A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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July 13, 2006All's Fair In Love and War?In case you didn't know, it appears that Valerie Plame has filed a lawsuit against Dick Cheney, for the whole CIA leak fiasco. There's been a thought stuck in my head for a while now, and recent events have forced me to finally share my thoughts on it. The general consensus amongst the pro-Bush camp on this is a justification of the leak, that fluctuates between the idea that either Plame wasn't really covert, and the idea that even if she was, her outing was necessary, in order to counter the falsehoods of her husband, Ambadassor Joe Wilson. I'm a supporter of the war (a fact well-established amongst these quarters), but I'm wondering whether attacking the husband, by going after the wife, is just, circumstances nothwithstanding. I get the idea that Joe Wilson's assertions about Iraq and uranium needed to be countered, at the very least, subjected to scrutiny. There is a legitimate amount of convincing evidence that Wilson is at the very least suspect, and at worst, an unscrupulous fraud. I get the idea that his asertions needed to be countered, but assuming his wife was indeed covert (and it seems clear to me that she most likely was), was it necessary to leak his wife's identity, in order to legitimately discredit him? It seems to me that it would have been entirely possible to counter his assertions, without potentially endangering his wife. Was Wilson so capable of doing fatal violence to the war plan for Iraq, that all attempts to undermine him and his credentials are somehow justified? I just find it hard to climb aboard that train. Posted by Rafique Tucker at July 13, 2006 06:34 PMComments
Quick take--the Wilsons are firming up their leftie creds. My guess is that the suit will be abandoned after they trade discovery motions. Most of what the Wilsons would want to drag out would be classified, or subject to privilege. But damn near nothing that Rove, Libby, and Cheney would want dragged out about the Wilsons would be, and you KNOW they'll go straight for the embarrassing. So Joe and Valerie (secretly on the cover of Vanity Fair!) are standing up to exercise their right of re-martyrdom, a pretty classic grandstanding technique of wingers seeking spotlights and adulation. Maybe the lecture gigs were drying up. Posted by: Tully at July 13, 2006 07:38 PMIt was her idea to send her husband on a sensitive mission for which he was not, in fact, qualified. I find it difficult to believe that she was not part of the anti-Bush CIA faction. So no, I don't think it was particularly possible to discredit him without bringing her into it. There is a faction of the CIA who is hell-bent on attacking the President, often by leaking classified information. That doesn't justify leaks in return, but it's something the country needs to know about (the NYT doesn't agree, but that's another story). Also, as a factual matter, the first public airing of Wilson's wife was by Robert Novak. And Novak has recently made it very clear that the first person he heard it from did so inadvertently and is NOT any sort of partisan shill. From a strictly legal standpoint, once that source (whom everybody now believes is Dick Armitage) told Novak, the damage was inevitable. Even if Cheney told Libby to leak, that wasn't the cause-in-fact of any damages suffered by Plame. Posted by: PatHMV at July 13, 2006 08:30 PMThis one smells of dead fish. Nothing but a show case. There are so many protections for actions of political figures, I half expect this to be dismissed in summary judgement. The first amendment action is a complete joke. I can not see this fishing expeditions even working to do what I think their real reason is, they simply want discovery so they can post stuff publically. I doubt it makes it that far. Posted by: Jim M at July 13, 2006 08:38 PMPat, one thing about your comments on some in the CIA leaking against the president: I think that may be an oversimplification. My feeling is that the leaks would be more of an interagency power struggle between Intel in DOD and CIA, assuming that is where the leaks are coming from. I still think the leaks are coming from outside the Intel communtity and not from within it, though. Posted by: Jim M at July 13, 2006 08:44 PMAll good points, everyone. I've no doubt this case will either die off, or create enough havoc for Joe and Valerie Wilson for them to wish it had. Posted by: Rafique Tucker at July 13, 2006 09:01 PMyawn. Posted by: bernie at July 13, 2006 09:04 PMJim, there's been a continual stream of leaks from inside the CIA and the State Dept since Bush was sworn in, going back to before 9/11. CIA in particular got worse after 9/11, when the head of the CIA was "demoted" from customary head of the Intel Community, and was placed under the Director of National Intelligence. The DC bureaucracy is a force unto itself. The idea that the President is "in charge" is, as any President can attest, a myth. Politicians come and go, but the career bureaucracy is entrenched. They believe they are the real power in government. They may be right. But they certainly have their own ways of screwing over the politicians that threaten them. Clinton handled it by ignoring it, and mostly letting the bureaucrats at State and CIA set the policies and run the agencies. Posted by: Tully at July 13, 2006 09:37 PMGreat point! "Was Wilson so capable of doing fatal violence to the war plan for Iraq, that all attempts to undermine him and his credentials are somehow justified?" IF the Niger docs were the primary "proof" the administration had, they would have gone to any length to defend. If they had a solid case of which that was only a tiny part, it wouldn't have mattered so much. Is the case grounded? Probably not. We know, or suspect, there wasn't enough grounds to indict anyone but "Scooter." (I can't help but call him that) That doesn't mean there wasn't a campaign against him, however--I think it's clear there was. Posted by: JP at July 13, 2006 11:35 PMJP, the forged Niger documents didn't surface until after Wilson's trip. They were not the basis for that trip, despite his public rants. He so stated himself in sworn testimony to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee. Their report makes for good reading. Posted by: Tully at July 14, 2006 09:33 AMSo Joe and Valerie (secretly on the cover of Vanity Fair!) Wasn't that after the Novak piece? Posted by: rob at July 14, 2006 09:48 AMWhich itself was after Wilson's piece on the op/ed pages of the New York Times, Rob. Wilson wasn't dragged into the limelight by Novak. He clawed his way into it himself, or Novak wouldn't have been looking at him in the firt place. Now Wilson complains people actually looked at his op/ed and investigated his allegations--and the person who wrote them. And found them wanting in veracity. If you want to remain "private," don't make yourself public. Given the nature of his claims, Plame's exposure by the press as the CIA staffer who suggested him for the trip was certain after Wilson started prominently ranting in public. The only questions were how long it would take, and who would connect the dots and publish first. (Novak, and it took him a week.) Posted by: Tully at July 14, 2006 10:18 AMAnd now I find out that Val's $2.5 mil book deal fell apart when there were no IIPA indictments, and that the talks with a new publisher turned sour when Rove wasn't indicted. The picture is all so much clearer now.... 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