WP: A Good Leak -- Bush declassification

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

check out the bolded section

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800895.html>

PRESIDENT BUSH was right to approve the declassification of parts of a National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq three years ago in order to make clear why he had believed that Saddam Hussein was seeking nuclear weapons. Presidents are authorized to declassify sensitive material, and the public benefits when they do. But the administration handled the release clumsily, exposing Mr. Bush to the hyperbolic charges of misconduct and hypocrisy that Democrats are leveling.

Rather than follow the usual declassification procedures and then invite reporters to a briefing -- as the White House eventually did -- Vice President Cheney initially chose to be secretive, ordering his chief of staff at the time, I. Lewis Libby, to leak the information to a favorite New York Times reporter. The full public disclosure followed 10 days later. There was nothing illegal or even particularly unusual about that; nor is this presidentially authorized leak necessarily comparable to other, unauthorized disclosures that the president believes, rightly or wrongly, compromise national security.

...

The material that Mr. Bush ordered declassified established, as have several subsequent investigations, that Mr. Wilson was the one guilty of twisting the truth. In fact, (Wilson's) report supported the conclusion that Iraq had sought uranium.

...

[Beetwasher]

1. WTF????? This WP Editorial Is Totally Full of SHIT!!!!

Holy cow, I can't believe they would publish this drivel, it's insane!!!!

[rfranklin]

2. I think Wilson would disagree...

If he had been supportive of the Bush junta claims, why did they react so negatively?

[Dudley_DUright]

8. You think correctly

Here is Joe Wilson's response to the editorial:

Sunday's Washington Post lead editorial once again misrepresents the facts as the paper's own reporting in the Barton/Linzer article in the same edition makes clear. While I respect the separation of news and editorial function it might be helpful to the Post's readers if the editorial board would at least read the news before offering its judgments. One of the reasons my trip to Niger has been overanalyzed, as the Post editorial says, is because people like those who wrote the editorial continue to misconstrue the facts and the conclusions."

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/9/114828/4742

[fugop]

9. Thank God I'm not crazy

Oh man. I asked my spouse today to read the page 1 piece in the Post on the leak and then read the editorial. Or vice versa. I just wanted to know if I'm the crazy one, because honest to God, I can't believe they printed the two pieces which seemed completely contradictory. I was completely taken aback,as I read the page 1 piece first, then the edit, then went back and forth several times. Very bizarre.

So happy to see Wilson sent this rebuttal. Effin' Post.

[saltpoint]

3. This observer is confused. Wilson grew furious and understandably so,

when Bush/Libby/Cheney/Rove leaked his wife's name, exposing her as a CIA agent, because he knew that his report that the yellow cake story was unsubstantiated and that BushCo needed it to justify the assault on Iraq.

This piece in the POST is telling me that Joe Wilson had no reason for his anger? I'm confused as it gets on this one.

[boobooday]

4. Cheney wrote it

I'm almost kidding. On second thought, no, I'm not. Maybe Mary Matalin wrote it.

[HereSince1628]

5. I thought we didn't post pro-Neocon bullshit?

[librechik]

6. WP should be ashamed for pronting this abject bowing and scraping

but I guess the same idiots who thought Iraqq was a great opportunity for GWs legacy are still in charge. They have to cover their own asses as well as his.

Apparently the WP is just fine with printing lies without correction. So they have demonstrated lately.

[grytpype]

7. Looks like Fred Hiatt took an extra big dump this morning.

But don't worry, Wilson will be on him.