Now the question is, why did they out Plame?

[Tom Joad]

For me that has not been adequately answered.
I know it was in retaliation for Wilson going public, but did they not see that it wasn't worth it?

Even though they did not foresee the coming indictments, it all seems rather petty, a waste of their time. Did it really hurt Wilson or his wife that much? Wasn't he given more attention, and wasn't their more embarrassment for the administration, in the immediate aftermath of the Plame leak? It probably added to Wilson's credibility. Ignoring Wilson would have been a better strategy. The Iraq war has never been very popular, but Wilson's stuff had little to do with public opinion.

The thing is i just do not understand the criminal mind, so i just could not understand how it operates. One thinks of assessing risks, and consequences when doing something like this. Basic logical thinking. Perhaps i misunderestimate their arrogance and foolishness.

May they have decades to consider this, perhaps in the Federal Pen in Dublin, CA (That is reasonably close by, be nice if i can go visit some of these fools once in awhile).

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. The team she worked with

was getting too close to the truth about Iraq and BushCo sudden need after the invasion to plant WMD's in the country.

[Patsy Stone]

6. Bingo.

Saved me a post. :)

[hvn_nbr_2]

15. Double bingo.

Remember that the Swift Boat Slime machine was still in fine fettle then. They could slime Wilson quite effectively like they did anyone else that crossed them. Also we've recently found out that they had started spreading the info about Plame around before Wilson's article was published. Sliming Wilson was just a convenient front reason to hide that their real agenda was to shut down Brewster Jennings.

[JAbuchan08]

2. They probably did it because it seemed so inconsequential

it was a crime of arrogance and superiority. They had a good thing rolling and they just kept stretching and stretching. They think they've got the world by the balls, but they're not humble enough to take only what they can get away with.

[HereSince1628]

3. I'm sure motive has been on the investigators minds from the start

Motive not only leads to understanding, its a clue to what other crimes and therefore charges need to be considered.

[FormerRepublican]

4. Since current info says they exposed Plame prior to Wilson's op ed...

...article in the New York Times (June 23, 2003?) as revealed by Miss Dirty Liar herself, Judith Miller, I suspect that far more was going on than just smearing Joe Wilson.

Frankly, the White House stinks to high heaven. If they wiggle out of treason, I'll be very much surprised.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. So much hubris and zeal, they felt the need to crush anyone who would

dare question the plan that god himself had spoken to them about and approved.

[havocmom]

7. Her network tracked movement of weapons materials. It was destroyed

Now, bad guys (and/or Dick Cheney's pals in War Profiteering) can move weapons materials with greater safety. That makes little wars & big wars more likely. Makes it easier for explosives to be planted and for the junta to claim TERRAIST! and invade other nations.

Plame outed to destroy her network so the fucking war profiteers and meglomaniacs could all live happily ever after, while the rest of the world weeps for the dead.

[whosinpower]

8. Are you really asking that?

Knowing that the US went to war with Iraq over bogus reasons?

" He tried to kill my Daddy."

Petty retribution for daring to question Bushco. That is all it was. And I don't think they really understood how thorough Fitz would be - or the extraordinary powers he was given when investigating this.

They think they can get away with it because they really think the law is for everyone but them.

[Garbo 2004]

9. Covering up the fabricated reasons for going to war. The lies. Remember

this was not that soon after the bloom was still on the "mission accomplished," there were still hopes that the WMD's would be found and Bush was heading into an election year (a very important consideration, certainly Rove's concern).

They were used to arrogantly crushing their opponents like bugs without blowback. This time they miscalculated. And picked the wrong guy (and gal) and agency to smear.

Those are the obvious reasons. Others will no doubt supply still darker reasons.

[Burried News]

10. War with Iran was also going to need the WMD issue.

With no Nukes in Iraq, honest CIA intelligence was going to be even more of a problem the second time around. The CIA operatives who could stand in the way had to be eliminated.

If the Wilsons were quietly eliminated would we already be at war in Iran?

[tulsakatz]

11. for them, I think it was business as usual........

.......in other words it's part of a pattern about how they operate.

Remember, Rove is the one who orchestrated Bush's run for Gov of Texas by claiming that Ann Richards (his opponent) was a lesbian. Rove also claimed that John McCain's adopted child was a result of a former inter-racial relationship..........both were lies.

I am sure that they thought they could out Plame in retaliation for Wilson's criticism and that they would both eventually go away, in much the same way that Richards and McCain did.

You're right though, it is extremely petty!! But I'm sure they figured they had gotten away with similar things before so why not now?

[The Night Owl]

12. Great questions.

Keep in mind that the Bush administration, almost from the start, had a serious hardon for Iraq. So, prior to the US invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration was very sensitive to anything or anyone which it perceived to be standing in the way of their path to Iraq.

People give the Bushies way too much credit. They are ruthless, but not all that bright and hugely impractical. Don't forget, we are dealing with a group of people in the White House who thought that occupying an Arab country would go off without a hitch.

[tulsakatz]

13. ....and another thing

you mentioned the Iraq war and it's true the war is not popular now but at the time the war began, I believe the public supported it by about 60%!

I remember this because I have been against the war from the very beginning and it seemed strange to me that so many people in this country would support such a thing. But of course, much of that was also due to media influence........since (until recently) the media have been like a propoganda machine for the administration.

[yodermon]

14. click here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1902738
Follow the breadcrumbs.

[DURHAM D]

16. Ok - don't throw anything at me but,

everyone has been allowed and continues to believe that Plame was an expert on WMD, etc. I read many months ago (in a very long document linked from a DU thread) that her specially was actually Peak Oil. The misinformation about WMD vs. Peak Oil would be continued because 1) the CIA would just as soon the American public had bad information around this issue and 2) might have some slim chance of protecting some innocent people.

This article indicated that she was working in particular on the issue of Saudi reserves and how much they were hyping their capacity to produce more oil. Because the Bushes and Cheneys financial interests are particularly tied to the House of Saud and for a variety of reasons it would be important that word not get out around the world that the Saudis were more vulnerable than they seems, thus a person in the know would need to be neutralized.

In spook world nothing is ever what it seems.