Woodward Reveals Important Clues About White House Smear Campaign
Woodward Reveals Important Clues About White House Smear Campaign
From Woodward’s appearance on Larry King “Live†tonight:
Question: Your source, did the source indicate whether Ms. Plame was an undercover agent or a desk analyst?
Woodward: Good question. And specifically said that — the source did — that she was a WMD, weapons of mass destruction, analyst. Now, I’ve been covering the CIA for over three decades, and analysts, except — in fact, I don’t even know of a case. Maybe there are cases. But they’re not undercover. They are people who take other information and analyze it. And so — and if you were there at this moment in mid-June when this was said, there was no suggestion that it was sensitive, that it was secret.
This exchange is extremely important. From the indictment, we learned that Vice President Cheney told Scooter Libby that Plame worked in the “Counterproliferation Division,†an agency in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations (DO) – see fact #9. The DO is well-known as the clandestine arm of the CIA.
Working at the CIA as an analyst on “weapons of mass destruction,†however, is part of the Directorate of Intelligence (DI), which is “on the overt side of the CIA.†Recall, Novak’s source also told him Plame worked as an “Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction.†Matt Cooper was similarly told that Plame worked at the “Agency” on “WMD.” And Judith Miller? Same deal — she was told Plame worked at “WINPAC” (the more formal acronym for the Agency’s work on weapons of mass destruction).
So, at some point along this chain, someone in the Bush administration changed Valerie Plame’s job affiliation with the CIA, possibly to convince reporters that it was OK to report on her. Were Woodward, Miller, Novak, and Cooper all intentionally deceived about Plame’s status? If so, it strongly suggests the outing of Valerie Plame was not unintentional.
UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has video of Woodward’s appearance.
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Question for Bob:
Would he have come forward earlier if Fitzgerld had come out with information that Plame was indeed undercover, her identy was secret?
How can he in any circumstance justify not going to Fitz? Has he lost all sense of civic responsibility?
November 21st, 2005 at 9:55 pmGood find. The evidence appears overwhelming — they changed her job title to out her. Unreal.
November 21st, 2005 at 10:00 pmWow! Fantastic revelation!!!
These really are shifty b*****ds! It’s now very clear just how intentional BushCo’s deceipt has been.
Bush must be impeached!!!
November 21st, 2005 at 10:50 pmI would have come forward earlier but I could not wipe Dick Cheney’s creative juices off of my chin.
Boob Wayward, discredited journalist, midwest bumpkin, most annoying speech pattern in the universe.
-GSD
November 21st, 2005 at 11:05 pmGood work, Faiz!
November 21st, 2005 at 11:20 pmI am sure Fitzgerald is sorting all of this out. This case is stronger yet more complex every day.
These war criminals in the WH must think they are totally untouchable. I guess their plan B for wilson was to send him, as krash-cart-cheeney would say…to “the tropics”.
I sure want to be tuned in when they do the perp walk out of the WH, and onward to the Hague.
This job title presto changeo is just like the presto changeo of MK77, really bad if Saddam uses it, not so much if the US uses it the same way.
Ever feel like you are in a really bad game of three card monty with these freaks?
November 21st, 2005 at 11:30 pmFor more on Woodward and the latest PlameGate articles, briefings, statutes, and other key documents, see:
“The PlameGate Resource Center”
November 21st, 2005 at 11:36 pmI think you’re grasping at straws.
To begin, they would have never let her remain a covert op knowing that Joe Wilson worked for Alamoudi at Rock Creek. Have you ever checked that guy out? A few mentions here and there of suspected Bin Laden ties let’s just say. And Joe has a big mouth. Too big of a security risk.
Second, they released her memo in the senate intelligence committee with her name on it.
Third, it has never been determined just how many journalists, friends, neighbors, diplomats etc. around D.C. knew who she was. Remember, she told Joe–a married man–that she worked for the agency on their third date. And then there’s General Vallely–with no proof that he lied.
Fourth, if she was covert, Fitz whould have gotten them for it as agressive as he is–and he didn’t. He ducked the question.
Fifth, Woodward isn’t telling the whole story. But he has talked to people in the agency who confirmed that she was not covert. Remember his statements that her so-called outing caused minimal damage if any? He would not have said that if it were not so–too much of a risk. My guess is, he might be working on a story that includes some juicy background details on the Wilsons and their contacts. I hope that’s the case, because the bulk of the mainstream media is ignoring a very important story.
