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Edited on Sun Jul-17-05 04:14 PM by joemurphy
Here's why:
On January 28, 2003, Bush gives his SOTU address containing the famous "sixteen words" about a British report alleging Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Africa". The Administration does not mention that:
1. The CIA had not permitted NSC Staff efforts to include a similar report in an earlier Bush speech given on October 7, 2002 in Cincinnati.
2. Colin Powell had intentionally not used this report in his famous speech to the United Nations because he deemed it unreliable.
3. The CIA had previously advised British intelligence that it felt the British report was dubious.
In early May, 2003, after Bush's SOTU address containing the infamous "sixteen words", NYT reporter Nicholas Kristof writes an article revealing that a former US ambassador had traveled to Niger in February 2002 and found no evidence of any recent attempts by Iraq to buy yellowcake. Wilson wasn't mentioned by name in the article.
Immediately following Kristof's article, the White House went into major damage control. Condoleezza Rice went on Meet the Press and denied that the WH had any knowledge of Wilson's trip or its findings. This was a lie, of course as a classified CIA memo on the trip had been furnished to Cheney's WH group in March, 2002. Cheney, you'll remember, was the one that wanted more info on the yellowcake purchase and this was the reason Wilson was ultimately selected to go to Niger and investigate.
According to the Washington Post, after the Kristof article, the White House began asking questions about Wilson and his trip. It then got information concerning Wilson and the status of his wife at that time, presumably from some CIA people who served as liaisons to Cheney's shadow intelligence operation who knew about Plame and were able to fill Cheney and Rice in.
Possibly, as part of all this, on June 10, 2003 the "Air Force One Memorandum" gets written up. It's classified as Top Secret and is addressed to Marc Grossman, the State Department's Secretary for Political Affairs. This report mentions both Wilson and his wife by name. Presumably it was prepared as part of the damage control following publication of Kristof's May article and to provide the WH and the State Department with the facts concerning the CIA's investigation of the Niger uranium.
Meanwhile, while the White House is trying to find something to rebut Wilson's findings, more newspaper articles are coming out challenging the President's "sixteen words" -- all damaging to the Bush administration's credibility. In June, Kristof writes another article and Walter Pincus of the Washington Post does too.
Then Wilson comes forward on July 6, 2003 and writes his now-famous op-ed piece in the New York Times "What I Didn't Find in Africa".
This triggers more Administration concern. The same day as Wilson's article, July 6, 2003, Richard Armitage, Colin Powell's No. 2 man at the State Department, calls Carl Ford, Jr., the State Dept.'s Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research and asks for a copy of the "Air Force One Memo" for Powell's reading. Ford complies and delivers a copy to the White House.
Powell has a copy of the "Air Force One Memo" with him the next day -- July 7, 2003 --when Powell boards Air Force One and jets away for Africa. Powell is reportedly carrying the Top Secret Memo with him on the flight.
On July 7, 2003, the WH eats crow when Tenet states that the "sixteen words" weren't based on reliable enough intelligence to merit inclusion in the SOTU address.
On July 8, 2003, Novak and Rove speak on the telephone. Depending on whom you believe, Novak is told by Rove or, alternatively, gets confirmation from Rove, that Wilson's wife works for the CIA. Immediately thereafter, Rove sends an e-mail to Rice's #2, Asst. NSC. Director - Stephen Hadley and tells Hadley about what he told Novak.
On July 11, 2003 Rove talks to Cooper and tells him "not to get too far out with Wilson". He tells Cooper that Wilson's wife is with "the Agency" and working on "WMDs". He tells Cooper that a document (presumably the Air Force One Document) will soon be declassified revealing that Wilson can't be trusted. He ends by telling Cooper that he "already told him more than he should".
Wonder which "soon to be declassified document" Rove is referring to?
My guess is its the "Air Force One Memo". But the point is, Rove has, at a minimum, revealed classified information to Novak solely for political purposes and, in the process, blown Wilson's wife's cover as a CIA agent working on WMDs.
My guess is there were probably two reasons for this:
1. Vindictiveness. Rove wanted to discredit Wilson even though Wilson's information about the non-existent uranium purchase was correct; and
2. Punish the CIA for insubordination. The CIA had not been a team-player and had apparently not backed the Administration by taking sufficient blame for the inclusion of the "sixteen words" in the speech. The CIA had "pushed back" after Rice tried to deny having any knowledge of the 2002 CIA Report and leaked information to the Press about it, making Rice look like what she, in fact, was -- a liar. Tenet wound up taking some blame. Stephen Hadley also took some blame -- claiming he had gotten the March 2002 CIA report about Wilson's findings, but hadn't passed it on to Rice.
Its amazing. But I think Rove and Libby ARE part of a conspiracy and it goes a lot higher. Powell, Rice, and Hadley are involved too. And probably Cheney, Bolton, and the internal White House Iraq group -- Fleischer, Hughes, Matalin and others.
We'll see. |It's going to be a fun August for Democrats.
I think Rove is toast.
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