Raw Story: "A senior aide to Vice President Dick Cheney is cooperating

[understandinglife]

... with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, sources close to the investigation say.

Individuals familiar with Fitzgerald’s case tell RAW STORY that John Hannah, a senior national security aide on loan to Vice President Dick Cheney from the offices of then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, John Bolton, was named as a target of Fitzgerald’s probe. They say he was told in recent weeks that he could face imminent indictment for his role in leaking Plame-Wilson’s name to reporters unless he cooperated with the investigation.

Others close to the probe say that if Hannah is cooperating with the special prosecutor then he was likely going to be charged as a co-conspirator and may have cut a deal.

<clip>

From Cheney aide cooperating with CIA outing probe, sources say

by Larisa Alexandrovna and Jason Leopold on October 18, 2005



Much more at the link:

http://rawstory.com/admin/dbscripts/printstory.php?story=1326

No comment required .....


Peace.

[CottonBear]

1. Co-conspirator: Now that's a word that I've been waiting to hear! n/t

[HereSince1628]

29. Yes, CONSPIRACY and this one wasn't just conspiracy to cover-up

It was conspiracy to protect their first conspiracy of faked reasons to take the nation to war.

If this is true I can see the path that leads to a House Special Joint Committee investigating conspiracy.

That would make GREAT viewing in the Spring and Summer of 2006.

[understandinglife]

62. Steve Clemons: On Constructing Presidential Deniability. . .

October 18, 2005

George Bush says that he looked into the hearts and souls of his staff regarding the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson and that none of them said that they were "involved."

It is clear that a number of his key staff either lied to Bush -- or he was in on it all along.

<clip>

And yet, two of the most powerful players in the White House were "involved." It is inconceivable that their respective bosses were not aware all along.

Or did they construct some byzantine system of plausible deniability? If so, then that is worse because it implies Presidential awareness of their misbehavior and recklessly illegal acts.

<clip>

More at the link:

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001015.html

Worth following Steve Clemons' blog and it should be especially interesting once the Grand Jury acts and the prosecutor starts prosecuting.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

81. Froomkin: "Could the CIA leak investigation turn into an accountability ..

... moment for the Bush administration and the way it handled intelligence before and after taking the country to war?

Excellent summary of various items familiar to most DUers at the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

And, he wades into issues like "Can the VP be indicted?" -- answer, you betcha

Peace.

[Pachamama]

123. Can the VP be indicted? What about Impeached? Or pardoned later?

:shrug:

I'm wondering what "legal loopholes" the legal teams of Dick Cheney and Bush are working on right now...if there is anything that has been proven in the last 5 years, starting with the legal debacle around the 2000 Election, these people always seem to have their legal teams ready to respond...

I believe these people in the White House from Bush and Cheney on down are the most corrupt and unethical people that have ever been in a position of power in this country. If they are guilty of what we have long believed, and the proof comes out, I want these sons of bitches prosecuted and to go to jail. Throw the Constitution at them and throw away the key. No pardons here. No forgiveness for these Traitors, these UN-AMERICAN CORPORATE FASCISTS WHO HAVE COMMITTED TREASON AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

:grr:

[understandinglife]

104. Reardon: "Amazing what a few small indictments and a vivid imagination can

.... do.

Worth reflecting on what Ms Reardon has to say - and she is no stranger to the craft of conflict resolution.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-reardon/lets-just-say-they-are-i_b_9119.html

We're about the face the greatest challenge since the formation of the Republic. We will participate in the outcome; let's try to make it special.


Peace.

[WeHoldTheseTruths]

127. Well worth reflecting upon,

I agree. Have been bothered by expressions of what seem to me to be mindless jubilation (not here at DU, FWIW). We still got a long row to hoe.

BUT, Cheney out (hopefully through retirement -- and I am not among those who think Condi would get the office) would be a relief to me.


"Increasingly, the fate of the United States and the world, ... hangs on the Cheney question. If Cheney has his way, the United States will launch a new string of insane "regime change" wars in Southwest Asia, throwing the entire world situation into chaos, characterized by $150 barrels of oil, global asymmetrical warfare, and new moves for domestic dictatorship in America.

"If, on the other hand, Cheney is ousted from office—in the immediate days ahead—the opportunity will be there for a dramatic turn-about in American policy, a turn-about that would be greeted enthusiastically by much of the world."

I am convinced that there are capable, good people who will step into play as the _merde_ gets swept out. A lot goes on involving people who are not celebrities, or who's names are not in the blogs, boards or press.

I think their foot is no longer on out throat.

[understandinglife]

116. New York Times: No Final Report Seen in Inquiry on CIA Leak

No Final Report Seen in Inquiry on C.I.A. Leak

By DAVID JOHNSTON and RICHARD W. STEVENSON

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 - The special counsel in the C.I.A. leak case has told associates he has no plans to issue a final report about the results of the investigation, heightening the expectation that he intends to bring indictments, lawyers in the case and law enforcement officials say.

The prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, is not expected to take any action in the case this week, government officials said. A spokesman for Mr. Fitzgerald, Randall Samborn, declined to comment.

A final report had long been considered an option for Mr. Fitzgerald if he decided not to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, although Justice Department officials have been dubious about his legal authority to issue such a report.

By signaling that he had no plans to issue the grand jury's findings in such detail, Mr. Fitzgerald appeared to narrow his options either to indictments or closing his investigation with no public disclosure of his findings, a choice that would set off a political firestorm.

More at the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/19/politics/19leak.html?ei=5094&en=adcf3adabff56617&hp=&ex=1129694400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

So, tonight various folk are making their plans to either report to the Federal Court House or FBI HQ or await some free "public" transportation from their homes.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

118. Murray Waas: CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses On Libby

CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses On Libby

By Murray Waas, special to National Journal

National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005

As federal prosecutors in the CIA leak investigation reach the critical stage of deciding whether to bring criminal charges, they are zeroing in on contradictions between the testimony of I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, and that of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, according to sources close to the investigation and attorneys for individuals enmeshed in the probe.

<clip>

Evidence indicating that Libby or his attorney may have tried to discourage or influence Miller's testimony is significant for two reasons, outside legal experts say. First, attempting to influence a witness's testimony might in and of itself constitute obstruction of justice or witness-tampering, said the experts.

More important, evidence that Libby might have tried to discourage Miller's testimony has put Libby's testimony in a worse light, according to government officials briefed on the matter. Potentially misleading and incomplete answers by Libby to federal investigators are less likely to be explained away as the result of his faulty memory or inadvertent mistakes, the sources said.

<clip>

Richman further noted that since current case law does not recognize the reporter-source privilege, "even if someone under investigation or their attorney were to contact a reporter simply to say that they expect that reporter's promise of confidentiality to the source to be kept, anyone who made such a request could possibly have engaged in an obstruction of justice or witness-tampering."

Much more at the link:

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1018nj1.htm

Check that last sentence again ....


Peace.

[understandinglife]

122. Congressman Conyers: "Raw Story is reporting that a senior official within

... Cheney's office is cooperating with the investigation.