And finally, wouldn’t you like to know how a retired ex-ambassador with two ex-wives and a mid-level federal employee ended up in a fancy house in an exclusive D.C neighborhood with a jag in the driveway? Aren’t you in the least bit curious about exactly what Joe did for his buddy Mohamed? He said NOTHING about his business in “The Politics of Truth.” Why not?
Sorry, but all this just isn’t turning out as planned. But I will agree, it stinks to high heaven.
November 21st, 2005 at 11:56 pm#8 -
November 22nd, 2005 at 12:42 amFive errors do not make a case. Have you confused Rove with Wilson?
Everyone who got the leak had been working to put over the cause for a war on Iraq —
What had Woodward been doing re Iraq — ?
And what he has been doing re Fitzpatrick all this time is very clear —
One way or the other he’s been working for the administration — either to feather his own nest or because he believes in their cause —
All of that makes what he’s saying now questionable –
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:48 amOne problem with all the assertions about whether the Bush administration intentionally changed the status of Valerie Plame is that Fitzerald did not indict anyone on outing Ms. Plame or that even if anyone did that that would have been enough to indict anyone per the law. One should go and read Ms. Victoria Tonsing’s comments about the law she co-wrote regarding the outing of an agent about it limited scope as applied to this case-she said this almost from early on.
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:41 amRyan, that Independent story really isn’t new. The CPA’s interim constitution called for privatizing virtually everything in Iraq and those provisions were required to be sucked over into the recently approved but never read Iraqi constitution. What the Independent confirms is that only US and UK firms will be carving up the beast, but that should come as no surprise given Dubya’s and Cheney’s prior rhetoric. Voiding Saddam Hussein’s deals with the Rrench and Russians always seemed to be the principal reason to use the US armed forces as ExxonMobil’s gendarmerie. The Independent’s sleuthing just made that more explicit.
November 22nd, 2005 at 6:04 amSo you’re “shocked!…Shocked!!” that Ms. Plame’s identity came out after:
>She was the impetus for getting her unqualified-for-the-job husband sent on a no-confidentiality-clause mission for the CIA…
>Her husband wrote an op-ed piece for the NY Times in which he describes his taxpayer-funded trip to Niger, falsely asserts that he was there at the behest of the VP, and basically calls the POTUS a liar.
>Her husband hits the airwaves,promoting his book and blabbing to the world about his trip?
You REALLY expected her identity / occupation to remain a secret after all that?
If so, you’re more naive than I thought.
November 22nd, 2005 at 7:49 amIRI in a nutshell:
Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal? Henry E. Adams, Lester W. Wright, Jr., and Bethany A. Lohr University of Georgia
The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.
APA doesn’t have free access to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology’s archives, so a direct link is out of the question, but the citation for the article is:
Adams, Henry E. (Ph.D.); Wright, Lester W., Jr. (Ph.D.); and Lohr, Bethany A. ‘Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?’ Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp 440-445.
A press release describing the findings is here:
http://www.philosophy-religion.org/handouts/homophobia.htm
November 22nd, 2005 at 7:55 amThe skank ho, and the rest of them, in a nutshell:
Pseudoconservativism is among other things a disorder in relation to authority, characterized by an inability to find other modes for human relationship than those of more or less complete domination or submission. The pseudo-conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition. [He] sees his own country as being so weak that it is constantly about to fall victim to subversion; and yet he feels that it is so all-powerful that any failure it may experience in getting its way in the world cannot possibly be due to its limitations but must be attributed to its having been betrayed.
Richard Hofstadter, The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays, 1965:
http://karws.gso.uri.edu/JFK/conspiracy_theory/the_paranoid_mentality/The_paranoid_style.html
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:00 amTomaig in a nutshell:
http://www.nads.org/
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:02 amJEEZUS!!! BUSH WAS GOING TO BOMB AL-JAZEERA!!!! Seems Blair talked him out of it… ok, look, these people need to be impeached and arrested immediately.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051122/wl_uk_afp/qatarusbritainmediajazeera_051122073919
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:12 amWoodward said he did not believe that there was a vast conspiracy to out Plame because of the “casual manner he received the information.” This is outrageous. All of the disclosures pertaining to Plame’s name were casual because the reporters were good friends with their sources.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:21 am#15, it’s embarrassing to be so far behind on your talking points.
Did you miss the part where Plame recused herself from the decision as to whether Joe Wilson should be sent to Niger?
Did you miss the part where Wilson wrote in his op-ed that he was sent by the CIA in its follow up to a question from Cheney?
Did you miss the central accusation in the op-ed that the Bushies “twisted and exaggerated” the WMD threat, and if so, why choose to reinvent what was written?
Did you miss the fact that it is not unlawful for the spouse of a CIA agent to write a book about himself?
