Matt Cooper’s Source - Newsweek
It was 11:07 on a Friday morning, July 11, 2003, and Time magazine correspondent Matt Cooper was tapping out an e-mail to his bureau chief, Michael Duffy. “Subject: Rove/P&C,” (for personal and confidential), Cooper began. “Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation …” Cooper proceeded to spell out some guidance on a story that was beginning to roil Washington. He finished, “please don’t source this to rove or even WH [White House]” and suggested another reporter check with the CIA.
Rove Lied - Daily Kos
If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.
Im outraged. But nothing will happen. These people also leave themselves an out. For example, the downing street memo scandal.
I am curious about why nothing will happen. I do not understand. Is it because the general public does not know enough? Why do people not understand that Bush Lies? In my opinion this is a big deal…am I wrong???
Crystal: This is a HUGE deal. This is equivalent to putting a contract out on someone’s wife. Any operatives living in other countries who had contact with her are most certainly dead or at least at risk.
There is NO evidence Rove even knew her name, let alone that Plame was involved with covert ops. Cooper himself has said as much.
And if keeping her identity a secret was such a great concern, both to her and her supposed contacts (who are now “most certainly dead”) then, I dunno, maybe the five-page photo spread with her egomaniacal husband in Vanity Fair wasn’t such a good idea.
The lesson, as always, is Diane Marie Hayes is effin nuts.
Ms. Plame was so “undercover” that she worked at the CIA Headquarters in Langly, and in her husbands biography, it stated that she worked for the CIA.
P.S. Rove almost certainly didn’t know her name.
P.S.S. Nothing is going to happen with your squawking about how evil Rove is. He’s probably the best political mind there is today (either side of the aisle) and Bush isn’t going to get rid of him any time soon.
This was an act of terror plain and simple. If someone from the left had outed a CIA agent for any reason and then claimed that he didn’t expect for the press to print it the right would be outraged!
Rove is a seasoned political operative so he knows better than anyone that their is no such thing as off the record. He talked to that reporter in the hopes that his comments would make print and that he would enjoy source anonymonity.
He put our national security at risk and should be on trial for treason if people who work to keep us all safe can’t do their jobs with a clear conscience because they are afraid that their own governement is going to out them in a fit of sophomoric rage then we are all at risk.
Kel: oh puhLEEZE! He didn’t know her name perhaps but he identified her nevertheless as Wilson’s wife. Jesus! How far can you people split hairs? This isn’t politicizing - if someone in the democratic party had done this, I’d be just as outraged. I’m wondering exactly how far up your ass your head would have to be for the average person to excuse this behavior?
Rove may not have known her name. But I am yet going to condem him for it the whole mess, yet. There is still many unanswered questions.
It does not look like she was an ‘undercover’ agent, as some want her to be. So how can one blow her cover, if there was no cover to blow.
And at first glance, it has been said, that Rove came out to investigators about this, it just did not come out to the media - Why Cooper did not say anything - I want to know that. I also would like to know why Rove liked in his interview about not naming her - he did - just not specifically by name.
If all Rove did was tell Cooper it was Wilson’s wife who works at the CIA, how exactly does that expose her as a covert agent?
How far can WE split hairs? Well, I guess it depends on what the definition of “is” is.
Also, not sure why this story in USA Today isn’t linked on the blog, and I hate to spoil the fun, but for those who care about facts:
“The alleged crime at the heart of a controversy that has consumed official Washington — the “outing” of a CIA officer — may not have been a crime at all under federal law, little-noticed details in a book by the agent’s husband suggest,” writes USA Today’s Mark Memmott.
“In The Politics of Truth, former ambassador Joseph Wilson writes that he and his future wife both returned from overseas assignments in June 1997. Neither spouse, a reading of the book indicates, was again stationed overseas. They appear to have remained in Washington, D.C., where they married and became parents of twins.”
“The column’s date is important because the law against unmasking the identities of U.S. spies says a “covert agent” must have been on an overseas assignment “within the last five years.” The assignment also must be long-term, not a short trip or temporary post, two experts on the law say. Wilson’s book makes numerous references to the couple’s life in Washington over the six years up to July 2003.”
