"either Woodward's lying or there's a new leak scandal"

[Canuckistanian]

From the blog "A Night Light" http://nightlight.typepad.com/nightlight/2005/10/either_woodward.html

The back story is that Bob Woodward appeared on CNN saying that Plame's outing caused no major damage. Well, that set alarm bells ringing...

"either woodward's lying, or there's a new leak scandal

... or both. I've confirmed with national security expert Larry Johnson that Woodward couldn't possibly have the security clearance needed to read a CIA damage assessment on the Plame case, yet he claimed to know its contents on CNN the other night. Furthermore, Woodward asserted that the outing of Plame caused no serious damage, a statement Johnson and others in a position to know disagree with strongly.

Either Woodward's part of a major security breach - one that rivals Plamegate itself - or he's lying. Either way, he owes the nation an explanation.

Let's be clear: Had Woodward said "Sources tell me that ...," he would be guilty of simply passing on a lie, rather than lying. That's why reporters often use these qualifying sentences, even when they're carrying water for their government cronies. But let's look at what Woodward actually said:

They did a damage assessment within the CIA, looking at what this did that Joe Wilson's wife was outed. And turned out it was quite minimal damage. They did not have to pull anyone out undercover abroad. They didn't have to resettle anyone. There was no physical danger of any kind and there was just some embarrassment."

[mac56]

1. Woodward's definitely been drinking the Kool-Aid.

I'm very disappointed in him.

[MADem]

18. No he isn't--he is sucking up to Bush so Book #3 will be a blockbuster

He kissed ass for the first two books, and now he's on TV doing spin for the Monkey. The Monkey will see him as a trusted guy, and he will get INCREDIBLE access, even better than he did before.

The end result will be a great book. The crowning glory in his LORD OF THE DINKS trilogy, full of all sorts of scandal, angst, and who knows what else...

It is all a scheme, it is all about Woodward, and it is all about his greed and hubris. He'd screw a lemur to get what he wanted.

[0007]

21. LOL!!

[A Simple Game]

25. Well, they are kind of cute. n/t

[MADem]

27. That poor creature looks terrified, perhaps Woodward is already

casting his lustful gaze upon the defenseless little thing!

[Cha]

32. That looks like woodward's

Style!

[CoffeeCat]

42. Awwww...Barbara Bush's baby picture! (nt)

[against all enemies]

22. Agreed, a whore for access. Fuck him.

[KittyWampus]

2. I'd prefer "Woodward Leaked Sensitve CIA Info, Where'd He Get It?"

as a thread title. :)

[KittyWampus]

4. Why presume he's lying? Let's take him at his word.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Oh, how the High and Mighty Pundits Hath Fallen

Woodward
Miller
Novak
Cooper
Gannon (tee hee)

[Canuckistanian]

5. Ah, yes, Gannon

He got his start with Cronkite, didn't he?

[KittyWampus]

6. Fitzgerald should get Woodward under oath & find out how he got that info

[Gabi Hayes]

7. there's another thread about this, and it goes without saying that

this should be a major story

the Plame/Brewster Jennings connection is THE important story in this entire mess, as has been posited a brazilian times here

too bad the spineless ones have no stomach, I mean backbone, to pursue this approach

[Canuckistanian]

9. Where was the thread?

Do you remember?

[Gabi Hayes]

12. it's got to be on the next page, or page three....wasn't that old

it centered around a Huffingtonpost link, which quoted Woodward, and made pretty much the same points as this thread

[Gabi Hayes]

14. companion link here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5217879

[Richard Steele]

8. Nice catch, Canuckistanian!

I had read Woodward's comments, and that implication went
right over my head!

Someone needs to put him on the spot,
and ask him flat out, "How do you know that?",
because there's no LEGAL way that he could.

Personally, I think he's just inventing crap,
like all the other lapdog apologists.
But given the nature of the material he references,
someone should find out for certain.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. let's not forget that Mrs. Greenspan said the same thing the other night

so that makes TWO MORE journalistic leaks.

leaks of classified information, intended to benefit this fascist kleptocracy

wonder how many other socalled journalists have benefitted from similar illegal largesse....

[countryjake]

15. You beat me to it!

I was going to say the same thing...Ms. Mitchell used the same exact "fact"!

[Garbo 2004]

43. Woodward and Mitchell inhabit the same cocktail circuit, get the same

phone calls and advise on "where the real story is."