Yes, Tomaig, you missed all that stuff, and the fact that being part of the Directorate of Operations means your status with the CIA is classified… until that information is officially declassified, or some traitor declassifies it.
I’m sorry man, you’re so freakin’ naive you didn’t even realize you had a glass house when you lobbed that stone.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:23 amHere’s a shining example of liberal “thinking”, as lame and nasty and juvenile as it is…
Tomaig in a nutshell:
http://www.nads.org/
Comment by KillCon2005 — November 22, 2005
National Association for Down Syndrome
This is what you have to sink to? This is your idea of a rebuttal?
Because I bring up some…uncomfortable “real-world” issues that you lefties, in your widdle “hatebush!HateBush!HATEBUSH!!” blindered view of the world, don’t like…
Because of that you-in your bottom-of-the-barrel desperation – have to resort to the most childish and insensitive and just outright STUPID jibes because you have no facts on your side….
Dumb Fox brings up some minutae , some “well it COULD have happened that way!” rationales but the fact remains…
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:48 amIf you actually expected for Ms. Plame’s identity / occupation to remain a secret after all the VERY public preening her hubby did, after all the attention he himself brought to his trip – well, you’re a bit out of touch with the way the real world works.
He is both complicit and being used at the same time.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:52 amhttp://patrickjfitzgerald.blogspot.com
It seems the radical-right will smear anyone for telling the truth about their calumny leading us to war.
It has always been about the oil. GOP = Greed, Oil, Power. Until the oil is gone, or until we kick the current liars out of the White House, we will always be in the region from whence the oil comes.
Need proof? North Korea has weapons of mass destruction that can hit US cities. They have missiles that can actually hit the US, and the WH doesn’t care because there is no oil. (So much for the WMD hype.) Wilson proved that the Bush administration “dressed up” the info to feed his rational for war, and they attacked him and his wife. They know no shame or honor. ‘Attack the messenger, and not the message’ is their style, and always will be.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:53 amJust another coverup to save Abronoff and Delay.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:14 amIts called Midirecting
Lets some more time on this. Since we have no ideas, no candidates and hate america- this is the best way to spend time- Oh a 403 to 3 vote to show everyone else how stupid we are is a good idea as well. Can someone oin this webiste come up with another big idea that will be as popular- dingy Hairy doesn’t have anymore for me
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:15 amGet Back on track. Missdirecting seems to be a Republican Con Game.
BREAKING: Scanlon Pleads Guilty »
From CNN:
Well Wolf, Michael Scanlon, former partner of high-powered lobbyist Jack Abramoff just pled guilty in court at this hour. That is, we’re told by government officials, part of a plea deal that he worked out with the justice department. Those sources say as part of the deal, Scanlon has agreed to testify against Abramoff.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:19 amKarma is a bitch. Good will win over evil every time. The hacks in the media are being uncovered and maybe we can pave the way for some real journalism. Even if the republicans own them, hopefully we can count on some ethical quality reporters just looking for truth and not a sale.
I am positive. My father was a journalist for years and I know there is still hope for honesty in the press. All of the hacks can make their way to Fox, where they can all do their “Jerry Springer” bits and yell at each other. At least they are “housed” on the same network.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:19 amAnytime a Real Story comes out, Another Not so Real Story Follows Directly Behind It.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:23 amIts Called the Fair and Balanced Missdirecting News.
tomaig really has to be retarded. Facts ? You would have been a shoe-in O.J. jury, because no matter what is put in front of you, you suckle on W.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:24 amHATE BUSH , YOU bet crimminal.
#22 – Sorry loser, but those minutiae happen to be facts, not conjecture. And still more stones from the glass-house moron – whilst you push the “well it was inevitable she would be outed” line, at the same time you suggest it is others who are making the vague allegations.
Stupid or hypocritical? Your choice, Tomaig.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:33 amThose sources say as part of the deal, Scanlon has agreed to testify against Abramoff.
Comment by freedom is not free — November 22, 2005 @ 9:19 am
freedom,
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:38 amThey must have waved quite a few years in front of him. He’ll be spilling the beans on whoever they want to squeeze him about. This is a gutting of organized crime in our gov. that is as sweet as it can be. imho
As long as the Media Dosnt Missdirect this STory, Which they will Probably do with Another Story.
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:44 amThe Reporter covered the Nixon Watergate Scandel.
This Scandel could be Named “The Indian Ripoff Scandal”
Th war in Iraq could be called “THE OILGATE SCANDAL”
There are sooo many Spin Stories out there. Thats what is saving the Current Administration.