Kel, look who’s splitting hairs now.
Eventually the White House is going to have to face the fact the Rove played a part in this mess. Rove won’t be able to save himself by saying that he didn’t break the law. He was asked on several occasions if he played a role in this leak and he always dodged the question. If Rove believed he didn’t do anything wrong, then why side-step the question. The reason he dodged the question is because he thought he did do something wrong (and that is what is going to hurt him in the end).
Albert, Rove’s state of mind (”he thought he did do something wrong”) is totally irrelevant. I ‘think’ it’s wrong to cheat on my wife, but its not a federal crime if I happen to do it.
You say he can’t save himself by claiming he didn’t break the law? Huh….if someone claims that I broke the law, and I say I didn’t break the law, and the evidence supports my claim that I didn’t break the law, then I would consider myself saved. I think you would to.
Let’s re-focus our energies for a second - if Rove told Cooper not to trust Joe Wilson because Wilson was claiming Cheney sent him over to search for Yellowcake when in actuality it was “Wilson’s wife who works for the CIA” who arranged for her husband to go, who’s credibility should that begin to tear away at?
Furthermore, if it’s common knowledge that Plame worked for the CIA, how is mentioning that fact to a reporter a “leak” if that’s the extent of the conversation?
Finally, if Wilson claims Cheney sent him to Iraq, asked for a report, ignored the report, and helped falsify a State if the Union sentence he knew not to be true, and Wilson’s claims turn out to be pure fiction (which they have) is Karl Rove the appropriate target of the ire here?
I’m sure none of this matters to you. London’s now been attacked by mindless terrorists, but, you know, Karl Rove is the REAL enemy.
Whether Rove is indicted or not indicted is illrelevent. Rove is a political problem for the White House becuase this story takes peoples’ mind off the President’s Agenda. I mean, when is the last time you heard anything about Social Security? Rove, being the brilliant political a**hole that he is, will resign to prevent more political fallout. Whether Rove is guilty or not-guilty is illrelevent at this point.
Here’s what former president George H.W. Bush said about that kind of crime: “Even though I’m a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors.” That’s from a speech on April 26, 1999.
Here’s what former Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie had to say on ‘Hardball’ on September 30, 2003: “I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative — it’s abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime.” Asked by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews if it would be worse than Watergate, he said, “Yeah, I suppose in terms of the real world implications of it. It’s not just politics.”
George W. Bush said when this leak became public that he “welcomed the investigation” and called the leak a “criminal action.” He pledged that anyone found to be the source would be “taken care of”.
I am so sorry that supporters of Rove on this blog don’t think that what he did was a big deal. Too bad your fellow republicans don’t think so. Roe should be fired and prosecuted. He is The worst kind of patriot (my country right or wrong kind)
President Bush wants Americans to believe he is a man of convictions and morals then he should do the right thing and fire the bum.
I’m glad you got your homework in on time, Robin. Only problem is that your quotes are not only terribly unconnected and outdated, but are also, as my friend Adam would say, “ILLrelevant” to the discussion given the facts as we know them.
So 41 has contempt for those who expose sources - and he should. Problem is Valerie Plame had been in the United States and married for two years to an Ambassador at the time of his speech. By that then, she was a covert source for nobody. Everybody in Washington knows somebody who works for the CIA.
Gillespie’s quote would be damaging were the allegation true and had Rove actually committed a crime. Neither is the case. In fact, Democrat strategist Steve McMahon (you know Steve, long-time advisor to your whack-job Chairman Howard Dean) said TONIGHT, not two years ago, but tonight on ‘Hardball’ that what Rove did does not constitute a crime. I guess its not only Republicans who are disagreeing.
Folks, this is not Watergate, its not even Monicagate, and the story is sure to go away once you’re all up-in-arms about the Supreme Court nominee. Don’t hurt yourselves - you should save your collective intellects for an argument that actually means something.
