It's looking more and more like the republican are trying to out-do the definition of "is". Apparently, the latest spin is that now Rove heard of Valerie Plame from Novakula. Then he went off to confirm that veracity of the Novaks' claim and subsequently trashed Wilson and his wife.
Karl Rove, the White House senior adviser, spoke with the columnist Robert D. Novak as he was preparing an article in July 2003 that identified a C.I.A. officer who was undercover, someone who has been officially briefed on the matter said.
Mr. Rove has told investigators that he learned from the columnist the name of the C.I.A. officer, who was referred to by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, and the circumstances in which her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, traveled to Africa to investigate possible uranium sales to Iraq, the person said.
After hearing Mr. Novak's account, the person who has been briefed on the matter said, Mr. Rove told the columnist: "I heard that, too."
The previously undisclosed telephone conversation, which took place on July 8, 2003, was initiated by Mr. Novak, the person who has been briefed on the matter said.
This seems wrong on two levels, one it fits too neatly into the denial of culpability by Rove. Apparently Novak has already talked to the Grand Jury and if he was the source of Rove's information the investigation would have led from Novak to his source, unless that's actually Rove. Second, if Rove had gotten that kind of information from Novak, unless he's a complete moron his next call should have beent to the CIA internal security folks, who are VERY paranoid about leaks involving covert operations. They would have started looking for a leaker pretty damn fast. Rove, by not calling CIA immediately sort of leaves himself open to liability for that offense. He knew that classified information had been betrayed, and did nothing with that knowledge except use it for political advantage. Having a Top Secret clearance means always having to say "I'm Sorry" and face prosecution and/or sanctions, starting with losing your clearance, if you ever get caught misusing your clearance for any reason.
posted by Jo Fish on 07.15.05 at 01:13 PM
Comments:
The amount of spin and lies coming from the right over this is disturbing but unfortunately not unexpected considering the bastards we're dealing with here.
Most people do not realize that there are different levels of Top Secret.
For instance, the Manhattan Project was Top Secret. But this did not mean all people in the U.S. government, military or civilian, with a Top Secret Security Clearance, had access to information about the Manhattan Project. Did they have a need-to-know? If not, then they were barred, by presidential order, from knowing anything about the nuclear bomb project during World War II.
Valerie Plame Wilson's NOC status at the CIA is comparable to the Manhattan Project-level of secrecy. Very few people in the U.S. government would have had a need to have known anything at all about Mrs. Wilson, even if they had a Top Secret Clearance.
So, what was the problem with the memo that Colin Powell was reportedly carrying around with him on the presidential African trip in early July 2003? The memo that openly mentioned that Mrs. Wilson was a CIA operative? The memo that was probably passed around on Air Force One and read by everyone on board?
Her name wasn't redacted.
It will be highly interesting to find out who wrote this memo and authorized it's release. Apparently, they didn't take the time to check with Mrs. Wilson's CIA surpervisor, or CIA chief George Tenet, to ascertain if there might be a security problem if her name was not redacted. Or maybe they did check and an executive decision was made to leave it unredacted?
Oh, wait, maybe this is why George Tenet was awarded the Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush. To buy his silence? To reward him for a job well-done? Someone in the Bush administration must have okayed the memo the way it was written with Mrs. Wilson's name exposed in all it's violation-of-national-security glory.
Hey, they had a smear campaign to run against Joe Wilson and it wouldn't have helped to have his wife's name and CIA position redacted, would it?
Oooooh, I see where Patrick Fitzgerald is going in his investigation. And a whole lot of heads are getting ready to roll in the Bush administration. But that's understandable. All of them are a national security risk in one way or another.
posted by: The Oracle on 07.16.05 at 08:47 AM [permalink]
Agreed. RICO experience by Fitzgerald, the mob busting prosecutor. A republican as well. Hard to call him partisan...
I asked Rep.Conyers to place him on the short list for SCOTUS nominees. :)
Imagine the look on Bush's face if he heard someone say that!
Wilson says he named two TOP people(POTUS,VP,NSA,DoD,Sec of State).
Another possible- former Dep't of Energy head whose Intel Community authority was on par with CIA or FBI under Tenet's DCI leadership, as part of the NNSA on proliferation.
He's an ol' Enron buddy and buddy-buddy w/ Cheney/Bush.
He was the swing vote for any item the traditional channels blocked.
Anyways the TOP names have to be Cheney(to the CIA everyday) and Condi.
Nonredacted is easy- PATRIOT II was passed at the time...
Bush had complete transparency of any others and authority to strike from record anything to implicate him unless part of an investigation.
Keep watching "All the President's Men" the last couple of weeks.
"Going to spend time with family..."
"Deep background..."
"Follow the Money..."
Seems like these guys are playing the same tune.
"It's the entire Intelligence Community".
posted by: Mr.Murder on 07.17.05 at 09:45 AM [permalink]