[Canuckistanian]

13. Thanks, did you read the blog?

It has a lot more info on the story, including more on how far Woodward has fallen.

[Richard Steele]

23. Yes, and I especially liked this article:

"Woodward helped promote gop's 'anti-judge' agenda"
http://nightlight.typepad.com/nightlight/2005/10/woodward_helped.html

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Fitzgerald clearly told yesterday

that the outing of Plame/Wilson was a national security issue and very important and a threat to all of us. Woodward needs to come clean for sure.

[SeattleGirl]

16. I saw him say that on Larry King the other night,

and I thought, "Now how the hell would you know that, Mr. Woodward?" I think it is just more water-carrying for BushCo, and I don't think he actually saw the CIA damage report. However, he should be asked about it. And if for some reason he has clearance to see such things (rather doubtful), then would it not also be irresponsible for him to just blurt it out like that?

I think he was just talking out of his hat, and he really does not know what's in the CIA report. Either way, yes, he should be asked about it.

[Gabi Hayes]

19. Mr. Woodward, meet Ms. Miller....

In jail, I hope, and both on the wrong side of the lock

[Marie26]

47. I wouldn't be surprised if the "source" is Karl Rove himself. n/t

[corbett]

17. I Used To Respect Him!

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/delay

[Media_Lies_Daily]

20. Read this...it may help you understand Woodward's role in the media....

...<http://www.webcom.com/ctka/pr196-woodward.html>

I don't agree with the author's implied reasoning that Woodward has been part of the CIA. But, I do believe that Woodward has been, and still is, a longtime operative in the intelligence community. My opinion is that he has been working for Naval Intelligence since his days as an officer in the U. S. Navy. He was probably recruited by that agency sometime before he became a fast-track briefing officer in the Pentagon.

The old-line U. S. intelligence agencies resented the creation of the CIA following WWII, and were especially resentful of the direct reporting relationship to the president. These old-line agencies have done everything they can over the past three decades to undermine and/or destroy the CIA, and Woodward's writings would certainly reflect those views.

[SeattleGirl]

24. Even if that were true, I still say it would be irresponsible for

him to just blurt out that there was no damage caused by the leaking of Plame's name. If you work in intelligence, wouldn't you know to keep your mouth shut?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

26. Not if you were trying to destroy a rival intelligence agency...

...as military intelligence has been trying to destroy the CIA for the last three decades.

[Zen Democrat]

30. He was a communications officer with Naval Intelligence.

He met Mark Felt at the White House when he was delivering papers for Naval Intelligence.

Then he ends up as a reporter for Washington Post.

I think he's an "asset" for the Agency, or certain people in the Agency.

Don't forget, even after Nixon and Watergate -- he's still an avowed Republican.

Bernstein is The Man.

[DaveT]

36. Woodward Has Had the Most Convenient Career

of any journalist in American history. If you google up his official biographies, you see little or no mention of his assignment in the Navy, which was Naval Intelligence, including a stint as a "briefing officer" at the White House. You then find a heartwarming little tale about how he turned down a seat in a prestigious law school to take a "two-week" trial on the Washington Post reporting staff -- that he failed. Somehow this failure did not deter him from his destiny and he found work at the Montgomery Sentinel, where he evidently learned enough journalistic skills in a year to be able to handle metropolitan reporting.

Within months of this fateful return to the Post, Watergate knocked on Bob's door and this former briefer of bigwigs in the White House became the most famous Crusading Journalist since Clark Kent.

His career as a dogged "police reporter" lasted about a year and a half before he became a media superstrar.


As many people have noted, the only real mystery of Watergate that still remains unsettled is why did a bunch of CIA-connected footpads broke into the Democratic Party's headquarters carrying large amounts of cash and a White House phone number in their pants?


Bob Woodward is not to be trusted on anything.

[lostnfound]

28. No REAL reporter would be allowed in Bush White House for as long

There's a reason Woodward gets in and not Bernstein.

[blm]

41. BINGO! Woodward has been BFEE since before Watergate. Who do you think

put him at the WashPost and 4 months later set him up with the Watergate story?

"They" needed Nixon taken down cuz he was going batshit crazy and they couldn't depend on his mental state.

[lostnfound]

56. hmmm. 4 months huh? I didn't realize that.

I did read bits about him and his special navy ship background that made me skeptical.

When it comes to Washington reporters, I think it's safer to ask for them to prove themselves as unbiased and real rather than assuming that they are until proven otherwise.

