who have violated the sacred trust that
Those we elected hold all of our intrests at
their hearts .

To endanger our national security , To endanger
the very resource (intelligence) that all experts
agree is essential to our "war on terror" is nothing
less than Treason.

[Cocoa]

15. a total double standard compared to Janet Reno

I swear I remember tons of editorials during Clinton's term for Reno to appoint special counsels for what seemed to be much less serious

It seems to be a totally different tone now. The newspapers seem to be sitting back and letting the democrats do all the demanding, which the dems are doing. Thus it unfortunately looks like more partisan than it is.

Regarding what we can do, I suggest that contacting REPUBLICANS is the way to go. With enough pressure, they can be forced to join the calls for the special prosecutor.