NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, at least - that's the NEW story. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060407/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_28)


The White House on Friday declined to challenge assertions that President Bush authorized the leaks of intelligence information to counter administration critics on Iraq.

But Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, appeared to draw a distinction about Bush's oft-stated opposition to leaks.

"There is a difference between providing declassified information to the public when it's in the public interest and leaking classified information that involved sensitive national intelligence regarding our security," he said.



So, if blowing Plame's cover as well as the entire Brewster Williams CIA cover operation (including their monitoring of nuclear developments in Iran) was "in the public interest", why the Hell didn't GW just fess up to it all a year or so ago, explain why he did it, revel in the pride that such a selfless public service must have instilled in him, and saved the taxpayers a shitload of money investigating the leak not to mention Scooter's career that he trashed trying to cover it all up?

I mean - since it was all such a GOOD thing and all that.....

*tries to control her rant*

and if it was so "in the public interest" why the fuck was it necessary to be so sneaky about it?

is the president of the united states so powerless that his only weapon is to leak sensitive information to newspaper columnists?? if he had a problem with joe wilson why not discredit HIM? why not just fire HER? isnt that punishment enough? in what way was it a good idea to put so many lives in jeopardy because mr wilson didnt keep the party line??

i saw video of bush saying that if the leak was traced back to the whitehouse, the leaker would be fired. i eagerly await the resignation of both george bush and dick cheney.

Besides that, the new spin is that this was nothing more than a premature release of the NIE on Iraq that was officially declassified ten days later.


I have read that esitmate.


Funny thing: Plame's name isn't in there in any version I saw.


So how is this new excuse somehow explaining how her name got dragged through the mud in a smear against her husband? Shouldn't she be in there if the release of her name was directly related to the release of the document?

"There is a difference between providing declassified information to the public when it's in the public interest and leaking classified information that involved sensitive national intelligence regarding our security," he said.

Yes, there is a difference genius. Wow what a profound statement, saying nothing at all. Or does it say something? Is he reallys ayign that Plamegate was done for the good of the public? It would seem so, because otherwise he would seem to be taking a stance against Bush and why would the Whitehouse spokesman do that? That sure aint gunna happen. *still confused*

i feel sorry for Scott McClellan. he has to get up before the press and lie day after day. sure he does the job willingly but even he must get sick of it

did you see the daily show the time where he was talking about how the press and redcross had no need to interview the detainees at guantanamo bay because "they are trained to lie" ? jon stewart laughed so hard that a man like mcclellan had the balls to say it.

i feel sorry for Scott McClellan. he has to get up before the press and lie day after day. sure he does the job willingly but even he must get sick of it

did you see the daily show the time where he was talking about how the press and redcross had no need to interview the detainees at guantanamo bay because "they are trained to lie" ? jon stewart laughed so hard that a man like mcclellan had the balls to say it.

I feel for him too.... a bit.

But on the bright side, Scott is personally maintaining the livelihood of 317 employees at the Pepto Bismal and Excedrin factories. Doing his small bit to keep jobs in America.....

A good read from Greg Palast on the issue.


GANGSTER GOVERNMENT
A LEAKY PRESIDENT RUNS AFOUL OF 'LITTLE RICO'
Buzzflash
by Greg Palast
Sunday, April 9, 2006

It's a crime. No kidding. But the media has it all wrong. As usual.

'Scooter' Libby finally outed 'Mr. Big,' the perpetrator of the heinous
disclosure of the name of secret agent Valerie Plame. It was the
President of United States himself -- in conspiracy with his Vice-President.
Now the pundits are arguing over whether our war-a-holic President had
the legal right to leak this national security information. But, that's
a fake debate meant to distract you.

OK, let's accept the White House alibi that releasing Plame's identity
was no crime. But if that's true, they've committed a BIGGER crime:
Bush and Cheney knowingly withheld vital information from a grand jury
investigation, a multimillion dollar inquiry the perps themselves
authorized. That's akin to calling in a false fire alarm or calling the cops
for a burglary that never happened -- but far, far worse. Let's not
forget that in the hunt for the perpetrator of this non-crime, reporter
Judith Miller went to jail.

Think about that. While Miller sat in a prison cell, Bush and Cheney
were laughing their sick heads off, knowing the grand jury testimony, the
special prosecutor's subpoenas and the FBI's terrorizing newsrooms were
nothing but fake props in Bush's elaborate charade, Cheney's Big Con.

On February 10, 2004, our not-so-dumb-as-he-sounds President stated,
"Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration
who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified
information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action.
And this investigation is a good thing. ...And if people have got solid
information, please come forward with it."