As Fitzgerald's investigation is coming to a close, it is helpful to reflect on some of our earlier work that helped to advance this issue. As Democrats, we are in the minority in Congress and do not possess subpoena authority. Because of this, we must take every opportunity to press the administration and the Justice Department to investigate its own malfeasance. A pessimist would say there is no point in fighting because it will never amount to anything. I refuse to think that way.

We called immediately for a special counsel when it became known that Valerie Plame's identity was compromised. When the Justice Department refused to respond to numerous CIA requests to open an investigation into this matter, we brought this stonewalling public and demanded action from DoJ. As Judith Miller sat in prison, purportedly because Scooter Libby had not offered a personal waiver, my colleagues and I sent a letter demanding he provide the necessary waiver. Fitzgerald, in fact, used our letter to "encourage" Libby to comply. I mention these successes to encourage everyone to keep up the fight. While our spirits will buoyed by indictments of White House officials, we still have a long way to go to take back this country and restoring a Democratic majority in Congress.

<clip>

From US News Reporting on Rumors within White House of Cheney Exit
blogged by Congressman Conyers on October 18, 2005

More leadership at the link:

http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000277.htm

Leadership. Leadership. Leadership ..... Congressman Conyers has been providing it; Mr Fitzgerald and his GJ have been demonstrating it; We The People ... should emualte their example, every day.


Peace.

[Demeter]

2. Yes! Take Out Bolton, Too!

We may have hit the jackpot here, folks!

[HereSince1628]

5. Yes, we've all suspected Bolton for many months..

[HereSince1628]

12. So what did John Bolton say to Miller when she was in jail?

Something like this maybe, "Judy the games up, Hannah has flipped. Tell Fitz' any old story and go home and get your family things in order."

[Nothing Without Hope]

121. Bolton didn't have to SAY anything to Miller in jail - his reputation and

presence were enough threat on their own. I believe the silent message was "shut up or else." I've suspected Bolton all along. He's a hands-on micromanager, rabidly pro-war, and according to Seymour Hersh, he was at the center of the Iraq intell stovepiping operation that selectively funneled "acceptable," i.e., pro-war intell to the WH. Further, his former chief of staff had active CIA connections which he used to get additional intell and could well have learned of Plame's identity.

I do believe BOlton is in it, as was Cheney. Bush wanted the war no matter what and he pushed others to give selective pro-war intell - so he may well have been in this loop too.

Oh, I am hoping very hard that the truth comes out at last. Treason, bloody treason.

Recommended - thanks, UL!

[lonestarnot]

24. Chaching a ding! Want more more news! Am staying up

all night waiting for tomorrow's news!

[Mabus]

3. Hannah, wonder if he's any relation to Mark Hannah

Mark Hannah was McKinley's political advisor and Rove has mentioned him as someone he tries to emulate.

[ewagner]

4. BOLTON!!!!

That's the name I've been waiting to hear!

:bounce: :bounce: :woohoo: :woohoo: :):):):)

[Cassandra]

7. Maybe Bolton is covering his own ass.

What if so many top Repukes were convicted that we somehow ended up with Bolton as the President (I have no idea if that's even possible)? :scared:

[debbierlus]

115. Anybody else feel like a kid on Christmas Eve?

Oh, I hope, hope, hope, hope, hope, we have our Watergate that will destroy the Bush adminstration.

All I want for Christmas is Impeachment -

I have been good all year.

Pretty, pretty pleaazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzze!

[Pachamama]

124. Christmas may be coming early!

What is about to go down will dwarf Watergate....


The World is watching breathlessly.....On the one hand, I'm cautiously optimistic....too many disappointments over the last 5 years....and we here on the DU have been talking about all this and thinking about what scenarios have in fact been committed by the Bush Cabal, that in a way, its as if we already peeked at the X-mas presents in advance that Mom & Dad bought before being wrapped and put under the tree, so its a bit anti-climatic....

And yet, I think that when this hits and the Dominos start to fall, I'm going to be in sheer ecstasy....Actually, sheer ecstasy will be when they are in jail....

And frankly, while I would love to see all of this happen fast....I hope it drags out for atleast the next year and into the '06 elections when the Dems take away the House and Senate....Maybe, just maybe, we will be able to save our Country afterall....

:patriot:

[soleft]

6. Was Hannah part of the WHIG 23?

[understandinglife]

9. Yes, he's on the Think Progress list. Here's the link:

http://www.thinkprogress.org/leak-scandal#hannah

Peace.

[Mabus]

11. Yes

John Hannah
Aide to Vice President Cheney

HANNAH A “MAJOR PLAYER” IN FITZGERALD PROBE: According to the UPI, “The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said. According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney’s chief of staff Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby were the two Cheney employees. ‘We believe that Hannah was the major player in this,’ one federal law enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president’s office were not returned. Hannah and Libby did not return calls.

FITZGERALD PRESSURED HANNAH TO NAME SUPERIORS: The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah ‘that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time,’ as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law enforcement official said.’”


http://www.thinkprogress.org/leak-scandal#hannah

[Rose Siding]

34. I wonder why Wurmser isn't on that list

David Wurmser is the other Bolton assistant at State who worked in Cheney's office.

[Mabus]

43. I don't know, but I found some information on him

Wurmser bio

David Wurmser, Dick Cheney's Middle East adviser, is a neocon ideologue who has participated in several key reports outlining the neoconservative agenda in the Middle East. In 1996 he helped write a report for Israel's Likud party that urged Israel to break off then-ongoing peace initiatives. The report, which was titled "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm" and was published by the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies (an Israeli- and DC-based think tank) advised then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to work closely with Turkey and Jordan to contain, destabilize, and roll-back" regional threats, help overthrow Saddam Hussein, and strike "Syrian military targets in Lebanon" and possibly in Syria proper. Coauthors of the report included Richard Perle, Meyrav Wurmser, and Douglas Feith. (6)

In 2000, Wurmser worked on a strategy document published by Daniel Pipe's Middle East Forum and Ziad Abdelnour's U.S. Committee for a Free Lebanon that advocated a wider U.S. role in Lebanon. The study, "Ending Syria's Occupation of Lebanon: The U.S. Role?" called for the United States to force Syria from Lebanon and to disarm it of its alleged weapons of mass destruction. It also argued that "Syrian rule in Lebanon stands in direct opposition to American ideals" and criticized the United States for engaging rather than confronting the regime. Among the documents signers were several soon-to-be Bush administration figures, including Elliott Abrams, Douglas Feith, Michael Rubin, and Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky. Other signers included Richard Perle, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Michael Ledeen, and Frank Gaffney. (1, 3)

Wurmser is married to Meyrav Wurmser, the director of Middle East studies at the right-wing Hudson Institute.

[Garbo 2004]

90. Wurmser would appear to be a likely person to at least have been checked

out by Fitz. But in my admittedly haphazard reading regarding the Plame investigation he doesn't seem to have been mentioned in terms of having discussions, etc with Fitz & Co. Of course, just because the corporate media doesn't pay attention (focusing on Rove and Libby) doesn't mean he hasn't been at least a subject of Fitz's investigation.