Saying Valerie Plame is a covert agent for the CIA is like saying Robin is a covert agent for the UNO Campus Democrats.
And the plot thickens…
Rove Reportedly Held Phone Talk on C.I.A. Officer
The fact that the White House is not commenting on this story furthers me to believe that this story is absolutely true. Even the press secretary is not commenting, because it turns out he lied too! If this is not a big deal why would the grand jury question Rove three times, talk to the president and the vice president. The fact is that Bush cannot fire Rove. What would the Bush administration be without Rove???
This is totally off the subject but could everyone please pray for my Friend SSG. Trisha Jameson she was an army budy of mine.
She was a good and a good soldier. My heart weeps.
I never thought that this war would be brought home to me in this way.
LATEST REGIONAL NEWS:
NE - Military deaths with Nebraska connections
(AP) - As of Friday, July 15, 2005, 22 U.S. service members with connections to Nebraska have died in Afghanistan and Iraq since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to the Department of Defense and family members.
—
Latest Nebraskan reported to be killed, according to the Nebraska Army National Guard:
-Staff Sgt. Tricia L. Jameson, 34, of Omaha was killed July 14 near Trebil, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near her ambulance as it approached wounded Marines.
—
Identifications previously reported by the Department of Defense or families of the victims:
-U.S. Army Pfc. Eric Paul Woods, 26, of Omaha was killed by an explosion on July 9 in Iraq when he stopped to help a wounded soldier on the side of a road. Woods was assigned to G Troop, 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based out of Fort Carson, Colo.
-U.S. Marine Sgt. Nick Nolte, a native of Falls City, Neb.; died Nov. 24 at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., from injuries received when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb near Baghdad.
-Lance Cpl. Shane E. Kielion, 23, of La Vista, Neb., died Nov. 15 as result of action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division based in Pendleton, Calif.
-Army 1st Lt. Edward D. Iwan, 28, Albion, Neb.; died Nov. 12 in Fallujah when a grenade struck his vehicle; assigned to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany.
-Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric L. Knott, 21, Grand Island; killed Sept. 4 in an attack in Iraq; assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, Port Hueneme, Calif.
-Sgt. 1st Class Linda Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton. Tarango-Griess of the Nebraska Army National Guard was killed July 11, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq.
-Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, 26, of Lincoln. Fischer of the Nebraska Army National Guard was killed July 11, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq.
-Lance Cpl. Kyle Codner, 19, of Shelton. Codner was killed May 26, 2004, along with two other Marines while conducting security and stability operations in Iraq’s Anbar province.
-Cpl. Matthew Henderson, 25, of Bennet. Henderson was killed with Codner and another Marine in Iraq’s Anbar province. Both Henderson and Codner were assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
-Spc. Dennis Morgan, 22, of Valentine. Morgan was killed April 17, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded south of Baghdad. He was a member of the 153rd Engineer Battalion of Winner, S.D.
-Pvt. Noah Lee Boye, 21, of Grand Island. Boye was killed when his Marine Unit came under fire near near Fallujah, Iraq.
-Sgt. David McKeever, 25, of Buffalo, N.Y. McKeever, who was buried in his wife’s hometown of Kearney, was killed April 5, 2004, in ambush outside of Baghdad. McKeever was member of the Amry’s 1st Armored Division.
-Sgt. Cory R. Mracek, 26, of Hay Springs, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. Mracek was a paratrooper killed Jan. 27, 2004, when a roadside bomb exploded west of Baghdad.
-Sgt. Dennis A. Corral, 33, of Kearney. Corral, based out of Fort Riley, Kan., was assigned to Company C, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He died Jan. 1, 2004, when traveling in a convoy to Baghdad International Airport. Officials said Corral’s vehicle went out of control and rolled over.
-Spc. James R. Wolf, 21, of Scottsbluff. An engineer assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Co. of the 52nd Engineer Battalion of the 43rd Area Support Group, based in Fort Carson, Colo., Wolf was killed Nov. 6, 2003, in Mosul, Iraq, when a homemade bomb exploded near his convoy.
