I am not liking the AP's Plame coverage.

[femmedem]

Plame sheds little light in leak case
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Valerie Plame put a glamorous face and a personal story to Democrats' criticism of the Bush administration Friday, telling a House committee that White House and State Department officials "carelessly and recklessly" blew her CIA cover in a politically motivated smear of her husband.

Plame, the operative at the center of the leak scandal that resulted in last week's criminal conviction of a former top White House official, created more of a stir by her presence on Capitol Hill than by her testimony.

snip

Wilson has written a book, and Plame is working on one, "Fair Game." Plame's book is subject to a mandatory review by the CIA. On Thursday, Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg would say only that the book was "in progress" and that publication was expected soon.

Friday's hearing showed the intense interest in Plame, who drew autograph-seekers and camera-toting congressional aides to a hearing on an otherwise quiet morning.

Edit to add: I am being picky. Overall, what a great day!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070317/ap_on_go_co/cia_leak_congress

Maybe I'm being prickly, but it seems to me that not only are they belittling the importance of what happened today, they're also insinuating that she's either in it for the publicity or the money. (An AP story from earlier today, now gone, even mentioned the monetary figure in her book contract.)

Also, they give as many paragraphs to Davis as they do to Waxman. And they are really fudging on whether or not she was covert.

Sorry to leave the thread untended, but I'm off to bed.

[Demoiselle]

1. Agreed...I read that coverage. Damn! No news, folks, move along...grrrr (eom)

[still_one]

2. They AP also had a hit piece earlier from a different person

Incidently, they used the same link

That hit piece had the following misrepresentations:

In that piece the headline was the following:
"Plame rails senior officials over leak"

It was by MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

Then within that article you had paragraphs like this:

"Democrats questioned whether the Bush administration mishandled classified information by leaking her identity to reporters. No one has been charged with leaking her identity."

This was just THE Democrats, OK. "No one has been charged with leaking her identity.", but is that because cheney declassified the one page to identify her as a covert OP perhaps, MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

Then the article goes on to distort that she DIDN'T recommend her husband for the job by this sentence:

"That conflicts with senior officials at the CIA and State Department, who testified during Libby's trial that Plame recommended Wilson for the trip."

That isn't the same thing I saw and heard. In fact I heard just the oposite. I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO RECOMMEND TO THESE LAP DOG JOUNALISTS, THAT SHE TESTIFIED UNDER OATH THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

This MATT APUZZO, Then said that no one understood what covert means by these lines:

"Plame also repeatedly described herself as a covert operative, a term that has multiple meanings. Plame said she worked undercover and traveled abroad on secret missions for the CIA.
But the word "covert" also has a legal definition requiring recent foreign service and active efforts to keep someone's identity secret. Critics of Fitzgerald's investigation said Plame did not meet that definition for several reasons and said that's why nobody was charged with the leak."

Thank you for being so objective, MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer, typical MEDIA WHORE

Maybe he will have an opportunity to cover the Iraq war up front and personal. Remember that war, the one based on a LIE? The one that Plame said that Iraq DID NOT HAVE WMDs, the brester jennings front that was established in 1994 to investigate WMDs in Iraq and Iran, and blown by this administration.

Now they have changed authors, to a JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, equally a POS for a jounalist

The only explanation I can give is because the media is equally responsible as this administration for not only outing this CIA agent, but also GETTING US INTO a war based on a LIE that they helped perpetuate

[femmedem]

3. I saw that piece, too.

The two articles are so close to identical that I wonder how they can give them two different bylines.

Both also used the term "political theater" to demean today's proceedings.

Okay, now I'm really off to bed.

[Lasher]

4. I'll bet Matt Apuzzo gets real good access to the White House

I hope so. It would be awful if he had gotten nothing at all in return for his soul.

[Mojorabbit]

7. I sent an email to Matt Apuzzo

and got a reply that said thanks for reading.

[femmedem]

11. Good for you. And despite the reply, I don't think your effort was wasted.

There had to be a reason his piece was pulled (actually more like heavily edited(--and I think the reason was e-mails like yours.

[rocktivity]

5. HIT PIECE ALERT!!!

Check this out from less than 24 hours ago:

CHENEY ACCUSED OF LEAKING STORY ABOUT VALERIE PLAME MOVIE
News that Warner Bros. is developing a film about outed CIA agent Valerie Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was leaked to Daily Variety by Vice President Dick Cheney’s office...