[warrens]

8. Oh, let it be Dick

I wanna see him in an orange jumpsuit SO bad.

[MADem]

117. Let me prime your anticipatory glee

[MellowOne]

10. Bolton should go down in this n/t

[HereSince1628]

13. Hannah seems perfectly place to squeal on Cheney and Bolton

as well as provide the conduit for information.

[TahitiNut]

Yep. Including the WHIG.

I hope he sings like a whole flock of canaries.

[rodeodance]

73. I just hope that Fritz is looking good into the WHIG meetings.

[rodeodance]

74. kick

[calimary]

41. Now THIS makes even more sense!

I was leaning toward rove himself as the canary, because he's loyal to bush, not cheney, and is ruthless enough to cut a deal to throw cheney to the wolves to save his own ass, keep him at bush's side, and keep bush out of it. I suspect if push comes to shove, rove would consider cheney expendable, or as he said about Valerie Plame, "fair game."

But Hannah is a GREAT one. He's high up on the food chain, alright, and properly positioned to be filthy-dirty in all this, but he's not a marquee name figure like the far more famous rove and now, too, libby. Since he is one of the lesser lights, it's far more likely he'd be sacrificed and would actually wind up looking at realistic jail time. Probably not considered as valuable as rove or even libby to the big guns in this. So I'd bet he's a PERFECT candidate to turn on 'em all to save his own skin.

[TahitiNut]

76. Rove takes his marching orders from Cheney and HANDLES Junior.

Junior wouldn't know what pot to piss in or which window to throw it out of unless Rove coached him. Cheney is the Chief Operating Officer and Junior is the ceremonial puppet. WHIG was the P/R coordination for the Iraq War -- harvesting the fraudulent intel being planted by their allies in OSP and INC and Mossad and ISI and etc and 'laundered' through the CIA. Cheney (with Perle and Wolfowitz) made sure their corporate cronies were given a free pass on the gravy train.

The cancer of their corruption is widesread and deep.

[ClintonTyree]

100. But will he?

I have a terrifying feeling that this could all start and stop with Hannah. He'll pull an Ollie North and "take one for the team" refusing to cut any deals thus insulating the REAL perps of this heinous crime from indictment. Little Johnny Hannah thought this up all by himself, acted alone and of course NO ONE higher up the White House food chain had ANY IDEA what was going on. :eyes:
I will move out of this freaking country if the real perps walk away from this without any more than a arched eyebrow in their direction.
I'm sorry to rain on everyone's parade here, but I can see this happening and there won't be a damned thing anyone can do about it.
Someone, PLEASE tell me I'm wrong! PLEASE tell me my assessment is crazy and that there are too many loose ends flopping around and they're bound to hit someone else. It can't end at Hannah, it just can't.

[cascadiance]

22. Bolton's going to be singing soon!...

Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time!...

[aquart]

25. Sweet dreams are made of this.

[Talismom]

30. LOL aquart! That's twice you got me laughing in 2 days! n/t

[Botany]

14. Merry Fitzmas.

and John Hannah to save his little head
began singing and talking
and telling stories of great dread.

merry Fitzmas to all
and to bush this is good night.

[grytpype]

92. Ho ho ho!!!!!

[ktowntennesseedem]

97. LOL!!! Hey Bolton, go "bah humbug" yourself!!!

[eppur_se_muova]

111. Thanks for the "Dear Leader" link...funny stuff

I like the photo of him a-prayin' in church...looks like he's either trying to hold off a diarrhea attack, or just can't stop thinking how bad that lightning bolt's gonna hurt...I can just see the little thought balloon, "ENNY SEKUND NOW..."

[Rose Siding]

15. Kevin Drum, Feb '04: "Who is John Hannah?...."

http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003209.html

Round about to this piece...

Published on Thursday, February 5, 2004 by UPI/Insight
Cheney's Staff Focus of Probe
by Richard Sale

Federal law-enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year. The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said.

According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were the two Cheney employees. "We believe that Hannah was the major player in this," one federal law-enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president's office were not returned, nor did Hannah and Libby return calls.

The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah "that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time" as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law-enforcement official said.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0205-12.htm

[understandinglife]

38. Thank you for posting this. I was getting it from my archives and ...

... then saw you had already posted it!

Given that that story appeared only ~ 2 months after Mr Fitzgerald had impaneled the GJ, you can imagine how much time they've had quizzing folk like Hannah and Wurmser and others.

I just wonder if Fitzgerald has A/V recording of Bolton's visit with Judy ;)


Peace.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[xultar]

18. Explain this to me. Why should I be happy. Explain it like I don't know

(I'll explain my question later after a dear DUer helps dumb old me out)

[AlCzervik]

19. well if this guy is the leaker and he's talking hopefully--he has some

paperwork showing it was directed by higher ups. If he doesn't and thats the final outcome that it was him on his own thats gonna suck.

[converted_democrat]

26. Doubt the "suck" scenario will happen....

-Others close to the probe say that if Hannah is cooperating with the special prosecutor then he was likely going to be charged as a co-conspirator and may have cut a deal.--


Co-conspirator says it all.

[Peachhead22]

59. Plus, Fitz wouldn't bother...

...turning someone who couldn't give him some major goods in return.

[Zynx]

60. Exactly. The head of a criminal group never gets a deal. Ever.

Prosecutors just don't do that.

[xultar]

40. See this is what I'm talking about. They are gonna wiggle out of

this thing.
Rove
Libby
Cheney
Bush
Bolton

All the mofos are gonna get an underling to go down for it.

I don't waste my excitement on crap-ola like this.

[converted_democrat]

61. What are you talking about?

-All the mofos are gonna get an underling to go down for it.-

How do you figure? He's an underling, but he's turning on those on top of him. What do you not "get" about this?

[Gronk Groks]

64. Ah Xulter, you are missing the beauty of the timing...

...they had Hannah in FEB OF 2004!!! If they turned him back then and got documentation; then all of their grand jury testimonies were easily checked for perjury. Only Cheney himself can dodge that bullet. Hopefully that will roll someone else and we can get conspiracy charges against Cheney.

If you take away all of shrub's enablers; maybe, just maybe...

[Cults4Bush]

69. No wait... that is not what is going on here.

The underling flipped and gave his info on those "mofos", the underling flipped because of the threat of hard time in fed. Something that as you assumed usually happens to the underlings... unless they flip. Usually when an underling doesn't flip its because of fear of thier own or they are cocky about any trial. Its only a small leap of faith to presume Fitz had the goods on Hannah and possibly others and let Hannah have a peak at said goods. Hannah flipping would indicate that Hannah believed that Fitz had something approaching airtight on him shaking confidence in a trial... the only fear that would be greater than bushco retaliation that I can imagine is spending many many years in prison because of the audacity of the crime comitted. Rich white boy status not withstanding I believe Hannah probably saw that losing his anal cherry to some aryan nation thug was just not an option Ideology be damned.

This is a good thing, trust us!

[Voltaire99]

Probably.