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:20 am(The no-Spin Zone?) Give me a break.
The quoted statement by Woodward is incoherent.
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:54 amQuestion: How do you out someone who is not covert?
Answer: you can’t, and that is why Fitz has not indected anyone on that charge.
Merry Fitzmas everybody — enjoy the coal in your stockings!
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:56 amTomaig,
A suitable rebuttal to your incessant drivel would be you dangling at the end of a rope with your head in a noose. If this game gets too rough for you, please feel free to stop playing at any time and run for your worthless, miserable life.
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:57 amWoodwards interview last night proved to me that he is on the payroll of the defense team and threw himself into this mix for one reason and one reason only.
He will be called by the defense to testify on the part of Libby. Heres why.
He said in the interview that Libby did not mention plame to him, or he definitely would have recalled it.
The prosecutor, trying to punch holes in Libbys defense, asked Woodward if he, Woodward, had mentioned Plame to Libby. His answer was “I dont recall, but I may have”.
Now, what this does is allow the defense to call Woodward. It will be his word pitted against the other journalist with the defense praying like hell that the word of Woodward will prevail oaver these lesser peons.
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:58 amTomaig,
You just don’t get it. Hating Bush is the national pastime. “Hate” is a mild word for what we feel for you, personally, and the ever shrinking minority of scumbags left in this country who don’t hate Bush.
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:02 amre: post #13 –
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:15 amdoh! this was NEVER about WMD, terror, or OBL. Hell, it wasn’t even about what a bad, evil, dangerous guy Saddam was to his country.
This ENTIRE fiasco: the war on terror, the Iraq takeover, etc. is about one thing: making amerika an empire and securing oil for the coming century. the PNAC is a veritble who’s who of the bushies. The new Afghan US Ambassador to Afghanistan – a founding member of the PNAC and Mobil Director. Chalabi: Exxon’s connection in Iraq. Who’s enjoyed a big run-up in profits, stock price, bonus and compensation payments, etc. since 11 September and the Iraq occupation? Big Oil, defense, etc. Halliburton, Carlyle (the retirement program for big republican politicos and their supporters and “in-crowd”, all the oil co’s, etc. have all enjoyed the past few years.
This entire “thing” has always been about seuring oil, making money, and building amerika into an empire.
there will be NO troop withdrawal until our cronies are in (Chalabi and his gang) and the oil is secure. Then, Mission Accomplished.
Then, round 2: hello Syria!
(Iran… don’t worry – the PNAC and the Corporate Army will get to you after we cleanse Syria of “insurgents”)
Sorry, I should have written any “potential federal shield laws.”
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:40 amThe only significant aspect of this comment by Woodward is that it confirms who the original leaker is. That information has not yet been revealed, however the claim that Plame worked at WINPAC was a CIA fabrication called a “trap street,” a clever ploy to trace leaks. The shit will eventually hit the fan on this one because the agency already knows who the leak is.
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:09 pmRyan Neat:
Seems like you can’t argue with facts so you stoop to personal attacks. Just because a grand jury is convened doesn’t mean that there will be indictments. Also, you didn’t even address my comment about Ms. Tonsing. By the way, you also got me mixed up with someone else. I didn’t predict that there would be no indictments.
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:02 pmAw-w-w-w-w-w…The imbecile known as killcon2005 is feeling some impotent rage – two concepts with which he? she? is probably VERY familiar.
News flash, dimbulb…you are demonstrating the idiocy and the barrenness of liberal ‘thought” when you have to resort to widdle foot-stamping outbursts and degrading-to-you “insults” in lieu of answers.
What are you? Freshman? Sophomore?
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:03 pm#45. says:
“…have to resort to widdle foot-stamping outbursts and degrading-to-you “insults†in lieu of answers.
What are you? Freshman? Sophomore? ”
Now this is a classic pot-calling-kettle-black Repug if I ever saw one! How can you complain about someone stooping to insult and in the same breath do the same? Maybe because you are being paid to disrupt our conversation and for no other reason are you here?
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:49 pmPlease don’t feed the trolls. It’s much more fun to ignore them and watch them get more outrageous trying to get us to feed them! Like trained seals barking for fish.
tomaig,
Go grab a stick and carve it into a fine point. It’ll be the only time you’ve ever produced a finely crafted point, and the only time the word ’sharp’ was associated with something you’ve produced.
The fact is Republicans are clumsy brutes. If you didn’t have the Corporate MSM in your pockets, you’d never win any major elections.