[The Doctor.]

29. I would guess he was lying...

that would be the most logical explanation.

[KittyWampus]

37. Let's Take Him At His Word, No? Either Way, He Should Be Confronted

[SillyGoose]

31. add Andrea Mitchell to the list. She mentioned the CIA damage assessment

report last night, too. I think she was on MSNBC. She said the damage assessment showed there was no damage resulting from Plame's outing. I was surprised at the time because I thought the CIA damage assessment was classified information.

This is all very disturbing and should be pursued further to determine if there are indeed new breaches of classified info or if these shills are just bald-faced liars.

[Straight Shooter]

33. Hasn't bush revealed classified information to his buddy "Woody" before?

I do not remember the details; I only remember being appalled that bush would share information of a sensitive nature with Woodward.

[Lucille]

53. Yes. It was reported in the Providence Journal

It was reported in relation to a speech that Woodward was giving in promotion of one of his books--probably not Bush at War--since as I recall the Projo reporter was still heavily into hagiography. The reporter said something like: even Woodward, who's probably the smartest most plugged-in reporter ever-- was surprised that the brave, bold leader gave him access to classified materials.

Also, during a Charlie Rose interview, I believe that Woodward said something to the effect that while Bush was planning the war, he (Woodward) was present at meetings and saw assessments, and that his access was unprecedented because what he saw and heard was all top secret. Again, because the media was all busy hailing our dear leader and because rose petals were still being cast at our feet in Iraq, nobody thought to question Woodward about this--although my mind is hazy, I think that this took place after the Plame outing because Atrios or Josh Marshall highlighted it as a way of bringing attention to Plame.

Really, now that the Iraqis and our service men and women have had their fill of rosepetals and sweets, it's about time that someone in the press--or someone with lexisnexis account--starts asking Woodward questions about his unprecedented access.

[kohodog]

34. So Woodward puts the lie out there, and pretty soon

we have a new indisputed fact being quoted by all the RW pundits. Nobody lied, no problem. Progressive liberal pundits just don't lie like them.

[rustydad]

35. Why does it matter?

Whoever leaked her name could not have known whether the disclosure would have serious repercutions or not and whether it did or not is not the issue. The intent was to punish Wilson by leaking his wifes name. Retribution and a signal to anyone else who might challange the team. That act was an act that was very illegal. Lying to the Grand Jury was also an illegal act. Like a cheap sweater Fitzgerald will slowly pull on the loose ends and it will come apart. Only what the bad guys will do in the end remains in doubt. Rent the great French movie *Z* for a view of something similar in a fictitious third world country, and note the end. I truely hope we avoid that but I am not counting on it. Bob

[EuroObserver]

45. "The intent was to punish Wilson..."

"The intent was to punish Wilson by leaking his wife's name."

That's what, over and over again, we'e been told. That's the story being sold.

Always made me feel suspicious. Where's the investigation, evidence and analysis of these people's motivation(s) for the outing?

What other possible motivations have been considered in the lamestream?

It's unfounded spin. Just another talking-point

"This is about national security," is what Wilson says.

[rustydad]

55. Motivations?

Likely there are more thn one. But does it matter? The deed was done, laws were broken by people in high places and a cover up attempted. It matters little why other than the basic ambition to take us to war on unfounded charges. There is the real issue. Bob

[cynatnite]

38. The CIA isn't telling anything...

Intelligence officials said they would never reveal the true extent of her contacts to protect the agency and its work.

"You'll never get a straight answer about how valuable she was or how valuable her sources were," said one intelligence official who would speak only anonymously.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9856806

Woodward is pulling this crap out of his ass. It's very disappointing that he's become part of the problem rather than the real journalist he used to be.

[AntiFascist]

39. Ah yes....

I was trying to remember where the story that "the Plame outing doesn't really matter to the CIA" started. Hopefully 60 Minutes can help dispel that one.

Recall that Bush I may have been behind bringing down Nixon.

[Tatiana]

40. Woodward is and has always been a liar.

Woodward has also been accused of exaggeration and fabrication by other journalists, most notably regarding Deep Throat, his famous Watergate informant. Before he was revealed to be top FBI official W. Mark Felt, some contended that Deep Throat was a composite character based on more than one Watergate source. Martin Dardis, the chief investigator for the Dade County State Attorney who in 1972 discovered that the money found on the Watergate burglars came from the Committee to Re-elect the President, has complained the book and movie misrepresented him. Woodward was also criticized for his deathbed interview with the now-deceased former CIA Director William J. Casey. Critics have said that Woodward's interview with Casey simply could not have taken place as written in the book Veil, and that he fabricated the scene. And an investigation by the New York Review of Books found that Woodward fabricated a sensational story about Justice Brennan in The Brethren, among other issues.