Expecting the senior BushCo staff to go down is a little far-fetched; I guess it keeps the partisan fires burning.

The likely scenario is, as you say, mostly minor and maybe one major head rolling.

And then--ta da!--wait for the pardons.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

102. IMHO, your post is the only....

...crap-ola in this entire thread.

[Moloch]

107. You should be happy because....

There is a chance here that the entire bush misadministration will go down in flames. You are familiar with the outing of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, by Libby, Cheney's chief of staff as well as Karl Rove?

I wrote a column about Rove and the Plame outing for my college newspaper. It gives background on the case. If you're interested, here's the URL:

http://vermilion.louisiana.edu/issues/20050824/Opinion002.htm

it pretty much explains the Plame issue, what I nobody knew at the time I wrote the article, is that Libby also leaked Plame's identity to New York Times reporter Judy Miller.

It's a major crime to "out" a CIA agent, and the misadministration only did it to discredit Plame's husband who wrote an article in NYT that Bush's claim Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium in Africa.

[Danger Duck]

20. the bell tolls for thee......

Libby.

[stop the bleeding]

21. BOOOO YEEEAAAAAH!!!!!

[soleft]

23. Jim Cramer fan?

[stop the bleeding]

32. No, is he cool or annoying? I picked that up from watching sportscenter

back when before I met my spouse, now I don't watch sportscenter anymore. :nopity:

[Cadman]

33. I love Jim Cramer!

I watch Mad Money every chance I can get!

[Straight Shooter]

46. Welcome to DU!

What an auspicious day for your first post. :hi:

[Cadman]

77. Hey thanks for the welcome

I've actually been lurking here for several years. This is a great site!

[enough]

27. MORE on Hannah from the Rawstory article.

snip>

Hannah under investigation for role with Chalabi group

Hannah is currently under investigation by U.S. authorities for his alleged activities in an intelligence program run by the controversial Iraqi National Congress (INC) and its leader, Ahmed Chalabi.

According to a Newsweek article, a memo written for the Iraq National Congress (INC) raised questions regarding Cheney’s role in the build up to the war in Iraq. During the lead up to the war, Newsweek asserts, the INC was providing intelligence on the now discredited Iraqi WMD program through Hannah and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Cheney’s chief of staff.

“A June 2002 memo written by INC lobbyist Entifadh Qunbar to a U.S. Senate committee lists John Hannah, a senior national-security aide on Cheney’s staff, as one of two ‘U.S. governmental recipients’ for reports generated by an intelligence program being run by the INC and which was then being funded by the State Department. Under the program, ‘defectors, reports and raw intelligence are cultivated and analyzed’; the info was then reported to, among others, ‘appropriate governmental, non-governmental and international agencies.’ The memo not only describes Cheney aide Hannah as a “principal point of contact” for the program, it even provides his direct White House telephone number.”

snip>

[Mabus]

36. and from Hannah to Judy?

She was Chalibi's pal too. Hmmmm.

[Garbo 2004]

84. Hannah under investigation by what US authorities for role with INC?

Perhaps I've not yet had enough coffee but what investigation is being referenced? Presumably this is in addition to the Plame investigation? The Newsweek article doesn't mention an investigation, unless I'm simply out of it and missed it.

Yes, Hannah was in the thick of it, but what investigation of INC/VP intel flow is being referenced here? Anyone?

[msanthrope]

28. I'm almost at the Happy Happy, Joy, Joy dance......

Not quite there, but I'm clearing floor space for it.....

[stubtoe]

128. Clear a little extra for me, please!

Or maybe a lot -- could be a BIG party! (keeping fingers crossed)

[EFerrari]

31. kick

:kick:

[Marie26]

35. You know what's funny?

Hannah is also involved in a totally different case of espionage. Larry Franklin, a Pentagon analyst, recently pled guilty to sharing classified info with AIPAC lobbyists, who later turned over info to Isreal. Franklin says he also received information in return. John Hannah was a former director of AIPAC before joining the Bush administration. If he's talking to prosecutors, he might be able to tie these two scandals together! What if Cheney & Co. were using Isreali sources to get info about Iraq that the CIA wouldn't provide? The whole Cheney plan was to skirt the CIA & find a source that would find intelligence about Iraq's dangerous WMDs. We know that they used Chalabi & the INC to get (bad) info, why not use other sketchy source? What if these 2 scandals are just two branches of the same plan - Using Plame to help discredit the CIA & using Franklin to get "better" intelligence from foreign sources.

[Blue_Roses]

89. Interesting.

this web spins wide.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

37. Anyone know where to find a picture of Hannah?

I tried but without luck. I don't recall hearing about this guy and a visual might help...especially when I try to visualize him in orange.

[lala_rawraw]

39. Nice to see at another thread Raw get slashed, wow...

People run wild with trolling the left, no?

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

49. Yeah, that whole "Drudge of the left" shit is getting old. n/t

[understandinglife]

51. You broke the story; that's all that matters. Keep up the good work.

Peace.

[Lerkfish]

58. don't worry, we got your back, lala.

:hug:

[lala_rawraw]

95. Muah

[DemReadingDU]

68. We love Raw Story!

Thanks, lala!

[Garbo 2004]

86. As you know, it was rumored last year that Hannah had flipped, after

the Feb 2004 UPI article, etc. But the Raw article says he flipped recently?

Also the article says Hannah's (additionally?) under investigation by US authorities for the INC/Chalabi connection. So many investigations hard to keep track. Can you say what investigation that is (assuming it's not part of the Plame investigation or is it)? I recall Chalabi had been accused of providing info to Iran.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

105. Definitely. They appear to have nothing else to do.

[Beetwasher]

42. Is Josh Marshall CONFIRMING The Hannah "Flipper" Claim? (Cryptic Post)

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

[understandinglife]

50. That's sorta cute, isn't it ;)

(October 18, 2005 -- 01:25 PM EDT // link // print)

John Hannah.

-- Josh Marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_10_16.php#006774

Peace.

[understandinglife]

101. TPMCafe link:

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/10/18/144636/08


Peace.

[Straight Shooter]

44. Congratulations to all DU'ers who "fingered" Hannah!

:toast:

[lala_rawraw]

94. That sounds dirty, lol:)

[Brundle_Fly]

45. NOT JOHN HANNAH!

I loved him in Four Weddings, and the Mummy I & II

[robbedvoter]

52. That was Hannah/Barbera mind you, also of the Flintstones, Jetsons

and other accomplishments

[jefferson_dem]

82. Of course, it's not THAT John Hannah, silly. It's THIS John Hannah...

What a bruiser he was, back in his heyday. And now...

[johnfunk]

47. "They call him Flipper, Flipper..."

Take your choice:

A recent incarnation of the legendary porpoise getting it on with the babe-a-luscious Elle McPherson...

... or the legendary San Francisco-based throb-metal-punk band.

[jazzjunkysue]

106. "Faster than lightning, noone can see, he's smarter than me......"

