Marc Ash: Special Counsel Under Attack

[DemReadingDU]

Special Counsel Under Attack
By Marc Ash
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Tuesday 05 September 2006

Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald and his investigation of the outing of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame are under attack by multiple mainstream media organizations acting simultaneously. The reports are - at best - shoddy journalism and at worst a deliberate attempt to bury one of the most powerful political news stories in US history.

Friday, September 1st, began with perhaps one of most curious stories I have ever seen published. "End of an Affair," the unsigned editorial published by the Washington Post, was a bizarre fusillade against not only Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson, but Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald as well. The story begged a motive. The day ended with the New York Times blatantly trying to ignite a media stampede through Fitzgerald's office with their "news" piece authored by David Johnston titled "New Questions About Inquiry in CIA Leak." Again, motive conspicuously absent.

All of this followed closely on the heals of what was heralded as a revelation by Newsweek's Michael Isikoff and The Nation's David Corn. Isikoff and Corn - who will shortly release a book on the subject - purportedly led American journalism out of the darkness by reporting that former State Department official Richard Armitage was columnist Robert Novak's primary source for the information on Valerie Plame's CIA status. This apparently provided enough ammunition for both the Times and the Post to declare Fitzgerald's investigation dead on arrival, and ill-conceived to boot.

A startling decision on its face. The information on Armitage was hardly new: it had been reported months ago by several news agencies, including Truthout and the New York Daily News. Further, Fitzgerald's investigation/prosecution is hardly dead, as both the Times and Post are well aware. So why the deliberate attempt to kill the story?

more...
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090506Z.shtml

[H2O Man]

1. nominated

Good article. Important topic.

[Vincardog]

2. Thread get thee to GREATEST

[Spazito]

3. Very good read, thanks for posting!

I can't help but continue to think something not to the bush cabal's liking is about to come down the tubes and this recent spat of slime by the media is to discredit Fitzgerald and Plame/Wilson before the bad news hits.

[DemReadingDU]

7. I agree, something is cooking

There is way too much spin going around that there is something that the Bush cabal doesnt' want us to find out. But hey, the bloggers on the internets will find it, :)

[malaise]

4. Great read

Kick

[Snivi Yllom]

5. Strangely no mention of Karl Rove's 'indictment'

But Truthout does find the time to twist itself, simultaneously attacking the media for 'shoddy journalism' while cryptically in the last sentence dropping "there are multiple individuals under examination" without any reference.

[seemslikeadream]

6. So WHY the deliberate attempt to kill the story?

Dick Cheney exposed Valerie Plame to cover up his association with A.Q. Khan's Nuclear Walmart. Read about it here: http://s93118771.onlinehome.us/DU/AMERICANJUDAS.pdf

[gkhouston]

9. and why now?

I've seen the theory floated that this might be an attempt to smooth the way for a Libby pardon, but why would they be thinking of pardoning Libby now, before the mid-terms? What might happen in the next two months that a pardon might prevent? Are there any depositions, etc., that wouldn't be taken if the Libby trial went poof? Who's getting nervous?

I've also seen the theory that this is related to the civil case, but would it be as important to discredit Fitzgerald and minimalize the Libby case right now for Cheney's defense in the civil case? To me, it seems like stirring up any memory of the CIA leak stuff is Not Good for the R's in November. Of course, Cheney may not give a rat's ass about that anymore.

And (as ever) there's speculation that other indictments might be forthcoming, but who knows? And it could be a case of "the wicked flee when none pursueth" but I rather hope Fitzgerald is about to give them a nasty surprise.

[KoKo]

10. Ash says the Media is threatened and taking the opportunity to lash out

because of Isikoff and Corn's new book saying it was all Armitage. He said media took the opportunity to jump on Fitz because THEY (Media) are culpable in outing Plame as much as the people who outed her in the Administration. Culpability. That's at least how I read what he was saying in his editorial. Makes sense to me. :shrug:

[gkhouston]

20. so "the media" is lashing out against

the people damaged by the leak and the person investigating the leak but not against people in the Administration who did the actual leaking? How does that make sense?

[Nickster]

11. It seems the closer we get to the elections, the less likely we are to see

any significant movement in this case. If Fitz is going to do something, it has to be REAL soon. Otherwise, I don't see it happening until next year.

[lyonn]

12. Wasn't it the CIA that asked for the investigation?

How did Armitage get the memo? Who asked for an investigation of Wilson's trip? Why was the Plame hit necessary. There was a definite attempt to "out" Plame and the covert company, how can they deny this. Someone needs to explain to people why Plame and that company were not worth saving by outing them.

[gkhouston]

17. I personally think the "revenge" motive may be overstated.

I believe Plame may have been outed to compromise her company and their contacts to make it more difficult for the intelligence community to gather information in the Middle East since that information might not fall in with the Administration's desired "facts".

[calimary]

18. Another MOST interesting site - American Judas.

Like it!

[Nickster]

8. Seems like their same ploy as the last time(s). The WH gives info to the

"liberal" media. The "liberal" media then creates articles, editorials, newscasts, etc citing the information as fact. Then the WH makes claims and points to the "liberal" media accounts as the basis for their accounts. That WaPo editorial was so obviously written in the WH Communications Office that it isn't even funny. I read it and thought, "what tripe". To my astonishment, every single news story I saw that night was talking about that editorial as being proof of Wilson being wrong. No basis in anything, just the constant repitition of the "liberal" media saying the exact same thing to get this pounded into the public's mind.

My only question is, what was the purpose of this tactical strike via the media? Is something brewing under the surface?

[rodeodance]

13. k and R.

[proud patriot]

14. bushco will stop at nothing

:grr:

[applegrove]

15. I think the WH is just setting up the environment to give Libby a pardon.

[DemReadingDU]

16. Update from Marc Ash

Media Beast Attacks Fitz, Corn Recovers

By Marc Ash

Tue Sep 5th, 2006 at 04:54:02 PM EDT :: Fitzgerald Investigation


For months now I've been wracking my brain trying to comprehend why the US commercial press was not all over the Plame investigation like white on rice. Unfortunately, I overlooked the obvious: It's not that they want to protect the White House, it's that they have their own score to settle with Fitz.

In my piece today, "Special Counsel Under Attack," I look at Fitzgerald's desire for revenge for the outing of Valerie Plame, and the main-stream-media's desire to avenge Judith Miller.

I cited David Corn's work on Richard Armitage as setting the table for Media Beast's attack on Fitzgerald. Well today Corn redeemed himself Big-Time in his latest piece titled, "What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA." Corn sets the record straight on Valerie Plame's real role at the CIA and how critical her work was. Corn makes it clear that Valerie Plame was a lot more important to US national security than anyone at Bush & Co.

Kudos to Jeff Cohen for coining the phrase "Media Beast" in his 08.30.06 piece published on TO titled, "Sick Puppy Meets Media Beast." Caution! Laughing uncontrollably for long periods of time may be good for your health. Too bad it's all true.

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2006/9/5/16542/11842

[janx]

19. This must be very frustrating for David Corn.

The spin is ridiculous. But...time will take care of it.

[DemReadingDU]

21. It's all spinning so fast

I'm getting dizzy trying to keep up!