<snip>

Woodward has spent the most time of any journalist with President George W. Bush while in office, interviewing him four times for more than seven hours total. Woodward's most recent two books, Bush at War (2002) and Plan of Attack (2004), are detailed accounts of the Bush presidency, including the response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Woodward has just released a book, The Secret Man written to be released when Deep Throat revealed his identity, which is about his relationship with Mark Felt. Woodward is at work on another book about the second administration of George W. Bush.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Woodward

He's been a right-winger since his Yale days. If Rove is Bush's brain, Woodward operates his "Ministry of Communications." I wouldn't trust anything this man says. He's an egotists and has cast his lot in with the Bush regime. I hope his next book is a flop.

[Marie26]

49. "Plan of Attack" = White House misinformation

Woodward wrote this book specifically about the Bush administration's actions during the lead-up to war with Iraq; exactly what this investigation is about. So, you would expect to get the low-down here about the Wilson visit, the fake uranium claims, and the secret groups created by Cheney & Rumsfeld to manipulate intelligence on Iraq - right? Not quite.

Joe Wilson is mentioned in one sentence - "A former ambassador, Joseph Wilson IV, had been sent to check out the claim (of uranium in Niger) and had found nothing to substantiate it." p. 203

That's it. Woodward had many hours of interviews with Bush, & unprecedented access to the entire White House staff, yet somehow failed to notice the White House panic over the Wilson visit, and the many meetings to discuss the issue that were detailed in the indictment.

The "Office of Special Plans" is mentioned in one page - which completely minimizes the group's involvement in any pre-war intelligence:
"Much had been made in the press of the so-called "Office of Special Plans. Libby thought the fuss ridiculous. The office consisted of two people assigned to read sensitive intelligence...summarized for Libby. It was not given to the Pres. or Vice-President. One paper from the OSP couldn't possibly pollute the intelligence process. The other myth, in Libby's view, was that Chalabi had a direct link to pass intelligence to the Pentagon or Cheney. Chalabi's information went to the CIA." p.289

This is pure BS. It's now established that the OSP was giving info directly to the President & Cheney; and much of this information came directly from Chalabi to the OSP, not through the CIA. There's no mention of OSP's shady intelligence sources, or the war between Cheney's office & the CIA that these indictments reveal.

Remember Shenseki - the General who said in 2003 that invading Iraq would take 200,000 troops & was then fired by Rumsfeld? Woodward doesn't. There's not a single mention of General Shenseki in this book.

So Woodward wrote a 300+ page book, yet failed to investigate or detail some of the most important issues preoccupying the White House during the lead-up to war. He didn't investigate the role the OSP played, but simply quoted Scooter Libby's opinions. He didn't investigate the Niger Forgery, or the influence Chalabi had in the Bush administration. He didn't know anything about the CIA leak. He apparantly did the same thing that Judith Miller did - transcriping the views of Bush officials whole without apparantly bothering to check to see if they were true. And these are two reporters that had 20+ years of experience. It's ironic to think that you could read the Washington Post & NY Times in 2003 and actually end up LESS well-informed about Iraq. If Woodward, a hero of investigative journalism, can't be trusted to find the truth, who can be?

Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/074325547X/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-0901462-4981623#reader-link.

[Festivito]

44. Or, "national security expert Larry Johnson" is lying???

Randi Rhodes AAR show had someone saying to her that that report of which NONE OF US WILL GET THE SLIGHTEST DRIFT was, can't remember the word... mortifying/deadly with special emphasis on the deadly word.

Woodward is blatently lying, and doing so early to run it as long and loudly as it can be repeated without someone speaking against it.

I want to know if that report has ONE or more than one casualty attributed to Plamegate's treason. Need a way to speak it curtly.

[symbolman]

46. Woodward's a Hack

Bernstein has a BRAIN - I wouldn't be surprised if Woodward rode Bernstein's writing to where he is now ala Watergate..