[understandinglife]

48. John Nichols: "Case Against Cheney"

Case Against Cheney

On October 18, 2005

Well, of course, the investigation of who leaked CIA agent Valerie Plame's name -- violating the federal law that bars the "outing" of intelligence operatives -- has come around to Vice President Dick Cheney's office. While it may be news to the Washington Post -- which headlined a breathless report on Tuesday: "Cheney's Office Is A Focus in Leak Case" -- the fact is that Cheney and his aides have been likely suspects from day one.

No prominent member of the administration had more to lose as a result of the 2003 revelation by Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, that the White House's pre-war claims regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction had been inflated than did Cheney -- who, to a far greater extent than George Bush, had a hand in shaping the arguments for going to war, plugged them in media appearances and defended them after all evidence suggested his pronouncements had been wrong. It is important to recall that, while Bush may have deliberately fuzzed the facts in his 2003 State of the Union address, it was Cheney who leapt off the cliff of speculation with the pre-war declaration that, "We know Saddam Hussein's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."

No key player in the administration was more at odds with the Central Intelligence Agency than Cheney. Indeed, Cheney's badgering of the agency to come up with "evidence" of Iraqi WMDs and al-Qaeda connections was so aggressive -- he regularly stormed into the CIA headquarters to demand a briefing and then, when the information did not fit his biases, demanded that someone else brief him -- that members of the House Intelligence Committee complained in a reprimanding letter, "These visits are unprecedented. Normally, vice presidents, including yourself, receive regular briefings from (the) CIA in your office and have a CIA officer on permanent detail. There is no reason to make personal visits to the CIA."

<clip>

It is certainly reasonable to argue that Cheney had more reason to strike out at Wilson than anyone else in the administration when the former ambassador revealed the truth in a New York Times opinion piece that appeared in the summer of 2003. And, while Cheney may not have done the deed directly, it is comic to suggest that the vice president -- who was in constant contact with both Libby and Rove around the time of the leak -- could have been unaware of any serious effort to discredit Wilson by "outing" his wife as a CIA agent.

Much more at the link:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=29442

And, at least one birdie has been singing that tune since at least Feb., 2004.


Peace.

[Uncle Joe]

83. What do they expect from a guy entrusted by a light weight to

search the nation over for the best Republican candidate for Vice-President and winds up picking himself?

[understandinglife]

53. Atrios link to "Is Hannah the flipper?" : 52 comments by 1120 PDT

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_10_16_atrios_archive.html#112965631588368447

Peace.

[understandinglife]

54. Link to Daily Kos diary on the Raw Story article

http://dailykos.com/story/2005/10/18/122851/00


Peace.

[truthisfreedom]

55. here's a mention of John Hannah

from http://tinyurl.com/dpv8k

January 29, 2003 Complete Iraq timeline
US Secretary of State Colin Powell gives his chief of staff, Larry Wilkerson, a 48-page report from the White House on Iraq's arsenal of banned weapons. The dossier—written in the office of Dick Cheney under the guidance of his two hawkish aids, Lewis “Scooter” Libby and John Hannah—is meant to serve as the basis for Powell's upcoming speech to the UN (see 10:30 a.m. February 5, 2003). Powell, skeptical of the report's data, instructs Wilkerson to have it looked over by the CIA. The analysts at the agency will quickly determine that the documents are based on unreliable sources (see January 30, 2003-January 31, 2003).
People and organizations involved: Lewis ("Scooter") Libby, Colin Powell, John Hannah, Larry Wilkerson

[jazzjunkysue]

114. Um, That's some pretty smokin' stuff!

[understandinglife]

56. The Most Optimistic Thing the Rude Pundit Can Say About Plamegate:

The Rude Pundit is not a prognosticator. But there's something that he's feeling in his gut: that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald may just try to save America. If Fitzgerald is the hardcore law and order guy we've been led to believe, then he may just decide it's his job to take down the Bush administration, so rank with the stench of lawbreaking.

Why the gut feeling? Because if, as some Rude Pundit readers have suggested, that this is all just a show, that there'll be some whitewashed report and it's done, then it would have been over by now. Fitzgerald would have put on a good show, held a press conference or two, and it would have been done a long time ago. But more and more, the indications are that Fitzgerald is going after something more than a couple of powerful aides who committed something akin to treason. Fitzgerald has fucked with the PDA schedules of many, many administration members and hangers-on. He has opened up the investigation into the evil White House Iraq Group.

More at the link:

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2005/10/of-deteriorating-dams-and-drowning-men.html

Yes. For those who think that some 'little guy' is going to take the rap, or that the Grand Jury and Fitzgerald are going to write a report, I suggest you read the words of Judge Tatel from his February, 2005, opinion.

And, reflect on the fact that that opinion was written almost exactly a year after Richard Sale published Cheney's Staff Focus of Probe in which he explicitly fingerd Hannah:

http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/headlines04/0205-12.htm (And, comment # 15, above).


Peace.

[understandinglife]

57. Justin Raimondo: "While Libby is a towering aspen, whose fall will ...

... make a rather loud noise, others in the same stand have already met a similar fate, and what we have here is a sort of domino effect. John Hannah, Cheney's special assistant for Middle East affairs, was fingered early on in this investigation. Last year, Richard Sale of UPI reported a rare leak from the investigators:

"'We believe that Hannah was the major player in this,' one federal law-enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president's office were not returned, nor did Hannah and Libby return calls. The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah 'that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time' as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law-enforcement official said."

Hannah has an interesting background. In the early 1990s, he served as head of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a think tank associated with the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). As Middle East scholar Juan Cole pointed out, Hannah was a key figure in the intelligence manipulation effort that legitimized phony "evidence" of Iraq's WMD cooked up by Chalabi. Hannah, like the other aspens in the grove, turned with the rest of the cluster when it came to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East:

"The WINEP pro-Likud network, which includes Paul Wolfowitz and Doug Feith in the Pentagon as well as Libby and Hannah at Cheney's office, has virtually dictated Bush administration Middle East policy. Wilson's debunking of one of its central claims might well have led Cheney to fire Hannah or to disregard his opinion. The WINEP crowd takes no prisoners and is very determined, over decades, to get its way. (Josh Marshall notes that they are already trying to protect Hannah with denials he could possibly have been involved, presumably meaning that they would be willing to throw Libby to the dogs.) Wilson had to be punished, from their point of view, and if possible marginalized, to protect Hannah's position."

Hannah may have thrown Libby to the dogs, just to save his own skin. This wouldn't be any more surprising than the actions of former Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin, who will plead guilty to spying for Israel in return for leniency in sentencing – and for testifying against his handlers, Steve Rosen, who for 20 years served as AIPAC's foreign policy director, and Keith Weissman, AIPAC's top Iran specialist. Rosen and Weissman pumped Franklin for classified information and handed it over to Israeli "diplomats" stationed in Washington. The trial is scheduled for January.

While Hannah, the former director of AIPAC's thinktank, was deeply involved in exposing a vitally important U.S. intelligence asset – Plame worked undercover in the CIA's WMD proliferation unit – AIPAC officials Rosen and Weissman were sneaking around Washington, meeting Franklin in train stations, and handing over U.S. secrets to Israeli spies.