November 22nd, 2005 at 3:55 pmHey Ryan, he is trying to sound smart. Unfortunately, being from TN, I have seen this often. Trying TOO hard is always obvious and a great indicator.
November 22nd, 2005 at 5:14 pmLibby was indicted on a charge that is very easy to prove. He is indeed a LIAR and did lie to the Grand Jury. His crimes do not stop there, as they are far more involved and serious.
Rove is in on it too, as are the creeps at the very top of the WH chain. (daisy chain)
It is only a matter of time until the ENTIRE WH so called administration is indicted. Further, they will also face trials for war crimes.
Imagine it, Saddam and Bush on trial for the very SAME CRIMES.
Merry Fitzmas one and all!!!!!!!!!!!
November 23rd, 2005 at 1:19 amIf there are still people who don’t know what all the carnage is about, follow the money. Although horrific, today’s carnage is nothing new. Global corporations have been manipulating elections, bankrupting soverign nations, promoting hatred/racism/patriotism for centuries.
November 23rd, 2005 at 4:41 pmWho has never, ever, lost a war? Nope, not the U.S., or England, or Spain, or the Roman Empire or Napoleon. The corporations (and their shareholders) that supply the weapons and money for wars always win. Everything else is just a smoke screen.
Iraq was planning to begin using the Euro for it’s oil transactions instead of the U.S. dollar, like every other country in the world. If just a couple of countries did so, the U.S. economy would collapse. This is a terrifying message to the rest of the world. Bow low to the U.S. dollar or bear the consequences.
Boycotts instigated by Ghandi and Martin Luther King gave otherwise powerless individuals incredible power and resulted in massive improvements in civil rights to millions of people. Rosa Park’s refusal to give up her seat on a bus pushed a virtual revolution forward. We don’t even have to risk arrest or get our hands dirty. We simply have to identify some of the world’s worst corporate bullies and stop buying what they’re selling to bring down the monetary system.
What would be the point in strive to be a multi-millionaire if the little digital markers had no value? Although the current $7,000,000,000,000 (trillion) U.S. debt should let us know the U.S. dollar is already worthless, as long as we all accept that it has value is all that matters. People will die for it (not the people cashing the cheques though…. mostly people without fatty stock portfolios). We know that Grandpa Prescott Bush helped them ole Nazi boys out during WWII, and did a great job of filling the family coffers.
Although we have no standing orders for more Stinger missles that we can cancel, we can stop buying from corporate global bullies (choose your own) and start the ball rolling.
In fact, now would be a great time to get started. Why not reject the material orgy that Christmas has become by donating your hard earned cash to a worthwhile charity on behalf of those you love, instead of buying them presents they don’t want or need. Retailers make up to 90% of their profits from what is supposed to be a religious holiday. It may not be the same companies that sell weapons, war and death, but it’s the same money that they’re all after. If 10% of the population didn’t buy anything for Christmas it would be all over.
Peace on Earth Good Will to Humanity
“Crooks and Liars has video of Woodward’s appearance.”
November 25th, 2005 at 9:50 amInterviewed by “Crooks and Liars”, how appropriate. I wonder if Woodward has interviewed any more comatose witnesses on their deathbed?
While I would never see myself as intellectually equal to any of the fine “liberal” minds here. My two cents:
WOODWARD has not had his ego fed since the Deep Throat announcement. He thinks so much of himself that he missed being the center of attention.
As for “Hate”. I feel that that word is an underestimation as to how “I” feel about dubya.
Like most Liberals I have watched in amazement as
he has begun the destruction of America as we know it.
The most painful part, to watch “Supposedly intelligent” Americans believe him!
Name calling, isn’t necessary! Once an opinion is read….we all know ‘who’ is who and where you stand.
I am proud to be a liberal………the more CHRISTIAN
November 26th, 2005 at 9:04 amattitude.
“Why not reject the material orgy that Christmas has become by donating your hard earned cash to a worthwhile charity on behalf of those you love, instead of buying them presents they don’t want or need.”
Frank, I don’t want to shortchange any worthy charities, but may I suggest that people also consider making donations to their favorite organization that is actively working against Bush’s agenda–Amnesty International, ACLU, Sierra Club, etc. It is a way to fight back on a small scale.
November 26th, 2005 at 7:07 pmRegarding the main topic, something seems to be getting overlooked here. If Plame was not a covert agent, then why did CIA make a referral of her outing to the Department of Justice for investigation? Fitz didn’t spend the past two years investigating an allegation that he dreamed up himself.
November 26th, 2005 at 7:11 pmLesbians Girls Lesbians Teen Lesbians
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 17th, 2008 at 10:45 pm