RE the Damage Report - Larry Johnson, ex CIA classmate of Valerie and a hell of a guy, has said over and over both in the Waxman Hearing and on Wolfie's show the other day, that the Damage Report, if it showed a problem would have been leaked.. we would have KNOWN about it.

I have that footage and more in my "Rove's War" film I created at Takebackthemedia.com - a 2 DVD set running at 150 minutes of RED MEAT for those that want to know the Complete Definitive Chronology of PlameGate.. spent a year doing the research and coming to many of the conclusions we are just now seeing on the DU months ago (tho some like H2OMan were on the mark THEN..)..

Hop on over to http://www.takebackthemedia.com and see the preview

It covers a lot of this info, and is enjoyable at the same time, a few clips of Jon Stewart FLAYING right wingers here and there to spice it all up :)

[mmonk]

48. Someone needs to be

on all the TV shows standing up for the outed and asking why are these reporters saying this. Personally, I think people in the media need to start being indicted. Reporting lies for rulers is not my idea of a free press, but instead, makes them government operatives. I would do anything for a mainstream press that was truly free like in the modern democracies.

[Vinca]

50. You can't assume Woodward doesn't have a security clearance.

Look at old Judy. She was in the inner circle and passing on propaganda to the Times. This administration actively uses journalists and Woodward is probably on the list.

[rhett o rick]

51. Committing felonies is ok if there is no damage? is that his point? nt

[Catrina]

57. I was about to ask that question also

Woodward is saying that top government officials with security clearance , who are required by law to protect the identities of spies (and Fitzgerald established that Valerie Plame was a spy when she was outed) MAY do so for political purposes, if they are psychic and can determine in advance that only minimal damage will be done to our National Security? Or, if they are not psychic, lucky? That is definitely a new reading of the law and quite creative, even for a propagandist for this administration.

Bob Woodward has been a propagandinst for this WH as much as Judith Miller for quite some time. He has zero credibility, imo, nor does she.

People in this country are yearning for the truth. They can handle it. They are tired of 'spin'. I actually heard a talking head ask last night how the WH can now 'spin' this in a way that will raise Bush's poll numbers!! They don't even hide it anymore.

Our Media is a disgrace. Actually the best interpretation of this indictment I heard, and the whole scandal of outing a spy, came from of all people Bob Barr. I doubt we'll see him again unless he is 're-educated'.

And yes, did Bob Woodward violate the law by revealing information that is probably classified and since he cited no source, how on earth would he have that information? This needs to be answered before we have to spend money on another investigation of a leak of sensitive information.

I know now why I tuned out of the media last year. Best to go back to that because the same old shills are still spouting apologies for an administration that clearly lied about this war, outed a US undercover agent, and then attempted to cover the crime, amongst other things. What does it take to get the press to tell the truth to the American people?

Over the past month:

1)A top administration official, Safavian, was arrested after having distributed contracts to Bush's buddies for Katrina.

2)A second top administration official, Libby, has been indicted for perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal agents.

3)The House Majority leader, Delay, has been indicted

4)The Senate Majority leader, Frist, is under investigation.

5)The House Speaker, Hastert, has been accused of shady dealings with foreign nationals, ie, Turks.

6)A top Republican lobbyist, Abramoff, has been indicted and may face further indictments in a separate investigation.

7)Republican Gov. Taft of Ohio, indicted. And just this week, Republican Noe indicted for corruption.

8)The Republican Governor of Connecticut is in jail for corruption.

9)The Republican Governor, Ryan and many members of his administration, under investigation for years, finally resulting in charges.

10)Three people were arrested for spying in the Pentagon, one, Larry Franklin, has entered a guilty plea. Btw, why does the media never mention this case which is tied to the false Niger documents through Larry Franklin? Just wondering.

I don't know if there has ever been so much corruption actually legally recorded in one party, ever ~ I know there's some I forgot, this is all I can remember off the top of my head.

But, our criminal press still sucks up to this party and covers for them, Woodward and Miller being the most well-known. It's despicable.

[ElectroPrincess]

52. Woodward lying?!?

Bob Woodward lying?!?
Since he's been absorbed into the Aristocracy of the Criminal Bush-Co Dynasty he only seeks TRUTH. Aye? ...



I'm shocked! Shocked!!! I tell ya! :puke:

[No Exit]

54. I'd like to go way out on a limb here and

pick "he's lying" for $10, Alex!

He's lying like a rug--just as Tony Snow flat-out LIED on Bill Maher's show the other night. Why do they go on TV and lie for these criminals?? The only conclusion I can reach is: they are well-paid to lie.