Much, much more, with links to resources:

http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=7490

One perhaps detects from this article that knowledge of Hannah's "flipping," and more, may have been circulating among certain folk for awhile.


Peace.

[Carla in Ca]

113. He worked for WINEP?

Didn't I read something here last night that Miller said she was told that Plame was part of that group? I'm probably wrong. It just sounds familiar.

[mountebank]

63. Predicted by Daily Kos over a year ago!

According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were the two Cheney employees. "We believe that Hannah was the major player in this," one federal law-enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president's office were not returned, nor did Hannah and Libby return calls.
*****

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0205-12.htm

And from Daily Kos over a year ago:

Mon Aug 23, 2004 at 01:50:02 PM PDT

I've received some unsubstantiated rumors that Fitzgerald's office is nearing the end of its investigation, and that it will issue three indictments including Scooter Libby. According to these rumors, John Hannah, a Libby deputy, has been "turned" by the investigators and is singing like a canary. Hannah has already been linked to the case. If indeed he has turned state's witness, it would present a major breakthrough in the case.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/8/23/16503/6468

[understandinglife]

65. US Newswire: "Rawstory Breaks the Name of a White House Official Who ...

... is Cooperating with Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald

10/18/2005 2:38:00 PM

---------------------------

To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: .... for VelvetRevolution.us

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- VelvetRevolution.us affiliate RAWSTORY, for the second time in a week, has broken a major story about the Valerie Plame investigation, beating out all the mainstream media.

Last week, RawStory.com was the first to report that Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald was actively investigating the role of Vice President Dick Cheney in the outing of Valerie Plame as head of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). And today, RawStory is the first to report that a highly placed White House Official is cooperating with Fitzgerald. "Individuals familiar with Fitzgerald's case tell Raw Story that John Hannah, a senior national security aide on loan to Vice President Dick Cheney from the offices of then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, John Bolton, was named as a target of Fitzgerald's probe. They say he was told in recent weeks that he could face imminent indictment for his role in leaking Plame-Wilson's name to reporters unless he cooperated with the investigation."

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2005/Cheney_aide_cooperating_with_CIA_outing_1018.html .

According to RawStory, Hannah was told that he was going to be indicted in the matter and decided to cut a deal to limit his possible jail time. Last week VelvetRevolution.us conducted an analysis of the federal sentencing guidelines and concluded that senior White House officials convicted in this case could face life in prison unless they decided to cooperate with Fitzgerald. http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Content/Rove/Rove.php . Under the Guidelines, the only way to effectively lower a sentence is to cooperate in the case against another person. It appears that, although Hannah will be indicted along with a host of others, he, unlike the others, will minimize his prison sentence.

---

VelvetRevolution.us is a coalition of over 120 organizations and thousands of citizens committed to honest government.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=55213

Peace.

[Peace Patriot]

66. So--at first brush--that's how Fitzgerald got to Libby--through Hannah.

And the question now is ("the aspens are turning") Libby.

I think there may be a reason for Libby referring to "fall" in his cryptographic paragraph to Miller--that he has agreed to be the "fall guy" and will be "vacationing," as she did, in jail.

His letter to Miller is dated 9/15/05. Anybody know the date of Bolton's visit to Miller in jail? (It's around the same time, I believe.)

Just trying to sort this out in my mind. IF there is a true meaning to Libby's cryptography that was meant for Miller to understand--and that's a big "if," given the absurdity of the paragraph (it could also have been meant for public consumption, for some purpose)--I read it as bad news for the republic. A deal has been made. Libby is taking the fall. And the "aspens" that are now turning "in clusters, because their roots are connected" does not refer to someone "turning" on the others in Treasongate (ratting on the uppermucks), but rather that the field is now clear for use of covert action involving WMDs to start a war with Iran, and possibly to implicate Iraq on WMDs in retrospect--that is, (translation): the covert capabilities we were all working on, to get WMDs planted in Iraq, have been "turned" toward our next nefarious deeds "because their roots are connected" (whoever or whatever got foiled by the CIA is still in place--has been restaffed or reconnected, all to the same purposes). He tells her to "come back to work--and life" in order to cover certain stories, and he names them. They include Iran's nuke program and biological threats.

If, as many of us think, the plot behind Treasongate (what Treasongate was trying to cover up) was a scheme to plant WMDs in Iraq, to be "found" by Judith Miller--a scheme that may have been foiled by Plame's WMD monitoring network--then the "roots" that Libby is talking about are the people and capabilities for such nasty, covert ops, who are still in place or have been reconstituted, with the CIA monitoring program now disabled and destroyed (and some of its agents/contacts probably killed). The cabal's operation, though it failed in Iraq, was essentially a success--it got rid of the CIA's ability to monitor WMDs. There has been a political cost, yes. I (Libby) am taking the fall for it. But the program goes on.

So, we can expect maybe a "find" of nuke material, traceable back to Iraq (to justify the war in retrospect) crossing the border into Iran? Or, some big wipeout of populations somewhere (maybe even here) from "biological threats"?

That would be the implication. And, whether or not he really thinks that Judith Miller will have a journalistic career after this--and will be able to "come back to work" on these stories--he predicts that these will be the big stories (compensating her for the "big story" she didn't get in Iraq?). Another implication: the junta will most certainly need propagandists because we are not done yet. (Maybe some nice fat position for her at a rightwing "think tank," to "work" behind the scenes?)

I repeat, this is all IF the Libby "aspens" paragraph is parse-able. I don't know that it is. But if it is, it sounds ominous to me.

-------

Hannah?

The WMD-planting theory traces the arc of Treasongate from the Niger forgeries and the "16 words" that were mysteriously placed in Bush's SOTU speech (the Niger nuke allegation, that everybody in the cabal knew was provably false), and Wilson's wild goose chase to Niger (to vet the allegation that everybody in the cabal knew was false and based on forgeries), all the way to Iraq and the "hunt" for WMDs that everybody in the cabal knew were not there.

If their planted WMDs had in fact been "found"--by the Rumsfeld's "embedded" reporter Miller--and that nefarious scheme had not been thwarted--then one result (besides cementing Bush's and Blair's power) would be to totally discredit the CIA forevermore, for its DISBELIEF in such weapons. The "16 words" were bait to the CIA.

It was a plot to "get" the CIA--to destroy any honest information gathering--among other things, and to clear the way for a wider Mideast war of toppling dominoes, as the cabal tracked the phantom weapons across the many oil fields of Arabia.

How they may have gotten stopped cold in Iraq (on this part of their scheme), I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that the foiling of their plot to plant WMDs in Iraq may be what is behind the abrupt, precipitous and highly risky (politically) way that they outed of Plame and her network, and may also be behind the mysterious death of the Brits chief WMD expert, David Kelly, four days later.

One of the mysteries of Treasongate was how those "16 words" got into Bush's SOTU speech, after it had been removed from a previous speech as being too shaky. As I recall, Hadley took the fall for that (a clerical error, or something). But who did it, really?

