Rule #1: When asked anything, including the color of the sky, take the Fifth. And forget about “qualified immunity:” Sorry, but unless you immunize me from perjury charges too, I’m afraid that anything I say can be made into “incriminating” testimony.

Yeah. It was all lies, self-righteous indignation and politics. Sorta like you’re playing with your innuendo and hyperbole on your other ‘flamer’ assertions. A conspiracy behind every Bush mentality, I calls it. In medicine it is called B.D.S.- heavy on da “D”.

It’s all ’bout the politics, Paul, right? Feed your baloney sandwich to those ‘victimized’ folks at Kos. We’re a bunch of Clingers here! Clinging to the facts that is.

b2

As for Valeri, it’s kind of ridiculous to argue her “covert” status, when the CIA and DOJ classify her as such…

Listen to/read Fitzgerald’s press conference after the findings. IIRC, he refuses to discuss or verify Plame’s status, which many onlookers found quite striking. In fact, I think he went so far as to say he said he didn’t even investigate wither or not she was actually covert (Yeah, it’s late and I’m too freakin’ tired to look it up. It’s not too hard to find when one’s eyes aren’t crossing, though). It’s hard to call that a DOJ classification of her as covert…

The Yellowcake claim in the SOTU was NOT based on an Italian report. As the text of the speech itself indicates, it was based on findings by the British, findings that — to this day — the British still stand behind.

And one more thing… read what the bi/non-partisan panel investigating 9-11 had to say about Wilson. It’s not complimentary, nor does it substantiate the story he’s now peddling (and which you apparently believe).

I have a major problem. I have a horrendous cold, chest, nose, sinuses, and ears a popping. My writing and thinking is down to a worms crawl (I know, I left my self wide open). Just a couple of points, then I have to close down:

(1) It was the CIA that classified Valerie Plame as a covert agent in its referral to the Department of Justice (DOJ). That referral was reviewed by DOJ as to validity (was Plame covert, was her cover blown) before any investigation could begin. DOJ decided that Valeri Plame was covert, based on the information submitted.

(Strikes me that Ms. Matthews and others on this blog are kicking the wrong dog. Its not me they have to discredit, it is the CIA and DOJ. The CIA for its original referral, DOJ for on review, accepting that Ms. Plame was covert).

(2) Joe Wilson poses a more difficult problem, you have to battle your way through allot of smoke and urban legends do get your hands around the story. Start with yellow cake (low grade uranium concentrate that has to be significantly enriched to be of any use). The Italian Secrete Service passed on to the CIA a series of documents (with a warning that they were bogus) allegedly showing that Sadam was seeking yellow cake from Niger.

Despite CIA warnings that this information was probably bogus, it appeared in a State of the Union address (the famous 17 words) and was subsequently repeatedly advanced as proof that Sadam was seeking the A-Bomb (Condi Rices’ mushroom cloud metaphors, and the big guy from Montana)).

(Here you can digress, and pose the following question: Did Sadam have a WMD program that included A-Bomb potential? If yes, you have to present some proof, if no, you have the UN inspectors’ reports, and those reports submitted by on the US ground inspectors. There is no evidence that Sadam had an active A-Bomb program.)

Joe Wilson goes the Niger, returns, and writes a report stating that the claim Sadam was seeking yellow cake was bogus. The report disappears into the bowls of the CIA…

Six months later, Joe Wilson goes public with the yellow cake story.

Let’s put this bug to bed. The central issue with Joe Wilson is not the mud that folks have pelted him with, its whether his column in the Times was accurate. And that one is straightforward, either Sadam had an active A-Bomb weapons program or he did not. As for Valeri, it’s kind of ridiculous to argue her “covert” status, when the CIA and DOJ classify her as such…

After a hard slog across a reasonable body of water, after the sails have been flaked and tied down, after the anchor has been set, its rum laced with fresh lemon juice. A few sugar cubs, and splash of boiling hot water – I’ll go for the villainous companions, but could we have one or two guys who can spin a good shaggy dog story?

You may not realize this, but the CIA probably has more than 100,000 employees, at Langley and in the field. Keeping them all a “secret” would be an impossibility in the leak-prone world of Washington.. When Richard Nixon was President, he once said, irritatedly, “I’ve got 40,000 people at Langley, sitting on their duffs and reading newspapers…”

So let’s be realistic, OP. Valerie was not “covert,” she was an office worker, who is now trying to pump up publicity for the movie about her imaginary life that Hollywood is making. If you buy into that, I’ve got a lovely bridge in New York you might want to buy as well. If you’re interested, call my agent.

Marianne Matthews