24 January 2006 (# 50)
I have read much speculation as to why the White House would violate Federal statutes and compromise our National Security by intentionally revealing the identity of a CIA Non-Official Cover operative – namely, Mrs. Valerie Plame Wilson.
Today, in an article written by the expert intelligence community investigative journalist, Jason Leopold, a “retired State Department official” doesn’t speculate, but explicitly states the reason for the outing of Mrs. Wilson, and corroborates a statement that appeared in a September, 2003,
Washington Post article –
"Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge":A retired State Department official who was a source for a July 20, 2005,
Associated Press story told the
AP that the memo was drafted to respond to specific questions about Wilson's debunking of the Niger uranium claims.
"It wasn't a Wilson-Wilson wife memo," the State Department official told the AP. "It was a memo on uranium in Niger and focused principally on our disagreement with the White House."
The retired official was tracked down and interviewed by this reporter. This person said some senior members of Cheney's staff wanted the memo "toned down" after they read it.
"Try to understand their concern," the retired State Department official said.
"This was the very first time there was written evidence - not notes, but a request for a report - from the State Department that documented why the Niger intel was bullshit. It was the only thing in writing, and it had a certain value because it didn't come from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). It came from State.
It scared the heck out of a lot of people because it proved that this guy Wilson's story was credible. I don't think anybody wanted the media to know that the State Department disagreed with the intelligence used by the White House.
That's why Wilson had to be shut down."
Link: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012306Z.shtmlThe article continues with a source currently in the State Department who confirms what many have suspected. The
White House Iraq Group - (whose members at the time of the outing of Mrs. Wilson, included Rice, Libby, Hadley, Rove, Hughes, Cailo, Matalin, Wilkinson, Card and operated out of Cheney’s office) - coordinated the attack on the Wilson’s in an attempt to paint them as partisan hacks. As Mr. Leopold notes:
All of the sources interviewed separately for this story said they were told that Karl Rove was the person who first suggested using the media to "turn the tables on Wilson." The officials wouldn't identify the person who told them this. The decision, however, was made during a meeting that took place between the White House Iraq Group.
"There was a discussion about what to do about Mr. Wilson," the current State Department official said. "There was a decision to leak a story to the press - I think a few journalists - about the Wilson trip, that it was a non-issue because his wife set it up for him. They were going to show that Wilson and his wife were Democrats. Can you imagine? They were going to say 'don't listen to them, they're partisan.' It was a coordinated effort to turn him into the story. Much to my surprise, it worked."
Link: ibid
“It worked” and America and Iraq have suffered gravely as a result.
Gov. Dean, I urge you to consider posting Mr. Leopold’s article on the DNC website and distribute a copy of it to every person on the DNC mailing lists and do everything you can to ensure all Americans read this article.
Mr. Bush again today lied to the American people and informed the American people he would continue violating their 4th Amendment rights. Ironically, he has chosen to spin his continuing invasion of our privacy by calling it the
“Terrorist Surveillance Program.” In other words, he called every American a terrorist until he and his buddies decide otherwise.
And, since we now know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he and his neoconsters minions are more than willing to destroy National Security assets to squelch the truth, as they concertedly achieved in outing Mrs. Wilson, we have every reason to believe they’ll designate anyone a “terrorist” if they decide that is the only way to block dissent and curtail access to the truth.
Might Mr. Bush and the neoconsters be
“fixing the intelligence around policy” yet again? Might Mr. Bush and the neoconsters already be preparing to suppress dissent? Well, Steve Clemons offers as clear a picture as any regarding the activities of the same “cabal” that steered America into its war of aggression on Iraq:
Monday morning (23 January 2006), 9:30 a.m., in SC-6 of the U.S. Capitol,
war-profiteer and former CIA Director R. James Woolsey will be joined by former RNC Spokesman and President for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies President Clifford May and Arizona Senator (and staunch supporter of the recess appointed John Bolton) Jon Kyl to help roll out public opinion research that allegedly states that Americans support military action against Iran and its alleged nuclear weapons program.
Some may try and laugh this off -- but it's no funny matter.
James Woolsey successfully master-minded the mass communication fiction that Saddam Hussein was connected to the 9/11/2001 al Qaeda attacks in New York and Washington by alleging that connection on major news stations on the day America was under siege. And while connecting Iraq to America's new terror problem, Woolsey failed to disclose that he was assisting his legal client Ahmed Chalabi who had everything to gain from a war against terror that included Iraq.
Woolsey & Co. are at it again on Iran.Link:
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001199.phpMr. Clemons does not merely comment on the reckless actions of Woolsey & Co., he offers specific advice that I hope you will read and share:
... While (General Clark) believes that we need a great deal more diplomatic effort to redirect Iran on its nuclear direction, he also knows that one can't deal with either Iran or Iraq in a bubble unto themselves. General Clark has stated publicly that America needs to do a deal with Iran. He believes we cannot manage Iraq and potential explosive realities in the region without buy-in from Iran. In that, there may be opportunities to appeal to Iran's desire to be less isolated on the international stage and dealt with in a more dignified way given its size and importance in the region.
This is no proposal to appease Iran -- and no call for America and Europe to "bless" Iran's nuclear activities. The truth is that American military power, allied with our allies' military capacity -- properly and lethally constructed -- should be in our "last resort tool kit" if Iran shows no interest in negotiating on any front -- and is demonstrably bent on using its eventual nukes actively rather than holding them for security. But the James Woolsey types of this era want such military options much higher on the list, without much regard for consequences to America's overall security or the viability of its military and foreign policy objectives.
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Woolsey and his colleagues from Scoop Jackson circles are doing serious harm to America's national security portfolio – and they will not stop, not ever -- until the Congress, rational parts of the Bush administration and Pentagon, civil society and the American public shut down these dangerous pundits.
Link: http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001200.phpMr. Bush seems intent on removing any “rational part” from his administration and more and more conservatives Republicans realize it as evidenced by those you quote in your recent response to Mr. Bush’s “I can spy on whoever I want” lawlessness mantra. So, it is essential to strive to build alliances that include reasonable Republicans as to halt Woolsey, Bolton, Cheney and their neoconsters buddies from the illegal actions of planning and conducting war of aggression on Iran.
Motivating the American public to “shut down these dangerous pundits” and those who are “fixing the intelligence around the policy” should be the goal of every Democratic candidate for the 110th US Congress. Otherwise we know that Mr. Bush will use the remaining two years of his illegitimate presidency to further crush dissent by spying on, and disrupting the activities of those who reject his un-Constitutional, lawless behavior.
If he'll out a CIA NOC to "shut down" the truth, he'll do anything to persist his fascist oligarchy.
Thank you for your continued leadership,
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