-Staff Sgt. Daniel Bader, 28, of York. Assigned to Tiger Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Bader was one of 15 U.S. soldiers killed Nov. 2, 2003, in an attack on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Fallujah, Iraq.
-Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swisher, 26, of Lincoln. Assigned to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Swisher was one of two soldiers killed when their patrol was ambushed and hit by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades on Oct. 9, 2003, in Baghdad.
-Petty Officer 3rd Class David J. Moreno, 26, of Gering. Assigned to the 4th Marine Division, Moreno died July 17, 2003, in Iraq from an accidental gunshot wound. He was a Navy medic.
-Spc. Nathaniel A. Caldwell, 27, of Omaha. Assigned to the 404th Air Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Cardwell was killed May 21, 2003, when his vehicle rolled over in Baghdad. He was an Army tank mechanic.
-Capt. Travis A. Ford, 30, of Ogallala. Assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-267, marine Aircraft Group 39, Ford was killed on April 4, 2003, when his helicopter crashed near Ali Aziziyal in Iraq.
-Sgt. Philip J. Svitak, 31, of Fremont. Svitak was killed March 4, 2002, when the helicopter he was riding in was shot down in Afghanistan. Svitak was an aircraft repairman with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Please excuse my first post it is hard to type when you are crying. I wanted to say that Tricia was a good friend. She was there when my children were born. We went on lots of support missions together and when we were younger we partied a lot.
She loved the army and she was everything an NCO should be.
please pray for her family.
for those of you who question whether Vlaerie Plame was covert or not.
Comments by Andrea Mitchell, NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” July 14:
“She (Valerie Plame in 2003) was considered a CIA officer, and a covert officer at Langley. Now she had previously been what was considered under non-official cover, which meant that she was of the deepest type of undercover spy overseas, meaning she had a job in a CIA front organization, a company that took years and years to establish. And that revealing her name was serious because anyone who ever dealt with that company or with her, any foreign national CIA agent, agent that is a term used for foreigners, that person or persons could then be suspect and could then be under life-threatening conditions.”
Comments by former CIA special agent, Jack Rice, on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” July 14:
and for your information Kal I posted those quotes to show that the First President Bush when serving as the head of the CIA thought that exsposing an agent was a serious offense.
Guess what so does the College Dems and so does the American people. It is too bad that so many like you feel it is ok to play partisan games with national security
Robin: I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend.
I travel throughout small towns in the midwest and over and over see high school graduates joining the military simply because rural areas aren’t offering a lot of other opportunities. It breaks my heart.
Kel or Jordan or Jim or whatever pseudonym you’re using today: According to the latest polls, about 65% of Americans are “effin nuts” regarding this issue and want to get to the bottom of it.
I guess it’s OK to “out” covert agents, but gay “conservative” republicans should definitely be kept under wrap?
Not sure how you can be a covert officer at Langley - especially after 6 years of a very public marriage to a US Ambassador. But if Andrea Mitchell says so…………..
Robin, thanks for providing information as to why you posted those quotes, as though I somehow missed the message. However I’m sure you know that George HW Bush was not the head of the CIA in 1999 when he gave the aforementioned quote.
Anyawy, the upshot of all this is that Karl Rove was not playing partisan games with national security Robin, nor was he outing covert agents Diane. Everyone, Andrea Mitchell included, has basically attributed two quotes to Karl Rove:
“The trip was arranged by Wilson’s wife who works at the CIA,”
and
“I heard that too.”
Now I lost my secret decoder ring, but neither of those statements identifies Plame by name or by status as a former covert agent. And the reason they don’t is beacuase neither fact was then at Rove’s perosnal disposal. If by merely identifying her as Joe Wilson’s wife exposes her as a covert agent, then her, um, covertness probably wasn’t all that covert to begin with.
If someone outs a covert agent or poses as a conservative while leading a double life, I’m all for raking both over the coals. Problem is, Diane, that you have no proof of either and at the end of the day the result is the same:
Karl Rove and Jim Vokal 2
Vitriolic and ignorant partisan hacks 0.
