Preznit Leak Plugger was apparently making politically motivated leaks to silence Joe Wilson, ensuring that information that was classified something like TS/SCI (Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information) was used for pure political gain.
President Bush authorized White House official I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to disclose highly sensitive intelligence information to the news media in an attempt to discredit a CIA adviser whose views undermined the rationale for the invasion of Iraq, according to a federal prosecutor's account of Libby's testimony to a grand jury.
Now there is some debate in the wingnut-o-sphere about whether or not the Preznit "declassifying" stuff is illegal or not, since he's sort of the defacto "classification" authority by law, I guess.
But, SCI info is not normally shared and even when it finally hits the public domain years (if it ever does) it's usually so stale and heavily redacted that historians and archivists can only make any sense of it be contextual references to other contemporaneous documents. So, yeah it's a big deal to try to commit character assasination via classified documents. Imagine the manufactured outrage platoons being led by Conveniently Christofacist Tommy-boy Delay if this were committed by the Clenis™. Outrage of biblical proportions, my friends.
To keep it all in perspective, here's my friend Jane Hamsher from FireDogLake:
...Bush constantly reinforces the lie that he must have unlimited powers in order to fight terrorists, but in fact he uses this unchecked authority to fight journalists. ...
But Clinton got a blowjob.
posted by Jo Fish on 04.07.06 at 01:09 PM
Comments:
Always the same MO with this crew. They made vague statements to the press, to cover this leak, just like they made vague statements to selected members of congress to cover up the wire tapping. Just like the AT just made a vague statement about the possiblity this executive power could be used to tap domestic phone lines, emails etc.
I remember Bill Clinton as being an expert at responding to news, and using spin to his advantage. This crew has taken it to another level, actually creating news. Not a doubt in my mind, they leaked the bogus service memo to Dan Rather and crew, and we are going to see more of that type of tactic. Reporters need to be very carefull. Too bad, there are enough of them like Miller who are all about the glammer and money, and have no ethics.
Just a ton of monopolization of perception, enforcing trivial demands, degradation, and threats. The communist coercive methods mixed with good old fashioned corruption, blackmail, and pay offs.
I have been looking at the election map. I do not see how the Democrats gain control of the Senate in 06, and the house does not look so hot either, yet expectations have been put at that level. I can see the Fox news headlines now- Republicans only lose 10 seats in a year that was supposed to be for the Democrats...will the Democrats ever learn, will they ever have an agenda?
You really think we will take the house joe? The Senate?
Great to see the dems coming out with a positon on the war. Frankly, they capitulated for too long.