[Peace Patriot]

58. If Bush were any kind of president of the U.S.--and not the agent and ...

puppet of a fascist junta--he would be throwing a conniption fit within gov't and in public over this un-frigging-believable act of treason by the cabal in his administration. And this breach of security by Woodward (and several others) would be high on his list of targets. The only conclusions that one can make are that either he himself is a traitor and was in on it, or he is a blithering idiot who is not privy to how his policies are implemented.

If there is any such report, it was produced on order in a purged, post-Plame CIA, which will now do the bidding of the likes of Cheney and Rumsfeld, such as forging evidence (i.e., the Niger documents) for the P.R. conviction of whatever future countries they want to invade.

What I suspect is that no Americans were killed, but rather foreign assets or contacts who were helping the CIA because of their belief in non-proliferation, and the report just skips over these consequences. These Brewster-Jennings cooperators may have been the ones who detected and foiled the Bushites' plot to plant nukes in Iraq (for Judith Miller to "find"); they may have been involved in exposing the forgeries, or in other actions to foil Bush Cartel lies, arms dealings or other nefarious schemes. And they were likely the specific target of the outing.

Notice how Woodward words it: They did not have to "pull anyone out undercover abroad." They "didn't have to resettle anyone." Read "American agents." "There was no physical danger of any kind"...to AMERICAN AGENTS.

As I understand it, Brewster-Jennings was an elaborate, worldwide network of covert agents, assets and contacts involved in information gathering--keeping eyes and ears on WMDs around the world--and counter-proliferation--STOPPING illicit weapons dealings (shipments, payments, war profiteering). It was a front company with energy as its front business. Plame would contact people in the energy field (f.i., managers of nuke power plants). Every single one of those contacts--or anyone who even just had lunch with her or with any BJ agent--over the 20 year development of this front group--would have been in peril of his or her life on the day Plame was outed (July 14, 2003), and even more so when Novak outed the whole BJ company two weeks after Plame was outed (July 22, 2003)(with David Kelly's suspicious death occurring between those two dates, on July 17, 2003.)

A second possibility is that the CIA saw this coming--possibly when the crude Niger forgeries turned up (detected a plot against the agency by traitors within the Bush regime)--and WITHDREW its agents and warned its assets and contacts in time to prevent any deaths, and possibly even gutted BJ (turned it into a shell company, with the major work on WMDs transferred to other fronts or entities) before the Bushites struck. (This may account for the rumors that BJ wasn't "active" any more.) And, if that is the case, then the Bushites are now using a FALSE report--one that is cleansed of any danger because the CIA had had to dismantle and disperse the project IN ORDER TO PROTECT its people.

Whether Woodward is outright lying, or was fed a bunch of lies that he is regurgitating on cue, is an interesting legal question, but, in either case, he is a traitor to his profession (if not his country). No journalist with any self-respect at all would pass this unvetted information to the public as truth. Notice he says he didn't read the report (--at least in this quote, above; and, even if he did, how did he authenticate it? who is he trusting--Bushite traitors? and how the hell did he get to see this report?).

And no one with military service--and few Americans--would EVER CASUALLY PASS ON the contents of an internal CIA report, especially one having to do with the danger to American agents, assets or contacts.

Back up a bit: ...what we are talking about here is a report supposedly having to do with the danger to American agents, assets or contacts CAUSED BY THE *DELIBERATE* ACTION OF OUR OWN GOVERNMENT IN STRIPPING THEM OF THEIR COVERT STATUS.

And Woodward conveys the whitewash? Since when...SINCE WHEN!!!!!!!!...does a REPORTER provide the assurances of our gov't that no one was harmed or killed in our GOVERNMENT's outing of its own agents, assets and contacts around the world?????????? Why isn't this coming from Bush in a special presidential address to the American people or to Congress? Where is BUSH's report on HIS investigation??????

Jeez. JEEZ!!!

[countryjake]

59. "Casually PASS ON the contents of an internal CIA report" !!!

It's always reassuring to be informed by a book-pedaler about serious matters of national security, isn't it? I think the longer the prez remains silent about this affair, the worse it's gonna be for him, in the long run.

And using a vehicle such as Larry King Live is very typical strategy for these snakes...the "politics-light" program, which gets to far more Americans than any written word.

Thanks for your take on this, you pose good questions and interesting analysis!