And the day before Plame is to testify before Congress--a coincidence, of course. Was this an attempt to trivialize her testimony; to turn it into a Hollywood publicity stunt?


rocknation

[blm]

22. Exactly - they want it to look like Wilson and Plame ginned up the story to

get Hollywood's attention.

I'd say Plame would prefer to be doing her job with her children fully protected by anonymity. Now she has to be MORE public and hope it keeps her alive.

[AJ9000]

6. There's no doubt about it -

despite all the nonsense you hear about a liberal media, there is actually a decidedly conservative bias in the American media.

I think it's far more destructive than most people realize. A democracy simply cannot function without a skeptical media bringing truth to the people.

This conservative takeover of American politics that we've had over the last 25 years just could not have happened without an avalanche of right-wing propaganda to facilitate it.

[femmedem]

12. Tell me about it.

I lived through the AP's Lieberman lovefest.

[Catherine Vincent]

8. Conservatives and their lackeys are some sneaking mofos.

I just read that article. You'll notice in the first line it said "Democrats criticism", yet they gave as many quotes by republican Davis as they did by Waxman. I also noticed this was written by a female. Perhaps she was being catty. I mean, look at Ms. Plame, she's gorgeous.

This article is okay:

Republican support for Gonzales erodes By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer
41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The White House dropped its contention Friday that former Counsel Harriet Miers first raised the idea of firing U.S. attorneys, blaming "hazy memories" as e-mails shed new light on Karl Rove's role. Support eroded further for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Presidential press secretary Tony Snow previously had asserted Miers was the person who came up with the idea, but he said Friday, "I don't want to try to vouch for origination." He said, "At this juncture, people have hazy memories."

The White House also said it needed more time before deciding whether Miers, political strategist Rove and other presidential advisers would testify before Congress and whether the White House would release documents to lawmakers.

"Given the importance of the issues under consideration and the presidential principles involved, we need more time to resolve them," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. She said White House Counsel Fred Fielding suggested to the House Judiciary Committee that he get back to members on Tuesday.

Fielding called a staff member of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday afternoon, saying he needed to clear the White House's position with Bush, according to an official who works for the panel. That official spoke only on condition of anonymity because the conversation had been private.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070317/ap_on_go_co/congress_prosecutors

[live love laugh]

9. Well Plame's a gorgeous woman and if Pelosi's hair and clothes

are what's talked about instead of her work, then it's easy to think they'd do the same with Plame. The rest of the coverage will probably be about her hair or clothes.

[OnyxCollie]

10. The WH used the same upcoming book story to discredit Wilson.

Pay no attention to them. They've got books coming out. Can't you see they have ulterior motives?:sarcasm:

And people dismiss the idea bushco would start a war to steal billions. :banghead:

[malaise]

13. I was surprised at the wording of BBC Int. TV coverage

that she 'embarrassed the President' but then I remembered that BBC is receiving loads of Chevron money these days.

[RestoreGore]

14. In all fairness why does she need to write a book and where will the profits go if true?

[femmedem]

15. Are you saying that you think her writing a book makes her less credible?

If so, I disagree.

Of course, I can only speculate as to why she would write a book. But my speculation is that she is committed to revealing truth to the American people.

I don't know what she plans on doing with the profits. However, writing is work and she deserves to be compensated for it.

It is not as if she is attempting to profit from a crime she committed. Or is that what you're suggesting?

[RestoreGore]

17. I'm asking a question

Where would the profits go if true and what would be her motivation for doing it? Perhaps some should then reflect upon what this really means to them? To me it seems EVERYONE is writing a book, hence my question.

[Sparkly]

18. Even if the profits were going to buy the Wilsons a new house in the Hamptons

it's no less legitimate. Considering how their lives have been torn apart by all this, I'd say they deserve it.

[Cerridwen]

19. It seems to me, that everyone is writing books because we don't

have a media which reports on what's going on in this country. One way to do that is to write books to get out the message; whatever that message is.

As to profits, I don't know her or her husband personally so I don't know. I'd bet it will add to their fund for legal fees, though. That would make sense to me. They are incurring a lot of legal expenses in order to fight back and bring out what happened.

Altruism is really cool; it also doesn't pay the mortgage or feed the children. I'd love to live in a world in which money wasn't such a necessity. I don't. Until that happens, we're all stuck having to make a buck. I guess the Wilsons are too.

