[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Rodeo


Well, this is all very interesting propaganda.
-------- The far left's mission is to create a fight. Advocacy groups make their money by advocacy.Their mission is to polarize. Without a fight there is no reason for their existence.

Luckily, we have a public record to refute this baloney:
-------- exactly. The Libby cartoon show will be fun to watch.
What won't be fun is the fact that Fitz has made politics a criminal act. Reporting on politics might never be the same unless Congress passes a new law protecting journialists.

Was Plame's identity known outside the intelligence community prior to the admin smear machine going after her? With all due respect to RoninLB, I'm sure you are an upstanding member of your community (or not, who the heck knows anything on the web?), but I'll take Fitzgerald's word for it, not yours:
--------- Fitz is going to have fun proving that Libby lied based largely on the testimony of 3 journalists. Libby's lawyers and the whole US will really "Meet the Press". So far the info used to justify throwing Miller in jail has not been unsealed yet. That info was used by the judge against Miller. Fitz and the judge set a precedent that surely will be used in the future to throw reporters in jail. Fitz is now on a mission to justify his existence after he found out that there was no criminal act of mentioning Plame.
"but I'll take Fitzgerald's word for it, not yours".. No prob. Go for it. You pushed a logical position.

"Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson’s employment status was classified. Prior to that date, her affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community. Disclosure of classified information about an individual’s employment by the CIA has the potential to damage the national security in ways that range from preventing that individual’s future use in a covert capacity, to compromising intelligence-gathering methods and operations, and endangering the safety of CIA employees and those who deal with them, the indictment states."
------- the '82 IIPA act was carefully worded. It was designed to protect national security vs allowing free speech. It was not designed to protect the CIA or its employees against all public criticism. The act criminalizes when a person "clearly represent a conscious and pernicious effort to identify and expose agents with the intent to impair or impede the foreign intelligence activities of the United States. " The act doesn't forbid the identification of anyone in a "classified" status. Only real covert agents were protected.
So.. Plame was not undercover overseas or even has been posted overseas since 1997, she was living under her own name, Wilson published her name in his bio, etc.
The reason Fitz didn't charge anyone with leaking was because no crime had been committed, not because as Fitz claimed there was "insufficient evidence". Plame's name & CIA was used to rebute the implication that Wilson was selected by Cheney. There was not anything even unethical about using Plame's name. The public will understand this as Libby goes thru his trial. Fitz stated your above quote to cover his ass, as his case should have been dropped when he found this out.

As to how Wilson was sent to Niger, the Special Prosecutor tells us that as well:
"The CIA decided on its own initiative to send Wilson to Niger after an inquiry to the CIA by the Vice President concerning certain intelligence reporting. Wilson orally reported his findings to the CIA upon his return."
-------- Wilson's trip was to determine the accuracy of info. He was not sent as a covert agent. It was like an accounting audit by a somewhat outsider. The CIA's move was understandable and happened because they were skeptical of the Niger connection to Saddam.


Wilson told the truth. The president and vice president and Libby lied. Face up to it, ok?
-------- maybe Libby lied? Libby and his lawyers don't think so. Wilson was dropped by Kerry after his bs was outed. Wilson's original briefing to the CIA supported the fact that Saddam tried to get obtain yellowcake. Somehow Wilson didn't mention that in his Bush rant. Wilson is currently being used by Sen Reid to support his rants to the far left that Bush "lied us into war".
BTW... The 2004 Senate Intelligence Committee said "The committee did not find any evidence that that administration officials attempted to coerce, influence or pressure analysts to change their judgements related to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction."
The British's Butler Report found no evidence of "deliberate distortion"
The 2005 Robb-Silberman report on WMD " no evidence of political pressure to influence the Intelligence Community's pre-war assessments of Iraq's weapons programs"
Even Fitz said that "This indictment's not about the propriety of the war,"
So everyone who has looked into this so far has not found a pre-planned Bush decision to go invade Iraq.. except Wilson.