Rozen: Someone is planting stories to offset the ticking Plame bomb

[BurtWorm]

From blogger Laura Rozen:

http://www.warandpiece.com/

Swopa is right. Someone appears to be planting just the kinds of stories you would expect to see were the administration to be anticipating indictments in the Plame affair very soon. Check out this Wash Times piece from today, highlighted by Swopa:


The identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame was compromised twice before her name appeared in a news column that triggered a federal illegal-disclosure investigation, U.S. officials say.

Mrs. Plame's identity as an undercover CIA officer was first disclosed to Russia in the mid-1990s by a Moscow spy, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In a second compromise, officials said a more recent inadvertent disclosure resulted in references to Mrs. Plame in confidential documents sent by the CIA to the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Havana.


That's all very interesting; but not nearly as interesting as asking oneself, does this sound like the kind of flailing, tortured legal excuse the official who is being set to be exposed or indicted is preparing? e.g. it wasn't that damaging, even if it was a technical crime, to out the identity of an undercover officer who was already "outted" to the Russians and the Cubans? Doesn't it only make them look worse? It certainly would seem to reveal the key fact: the official who outted her identity to Novak was aware that Plame was an undercover CIA officer.




Posted by Laura at 01:31 PM

[H2O Man]

1. Very interesting ....

I agree that the administration knows something big is coming their way .... and they are trying to prepare the public with confusing reports.

[DulceDecorum]

4. Folmuah can’t get fooled again

There's a lot of talk about Iraq on our TV screens, and there should be, because we're trying to figure out how best to make the world a peaceful place. There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again. You've got to understand the nature of the regime we're dealing with. This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act, must act in way to hold this regime to account, must not be fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020917-7.html

[maggrwaggr]

7. yes, anonymous reports that cannot be proven

Nice ....

Good to see people swallowing these stories.

Can anyone say to the news media "prove it or shut up?"

What are they teaching kids in J-school anymore?

[TrustingDog]

8. where's Josh Marshall's plates of tectonicness?

any grapevine stuff on this?

[Shakespeare]

2. Josh Marshall just posted about the same thing.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com

[TrustingDog]

9. oops, didn't see your post...

[BurtWorm]

11. Thanks for that link, Shakespeare.

:hi:

[DrBB]

3. I'd certainly include the BERGER leak--after all

...it doesn't make much sense from either GOP or Dem perspective to have leaked it when they did. From the Dem perspective, the argument is "Get it out now, when it won't hurt so much," but while that makes a certain kind of sense, it falls apart completely on other grounds, as Josh Marshall points out.

And from the GOP p.o.v., it would make a LOT more sense to save it up for when it would be more damaging to Kerry. But suppose what they're trying to do is get some political smoke out there that will let them claim Plame is no worse than what Berger did, and how come their guy (whoever it is) is being pilloried when Berger is not even being charged.

[BurtWorm]

5. That is an excellent reading of the Berger bullshit

:thumbsup:

(Nice avatar, too!)

[lancdem]

10. Yes, it is

[lancdem]

6. There's a definite pattern emerging

Don't forget the editorial in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago urging Fitzgerald to shut down his investigation. Josh Marshall linked to it on his blog.

[BurtWorm]

12. kick