[cascadiance]

28. Damn right! If the media did their FRICKIN JOB, the book industry wouldn't be profiting so much!

That and the movie industry. I'd like to see a study done that compares DVD sales of documentaries versus other genres and how much those sales numbers have changed relative to other genres over the last few years. I'd BET that you'd find a HUGE increase of documentary sales!

I think it's no coincidence that arguably the best documentary award in this year's Oscars had almost as much attention as the best picture award did. At least much moreso than in years past. If Michael Moore had to do it all over again, I'm betting that in today's world he'd have been satisfied to submit Fahrenheit 9/11 as best documentary and not have tried to lobby for it be best picture as he did when that film got shut out of the awards.

America is THIRSTY to hear the news, and the mainstream media SIMPLY IS NOT DELIVERING IT! That is why those that are sitting on top of news they know that America needs to hear are working with book and film publishers to work outside the corporate media oligopoly to be heard!

Sibel Edmondds for so long has been trying to avoid doing any "book deals" or "movie deals" to avoid getting the same labels that Wilson and Clarke have had to endure in getting their stories out of being motivated by "profit" in trying to be heard when the MSM ceremoniously ignores good news for tabloid trash instead! She may have waited too long in her instance. We still haven't been able to see "Kill the Messenger" here in the states yet, which is a real shame!

[monarch]

20. "Profits" will probably go toward legal expenses and

replacing her salary from the career that was stolen from her. What a mean-spirited post! Do you have any idea how much this is costing the Wilson?

[RestoreGore]

23. What is meanspirited about asking a question?

Do you have any idea how much of a toll the current circumstances in this country is taking on MANY people here today? I then say that we better see more action against the traitors that did this than just books being written. I'm tired of only seeing it go so far than just playing political pattycake with the same outcome. Call that meanspirited if you like, but when I'm done working my 10 hour shift on my feet and then have to take the small amount I make and pay bills with it with nothing to show for it, I tend to have a different perspective so excuse my cynacism. Of course being outted as a CIA operative is treasonous and I am sure it has taken its toll on her family which is why I wonder WHY those responsible STILL aren't being held accountable. But many of us are living hand to mouth in this country and no one would publish our books because we aren't considered "celebrities." If you consider that meanspirited so be it. Living in this country the last few years where hype and playing into the media seems to trump action and really caring about its people has made me so.

[kestrel91316]

27. Your own personal financial struggles shouldn't stand in the

way of VP writing her story and selling it.

She is her own person. If you don't like other people working and making money as a result, I'm sorry. I can't help you with that serious psychological issue.

[RestoreGore]

29. "Psychological issue?"

I swear, some of you here come off as nothing but elitist blowhards. I personally don't care if she writes a book or not to be honest with you as I have more importan things to do in my life. The point I was making is that she will now be considered a "celebrity" which will get her book published not based on principle, but on the fact that she then as well has become a part of the same system so many talk against. And the only thing you should be sorry for is being so smug.

[kestrel91316]

26. If she writes a book, the book is her work product. You would prefer

she labor as an unpaid slave so SOMEONE ELSE can profit??????

[sutz12]

16. Right wing nutcases write books all the friggin' time...

It doesn't seem to hurt their "credibility."

[kestrel91316]

25. She needs to write a book if she can tell the inside details.

There is demand. If it doesn't compromise national security, then I want to read it.

Where will the profits go? Where they always go - divided contractually between the author (her) and the publisher. You have some sort of a problem with her making money by telling her story? Her career was destroyed. She has a right to make money by other means so long as it's legal.

[blm]

21. It's no different than any other big issue - the Dems still don't have a TEAM of spokespeople

to protect the truth of any story.

There was no team in place to deal with the job of countering the RW machine on this story.

McAuliffe never had a team in place except old 90s spokespeople who were only schooled in defending Clinton and knew little about any other Democratic lawmaker and knew little about Dem issues.

Dean has been working on strengthening party infrastructure, but I think he needs to expand some to build a team of INFORMED spokespeople and be prepared for ANY Dem nominee.

[goodhue]

24. Yes, it is belittling and frankly sexist

The glamorous bit is really annoying.

The Washington Post is particularly bad. Both Dana Millbank and Mary Ann Akers focus on her looks and glamour in a very dismissive fashion, while totally ignoring the substance of her testimony.