That person may be Hannah (and ultimately Bolton and Rumsfeld). And maybe that is Fitzgerald's hook into Hannah and into the prewar cooking of intelligence. (In the WMD-planting theory, they weren't just cooking words and accusations; they were cooking up the weapons themselves.)

I'm just guessing here, on Hannah. I don't know much about him. Anybody know if he was among the suspects on the "16 words"?

[understandinglife]

78. First let me add this Cenk Uygur ref: "The Real Target of the Valerie ...

... Plame Leak: Valerie Plame

October 18, 2005

It is well established fact that people inside the White House leaked the identity of Joe Wilson's wife to attack him for challenging the intelligence that justified the Iraq War. But what if the larger target of the leak was someone who was also challenging that intelligence -- from the inside? What if the real purpose of outing Valerie Plame was to out Valerie Plame?

We asked these questions of Joe Wilson when he came on our show a couple of months ago and he understandably said he couldn’t comment. He couldn’t comment because his wife worked at the CIA as a covert operative, possibly in the field of weapons intelligence. There is a chance she knew significantly more about the fixing of intelligence than her husband did.

If Valerie Plame was half as vocal inside the government as her husband was outside, there would be an excellent motive for the White House Iraq Group to get rid of her. Remember, there were dissenters inside the CIA on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program. If Plame was one of those dissenters, removing her from her position would come in awfully handy. Out her and throw her husband’s objectivity into question – kill two birds with one stone.

More at the link and some interesting comments:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/the-real-target-of-the-va_b_9075.html

As we know, those highly skeptical of what was coming out of the Pentagon and the Vice President's office, included more than just folk at State and the CIA.

But, it goes beyond removing dissent and discrediting the CIA.

The bush league quality of the forged "Niger yellow cake documents" was briefly puzzling to me, i.e., when first hearing about the IAEA and VIPS folk discussing how trivial it was for them to recognize the forgery. And, then, along with probably 100s of others, the explanation was obvious. The folk involved in creating them never anticipated that anyone would be given the opportunity to see the documents. The lack of sophistication in forging the documents virtually shouts "hubris" and "above and beyond any accountability."

So, let us look at what VIPS sent to Mr Bush the day before he launched is illegal invasion of Iraq:

March 18, 2003
<clip>

Forgery

In your state-of-the-union address you spoke of Iraq's pre-1991 focus on how to "enrich uranium for a bomb" and added, "the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." No doubt you have now been told that this information was based on bogus correspondence between Iraq and Niger. Answering a question on this last week, Secretary Powell conceded-with neither apology nor apparent embarrassment-that the documents in question, which the US and UK had provided to the UN to show that Iraq is still pursuing nuclear weapons, were forgeries. Powell was short: "If that information is inaccurate, fine."

But it is anything but fine. This kind of episode inflicts serious damage on US credibility abroad-the more so, as it appears neither you nor your advisers and political supporters are in hot pursuit of those responsible. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts has shown little enthusiasm for finding out what went awry. Committee Vice-Chairman, Jay Rockefeller, suggested that the FBI be enlisted to find the perpetrators of the forgeries, which US officials say contain "laughable and child-like errors," and to determine why the CIA did not recognize them as forgeries. But Roberts indicated through a committee spokeswoman that he believes it is "inappropriate for the FBI to investigate at this point." Foreign observers do not have to be paranoid to suspect some kind of cover-up.

Who Did It? Who Cares!

Last week Wisconsin Congressman Dave Obey cited a recent press report suggesting that a foreign government might be behind the forgeries as part of an effort to build support for military action against Iraq and asked Secretary Powell if he could identify that foreign government. Powell said he could not do so "with confidence." Nor did he appear in the slightest interested.

We think you should be. In the absence of hard evidence one looks for those with motive and capability. The fabrication of false documentation, particularly what purports to be official correspondence between the agencies of two governments, is a major undertaking requiring advanced technical skills normally available only in a sophisticated intelligence service. And yet the forgeries proved to be a sloppy piece of work.

Chalk it up to professional pride by (past) association, but unless the CIA's capabilities have drastically eroded over recent years, the legendary expertise of CIA technical specialists, combined with the crudeness of the forgeries, leave us persuaded that the CIA did not craft the bogus documents. Britain's MI-6 is equally adept at such things. Thus, except in the unlikely event that crafting forgery was left to second-stringers, it seems unlikely that the British were the original source.

We find ourselves wondering if amateur intelligence operatives in the Pentagon basement and/or at 10 Downing Street were involved and need to be called on the carpet. We would urge you strongly to determine the provenance. This is not trivial matter. As our VIPS colleague (and former CIA Chief of Station) Ray Close has noted, "If anyone in Washington deliberately practiced disinformation in this way against another element of our own government or wittingly passed fabricated information to the UN, this could do permanent damage to the commitment to competence and integrity on which the whole American foreign policy process depends."

The lack of any strong reaction from the White House feeds the suspicion that the US was somehow involved in, or at least condones, the forgery. It is important for you to know that, although credibility-destroying stories like this rarely find their way into the largely cowed US media, they do grab headlines abroad among those less disposed to give the US the benefit of the doubt. As you know better than anyone, a year and a half after 9/11 the still traumatized US public remains much more inclined toward unquestioning trust in the presidency. Over time that child-like trust can be expected to erode, if preventive maintenance is not performed and hyperbole shunned.

<clip>

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0319-08.htm

Cheney and his neoconster buddies under-estimated not just the CIA, but the American people. Mr. Fitzgerald is about to give them a long lesson in the law. They will regret they broke so many laws and killed so many people for the remainder of their lives -- which I personally hope are long.


Peace.

[susu369]

112. Indeed, those aspens are turning in clusters

the "aspens" that are now turning "in clusters, because their roots are connected" -

clusterf*cks.....

[DemReadingDU]

67. Excellent, Recommended!

Thanks for all the great articles!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[understandinglife]

70. AMERICABlog on CNN: "13 minutes of coverage. All about Plame. Six months

... ago, who would have thought...

From CNN NewsNight Covers Rove Story

by Rob in Baltimore - 10/18/2005 02:47:00 PM

Watched CNN's NewsNight New and Improved "With Aaron Brown and Anderson Cooper"

In a report "End Game?" Aaron Brown does some great reporting. In an almost five minute piece, Brown summarized the timeline of the Plame investigation hitting on all the key points. While I'm sure that some on the comments will find fault with it, I argue that they did a great job bringing the public up to date and covering the full scope of the investigation just up to the point of the larger conspiracy story that is still brewing. Which is EXACTLY where we want them to be.

More at the link:

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/10/cnn-newsnight-covers-rove-story.html

One can expect Aaron Brown and Anderson Cooper, and other corporate media folk, will be covering Treasongate with increasing regularity.


Peace.

[goforit]

71. Fitz is slowly baiting them and harnessing them one by one.

This has been better than any Perry Mason case.