But since you seem to be devoted to lost causes Diane, I do wish you luck in your similar effort to stop the Earth from rotating.
I’m thinking the outcome of both of those political careers are waaay too early to tell. Gotta go - I’m finishing up The Bookie of Virtues by Bill Bennett.
I am not sure what part of having NOC status you don’t understand. You seem to think stating that she worked a desk job in Langely wouldn’t have made her anyless covert since having NOC status (pronounced knock) means she would have to have two jobs one as a cover and the other her covert job.
In fact another colleague of hers says that is not uncommon and that she did have Covert status. I don’t care whether she hadn’t been overseas for 5yrs or 5 months. Outing her is wrong.
It would be like someone in the military with security clearance retiring and then devulging secrets because they had been retired for five years.
Also Kal although Plame recommended her husband for the job.(which he was very qualified to do) She was not a division Director and the final say came from her bosses at the CIA.
I think I missed the part in the CIA Undercover Agent handbook where it says you should do a spread in Vanity Fair- that definately won’t blow your cover- or having your husband right about you in his biography doesn’t halp anything either.
The New York Times- the most liberal paper in America- even said yesterday that there was no case against Rove. Robin I am sorry for your loss and will keep your friend’s family in my prayers.
geesus cris…envest in a dickshonary
Robin I know you hate me. But I am truly sorry to hear about your friend Ms. Jamieson. I will definately keep you and her family in my prayers. So sorry that this has happend to your friend. All seriousness.
As for Karl Rove. Â Once Again, Democrats Are Engaging In Blatant Political Attacks
Â
Karl Rove Discouraged A Reporter From Writing A False Story Based On A False Premise.
Â
The False Premise Was Joe Wilson’s Allegation That The Vice President Sent Him To Niger.Â
Â
The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Confirmed That Rove Was Right And Wilson Was Wrong: The Vice President Didn’t Send Wilson Anywhere.
Â
Both The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence And The CIA Found Assessments Wilson Made In His Report Were Wrong.
Â
Karl Rove Has Fully Complied With This Investigation For More Than A Year And Has Permitted Any Reporter He Spoke With About Joe Wilson To Discuss Their Conversations.Â
Â
Government Investigators Have Specifically Asked Every Witness In This Case, Including Karl Rove, Not To Discuss The Subject Matter Of The Investigation.
Â
Joe Wilson Endorsed, Advised And Donated To John Kerry’s Campaign For President.
Â
Cooper’s Own Email Claims Rove Warned Of Potential Inaccuracies In Wilson Information:
Â
“[Time Reporter Matt] Cooper Wrote That Rove Offered Him A ‘Big Warning’ Not To ‘Get Too Far Out On Wilson.’ Rove Told Cooper That Wilson’s Trip Had Not Been Authorized By ‘DCIA’ - CIA Director George Tenet - Or Vice President Dick Cheney.†(Michael Isikoff, “Matt Cooper’s Source,” Newsweek, 7/18/05)
Â
Wilson Falsely Claimed That It Was Vice President Cheney Who Sent Him To Niger, But The Vice President Has Said He Never Met Him And Didn’t Know Who Sent Him:Â
Â
Wilson Says He Traveled To Niger At CIA Request To Help Provide Response To Vice President’s Office. “In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney’s office had questions about a particular intelligence report. … The agency officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story so they could provide a response to the vice president’s office.†(Joseph C. Wilson, Op-Ed, “What I Didn’t Find In Africa,†The New York Times, 7/6/03)
Â
Joe Wilson: “What They Did, What The Office Of The Vice President Did, And, In Fact, I Believe Now From Mr. Libby’s Statement, It Was Probably The Vice President Himself …†(CNN’s “Late Edition,†8/3/03)
Â
Vice President Cheney: “I Don’t Know Joe Wilson. I’ve Never Met Joe Wilson. … And Joe Wilson - I Don’t [Know] Who Sent Joe Wilson. He Never Submitted A Report That I Ever Saw When He Came Back.†(NBC’s “Meet The Press,†9/14/03)
Â
CIA Director George Tenet: “In An Effort To Inquire About Certain Reports Involving Niger, CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Experts, On Their Own Initiative, Asked An Individual With Ties To The Region To Make A Visit To See What He Could Learn.† (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,†Press Release, 7/11/03)