Notice Bush's cleverly crafted words. He says he can't name anyone who
leaked this "classified" info -- knowing full well he'd de-classified
it. Far from letting Bush off the hook, it worsens the crime. For years,
I worked as a government investigator and, let me tell you, Bush and
Cheney withholding material information from the grand jury is a felony.
Several felonies, actually: abuse of legal process, fraud, racketeering
and, that old standby, obstruction of justice.

If you or I had manipulated the legal system this way, we'd be breaking
rocks on a chain gang. We wouldn't even get a trial -- most judges
would consider this a "fraud upon the court" and send us to the slammer in
minutes using the bench's power to administer instant punishment for
contempt of the judicial system.

Why'd they do it? The White House junta did the deed for the most evil
of motives: to hoodwink the public during the 2004 election campaign,
to pretend that evil anti-Bush elements were undermining the Republic,
when it was the Bush element itself at the center of the conspiracy.
(Notably, elections trickery also motivated Richard Nixon's "plumbers" to
break into the Watergate, then the Democratic Party campaign
headquarters.)

Let me draft the indictment for you as I would have were I still a
government gumshoe:

"Perpetrator Lewis Libby (alias, 'Scooter') contacted Miller; while
John Doe 1 contacted perpetrators' shill at the Washington Post, Bob
Woodward, in furtherance of a scheme directed by George Bush (alias 'The
POTUS') and Dick Cheney (alias, 'The Veep') to release intelligence
information fraudulently proffered as 'classified,' and thereinafter,
knowingly withheld material evidence from a grand jury empanelled to
investigate said disclosure. Furthermore, perpetrator 'The POTUS' made material
statements designed to deceive investigators and knowingly misrepresent
his state of knowledge of the facts."

Statements aimed at misleading grand jury investigators are hard-time
offenses. It doesn't matter that Bush's too-clever little quip was made
to the press and not under oath. I've cited press releases and comments
in the New York Times in court as evidence of fraud. By not swearing to
his disingenuous statement, Bush gets off the perjury hook, but he
committed a crime nonetheless, "deliberate concealment."

Here's how the law works (and hopefully, it will). The Bush gang's use
of the telephone in this con game constituted wire fraud. Furthermore,
while presidents may leak ("declassify") intelligence information, they
may not obstruct justice; that is, send a grand jury on a wild goose
chase. Under the 'RICO' statute (named after the Edward G. Robinson movie
mobster, 'Little Rico'), the combination of these crimes makes the Bush
executive branch a "racketeering enterprise."

So, book'm, Dan-o. Time to read The POTUS and The Veep their rights.

After setting their bail (following the impeachments and removals, of
course), a judge will have a more intriguing matter to address. The RICO
law requires the Feds to seize all "ill-gotten gains" of a racketeering
enterprise, even before trial. Usually we're talking fast cars and
diamond bling. But in this case, the conspirators' purloined booty includes
a stolen election and a fraudulently obtained authorization for war. I
see no reason why a judge could not impound the 82d Airborne as "fruits
of the fraud " -- lock, stock and gun barrels -- and bring the boys
home.

And if justice is to be done we will will also have to run yellow tape
across the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- "CRIME SCENE - DO NOT
ENTER" -- and return the White House to its rightful owners, the
American people, the victims of this gangster government.

**********
Former racketeering investigator Greg Palast is author of "ARMED
MADHOUSE: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War," to be released in June. Subscribe to the new podcast of our columns at
www.GregPalast.com (http://www.GregPalast.com)

Yeah, it was sooo vital to the national interest that we all be told what some obscure guy's even more obscure wife did for a living. It was also vitally vital to the nation that this information be "leaked" in the form of insulting and belittling dismissals of Wilson along the lines of "feh, his wife was just sending him on a junket" -- emphasis on the "his wife" because all Americans know that if a wife is involved then it's not serious. :rolleyes:

Oh, and don't waste tears on Scott McClellan. He has earned his ulcer. Anyway, he's a front runner in the Who'll Quit Next? stakes. I don't know what the WH press corps will do without him. They so enjoy fighting with him. ;)

Does this suprise anyone? Since the beginning of this, it was obvious that the administration and those who supported it generally thought the leak was justified. I'd like to shit in this administration's collective mouth, but I don't think the leak is going to do much to him.

Right now those going after Bush need to concentrate on how Bush lied to the public, as a sizeable amount of the public do not care about Plame.

Does this suprise anyone? Since the beginning of this, it was obvious that the administration and those who supported it generally thought the leak was justified. I'd like to shit in this administration's collective mouth, but I don't think the leak is going to do much to him.

Right now those going after Bush need to concentrate on how Bush lied to the public, as a sizeable amount of the public do not care about Plame.

Then the wingers will seize on the "but he wasn't under oath when HE lied, so it's ok," thing

Can we stop putting "gate" after scandals? Please?