[rodeodance]

72. Is he the only one that we now know who has been 'targeted"?

[Peace Patriot]

75. Wow, I just read the post upthread on Hannah and AIPAC. My, my.

So the WMD-planting team (i.e., the "get"-the-CIA-team--if that's what it was) had him in place in the White House, possibly in a position to get those "16 words" into the speech, and Fitzgerald nailed him early. I wonder if that's how he nailed him.

I'm beginning to think that Rumsfeld is as guilty as Cheney in the Plame outing, and may be more guilty than Cheney in the WMD-planting plot (if that's what this is all about), since it was Rumsfeld who placed Judith Miller in Iraq with creds among the WMD-hunting soldiers.

As to Cheney, when you think about all his stubborn and repeated statements about nukes and WMDs in Iraq--against all reason, against all evidence--you have to wonder if his confidence wasn't based in knowledge that a team was going to plant those weapons (for Miller to "find").

There may even have been several efforts, and several foilings, because he kept on saying it, way late in the story (as if he was still expecting planted WMDs to be "found"). And if my reading of Libby's cryptography is anywhere near correct, that story may not be over yet.

[lovuian]

79. Here it comes!!! Fitzgerald is on a march now!!! He's closing

the mousetrap!!!

[understandinglife]

80. ReddHedd at firedoglake: "Hannah would be a good catch, and would be able

... to provide an enormous amount of inside information on the workings and machinations of VP Cheney's office, if not any connection to Bolton and Fleitz. More as we get it...

More at the link:

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2005/10/they-call-him-flipper-flipper.html


Peace.

[Im with Rosey]

85. This just keeps getting better and better!

Considering how closely guarded information/Fitz has been, it would seem this is just the tip of the iceberg. We might be getting close to strap yourselves in time.

[Zech Marquis]

87. Unca Dick doing the frog march

that'll be a Polaroid moment :bounce:

[steely]

88. This is great - and just think about the parts of the investigation

we don't hear - more to come!

Go Pat Go!

[dennis00]

93. Hannah

reminds me of an old Pete Seeger song.
Old Hannah was the sun. Prisoners worked from sunup to sundown

Go down Old Hannah. Don't you rise no more.
If you rise in the morning, bring judgment day.

Seems John Hannah is a ray of sunshine that Bushco will want to put down.

[senseandsensibility]

108. Very appropriate

And welcome to DU!! You picked a great time to start posting.:hi:

[understandinglife]

119. Welcome to DU. Cool post. Thank you.

Peace.

[JAbuchan08]

91. Think they'll break the Reagan era indictments record?

That would be incredible.

I'd like for them to indict the president, but I'm certain that can't be done unless he is out of office.

Of course they have to convict as well

[understandinglife]

96. Larry Johnson: "Hadley has told friends he expects to be indicted."

A New Tidbit on the Plame Affair

by Larry C. Johnson

October 18, 2005

Had lunch today with a person who has a direct tie to one of the folks facing indictment in the Plame affair. There are 22 files that Fitzgerald is looking at for potential indictment . These include Stephen Hadley, Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, Dick Cheney, and Mary Matalin (there are others of course). Hadley has told friends he expects to be indicted. No wonder folks are nervous at the White House.

Link -- and DO READ THE COMMENTS:

http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/10/a_new_tidbit_on.html

Peace.

[Garbo 2004]

98. Sweet and interesting. Recall that Hadley was Condi's deputy at the time.

Reportedly got that job as a result of his ties to Cheney when Cheney and he were both at DOD back in the day.

Let's hope Hadley's expectation is fulfilled.

[understandinglife]

99. I chuckled when I read Larry's post because this sorta dumps on the Condi

.... for VP meme floating around the blogosphere as the "Cheney is out" meme gains traction ;)

I doubt if a single WHIGer will escape unscathed -- that means you, Dr Rice, along with all the others ....


Peace.

[understandinglife]

103. Daily Kos link to lots of comments on Larry's latest post:

http://dailykos.com/story/2005/10/18/162434/59


Peace.

[confludemocrat]

109. Hey, Mary Matalin is mentioned as a possible indictee! get 'em all

Carville better make arrangements.

[eppur_se_muova]

110. ..., John Bolton, was named as a target of Fitzgerald’s probe.

OH MAN...I glanced at that paragraph too fast, and thought Bolton was the target.

I'm glad I did, though, it was quite a rush...gave me a warm, fuzzy, feeling, like a weasel under the covers.

[understandinglife]

120. Kleiman: "But if you're my age, this starts to sound and smell like ...

... the summer of 1974."

I am, and it has -- since early August, 2005. (p.s. lived across the street from the "Harriet Miers equivalent" to Nixon during the entire fiasco starting in 1971 ... interesting times, but quaintly trivial compared to what confronts the Republic, now).

Link to Mark's post on 'flipping':

http://www.markarkleiman.com/archives/valerie_plame_/2005/10/flipping_and_rumors_of_flipping.php

By the way, that comment by Milbank is known as 'sour grapes' -- whether folk speculated about Hannah three days ago and ten years ago is not the issue, the issue is his name, "flipper," Plame and Fitzgerald all got linked today by Raw Story and not WaPo or NYT or WSJ or CNN or ............


Peace.

[understandinglife]

125. "Everyone knows how to catch rats -- you either set traps, or you put out

... poisoned bait.

In the case of the White House conspirators who outed Valerie Plame, it looks like Patrick Fitzgerald is making use of both.

The traps we already know about -- Rove, Libby et. al. stuck their heads inside one every time they spoke to an FBI agent or testified before the grand jury. We'll find out in a few days whether the traps snapped shut on their little necks, when Fitzgerald either does or doesn't indict them for perjury, or making false statements, or whatever.

The poison, though, may be what nails the conspirators for leaking Plame's identity and CIA affiliation -- although it may also show the plot was more a case of collective criminal negligence than a calculated act of reprisal against Plame's husband. That may not be good enough for a conviction under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (a.k.a. the Agee law, the 1982 act) but it could give Fitzgerald what he needs to indict the leakers under the Espionage Act.

The irony is that in this case the rats may have poisoned themselves by leaking classified, but erroneous, information -- making it that much easier for Fitzgerald's team to trace the leak back to its original source: .....

<clip>

From by billmon on October 18, 2005

Link:
http://billmon.org/archives/002271.html

Snap.Choke.Snap.Choke. ..... chomp.chomp.chomp --- the constant cacophony of neoconster traitors and murderers and liars.


Peace.

[Joyce]

126. The bigger they are, the harder they fall...

And my "connect the dots" mindset tells me that Mary Matalin, Condi Rice, and Karen Hughes are all implicated in this twisted plot. All three had high level clearances to view intelligence. All three had daily interactions with the big bosses. And all three are ruthless, ambitious, super-loyal women. Matalin and Hughes are both very well connected with journalists, too, and both love to talk. I strongly suspect that all three are linked to the conspiracy.

If it weren't for the Internet, where would we be? (And the U. S. Government is refusing to allow the E. U. to share governance of the Internet. The U. S. wants to maintain absolute control over all Internet activity. That way their new "National Clandestine Service" office can follow our every move and our every word. If they are allowed to continue their wicked ways, there will be no chance of salvaging this nation.)