Â
Tenet: “Because This Report, In Our View, Did Not Resolve Whether Iraq Was Or Was Not Seeking Uranium From Abroad, It Was Given A Normal And Wide Distribution, But We Did Not Brief It To The President, Vice-President Or Other Senior Administration Officials.†(Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,†Press Release, 7/11/03)
Â
Wilson Denied His Wife Suggested He Travel To Niger, But Documentation Showed She Proposed His Name:
Â
Wilson Claims His Wife Did Not Suggest He Travel To Niger To Investigate Reports Of Uranium Deal; Instead, Wilson Claims It Came Out Of Meeting With CIA To Discuss Report. CNN’S WOLF BLITZER: “Among other things, you had always said, always maintained, still maintain your wife, Valerie Plame, a CIA officer, had nothing to do with the decision to send to you Niger to inspect reports that uranium might be sold from Niger to Iraq. … Did Valerie Plame, your wife, come up with the idea to send you to Niger?â€Â JOE WILSON: “No. My wife served as a conduit, as I put in my book. When her supervisors asked her to contact me for the purposes of coming into the CIA to discuss all the issues surrounding this allegation of Niger selling uranium to Iraq.† (CNN’s “Lade Edition,†7/18/04)
Â
But Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Received Not Only Testimony But Actual Documentation Indicating Wilson’s Wife Proposed Him For Trip. “Some [CIA Counterproliferation Division, or CPD,] officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador’s wife ‘offered up his name’ and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12, 2002, from the former ambassador’s wife says, ‘my husband has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.’â€Â (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,†U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
Â
Wilson’s Report On Niger Had “Thin†Evidence And Did Not Change Conclusions Of Analysts And Other Reports:
Â
Officials Said Evidence Was “Thin†And His “Homework Was Shoddy.†“In the days after Wilson’s essay appeared, government officials began to steer reporters away from Wilson’s conclusions, raising questions about his veracity and the agency’s reasons for sending him in the first place. They told reporters that Wilson’s evidence was thin, said his homework was shoddy and suggested that he had been sent to Niger by the CIA only because his wife had nominated him for the job.â€Â (Michael Duffy, “Leaking With A Vengeance,†Time, 10/13/03)
Â
Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “Conclusion 13. The Report On The Former Ambassador’s Trip To Niger, Disseminated In March 2002, Did Not Change Any Analysts’ Assessments Of The Iraq-Niger Uranium Deal.†(Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq, 7/7/04)
Â
“For Most Analysts, The Information In The Report Lent More Credibility To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report On The Uranium Deal, But State Department Bureau Of Intelligence And Research (IN) Analysts Believed That The Report Supported Their Assessments That Niger Was Unlikely To Be Willing Or Able To Sell Uranium.† (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq, 7/7/04)
Â
CIA Said Wilson’s Findings Did Not Resolve The Issue. “Because [Wilson’s] report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.†(Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,†Press Release 7/11/03)Â
Â
The Butler Report Claimed That The President’s State Of the Union Statement On Uranium From Africa, “Was Well-Founded.†“We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government’s dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, were well-founded. By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that: ‘The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’ was well-founded.†(The Rt. Hon. The Lord Butler Of Brockwell, “Review Of Intelligence, On Weapons Of Mass Destruction,†7/14/04)
Â
Sens. Robert, Bond And Hatch All Dismissed Wilson’s Claims:
Â
Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Kit Bond (R-MO) And Orrin Hatch (R-UT) All Stated, “On At Least Two Occasions [Wilson] Admitted That He Had No Direct Knowledge To Support Some Of His Claims And That He Was Drawing On Either Unrelated Past Experiences Or No Information At All.†(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Additional Views Of Chairman Pat Roberts, Joined By Senator Christopher S. Bond And Senator Orrin G. Hatch; Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,†U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
Â
“The Former Ambassador, Either By Design Or Through Ignorance, Gave The American People And, For That Matter, The World A Version Of Events That Was Inaccurate, Unsubstantiated, And Misleading.†(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Additional Views Of Chairman Pat Roberts, Joined By Senator Christopher S. Bond And Senator Orrin G. Hatch; Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,†U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
Â
“[J]oe Wilson Told Anyone Who Would Listen That The President Had Lied To The American People, That The Vice President Had Lied And That He Had ‘Debunked’ The Claim That Iraq Was Seeking Uranium From Africa … Not Only Did He NOT ‘Debunk’ The Claim, He Actually Gave Some Intelligence Analysts Even More Reason To Believe That It May Be True.†(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Additional Views Of Chairman Pat Roberts, Joined By Senator Christopher S. Bond And Senator Orrin G. Hatch; Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,†U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
Â
Wilson Tied To The 2004 Kerry Campaign For President:
Â
Wilson Endorsed Kerry In October 2003. “Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to exaggerate the threat from Iraq, endorsed Democrat John Kerry for president … In a conference call with New Hampshire reporters, Wilson said he and Kerry have shared the experience of challenging their government – Wilson when he questioned the ‘rush to war’ with Iraq, Kerry when he challenged America’s role in Vietnam.†(David Tirrell-Wysocki, “Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry In Presidential Race,†The Associated Press, 10/23/03)
Â
“Wilson … Said He Has Long Been A Kerry Supporter And Has Contributed $2,000 To The Campaign This Year. He Said He Has Been Advising Kerry On Foreign Policy For About Five Months And Will Campaign For Kerry, Including A Trip To New Hampshire …†(David Tirrell-Wysocki, “Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry In Presidential Race,†The Associated Press, 10/23/03)
Â
“In Mid-May, [Wilson] Began Talking To Kerry’s Advisers About Helping The Campaign; He Made His First Donation May 23. Kerry Himself Had Not Met Wilson Until Tuesday Night At A Campaign Fund-Raiser In Potomac, Md., A Kerry Aide Said …†(Patrick Healy and Wayne Washington, “In Probe Of CIA Leak, Two Sides See Politics,†The Boston Globe, 10/2/03)
Â
“[Kerry Advisor Rand] Beers Said Wilson Communicates With Campaign Advisers At Least Once A Week.†(Patrick Healy and Wayne Washington, “In Probe Of CIA Leak, Two Sides See Politics,†The Boston Globe, 10/2/03
JOE AND CHRIS,
I don’t hate anyone. I just know that we have very different politiical beliefs.
Just because we have different political beliefs doesn’t mean we can’t be friends with people of the other party. I have many friends who are democrats.
UNO Democrats-
I wanted to let you know about some cool Ben Nelson for Senate T-Shirts being circulated out there. This is one of the cooler designs I’ve run by.
Best,
Ben Nelson Fan!!!
Sorry guys, wrong link.
Above is the correct link for the Ben Nelson 2006 shirts.
do they show ben sitting on a fence?
Hey can I order a Ben Nelson T Shirt. He is a good republicrat.
Go Judge Roberts. What a great nomination.
Don’t get too excited Joe. He probably is missing none of his teeth and likely can spell.
Oh I love Diane. Always a classic.
I meant to write this before there was a nominee but I did not have time….
Ten bucks says that whoever President Bush picks, you will say he’s evil, a fascist, will personally invade your privacy et al….
I really hope the Democratic Party will be civil about this one. Republicans overwhelming confirmed Ginsberg (an ACLU lawyer) and Breyer (a former employee of Tedward Kennedy)
P.S. Hell, knowing the way Republicans pick Supreme Court Justices (Souter etc..), ten years from now Roberts will be a liberal darling.
Don’t know if he’s evil or a racist but I can tell you without question that I’m going to invest my money in the wire coat hanger market.