HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Sept. 30, 2006 Conservative pundits have misused information from the recently published book, Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, by Michael Isikoff and David Corn to disprove the important story that there was a coordinated White House effort to discredit Joseph Wilson IV. The book reveals deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, as Robert Novak's primary source for the editorial he wrote outing CIA undercover agent, Valerie Plame. A Washington Post editorial used this fact to excuse the roles played by Karl Rove and Lewis Libby; and several Fox News commentators (Charles Krauthammer on Special Report with Brit Hume, Rich Lowery on Hannity and Colmes, and Fred Barnes on The Beltway Boys) also deliberately misinterpeted this. They say Mr. Armitage was under Colin Powell who was at odds with the administration over pre-war estimates of Iraqi WMD capability so he really wasn't a part of any conspiracy, and anyway the leak was supposedly accidental. But this is not what the book actually tells us. Mr. Armitage aided the White House campaign to discredit Ambassador Wilson, and Mr. Novak vigorously insists that the information Mr. Armitage gave him was specific, including exactly where and in what capacity Ms. Plame worked. While it is true that Mr. Armitage was Mr. Novak's source, we also know that Karl Rove leaked Ms. Plame's name to Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine, and Lewis Libby leaked her name to Judith Miller of The New York Times. And it is interesting to note why Mr. Rove leaked Ms. Plame's name. Mr. Rove was countering the op/ed written by Ambassador Wilson in which he cast doubt on the belief that Iraq was attempting to acquire uranium from Niger. Mr. Rove wanted to make it clear that it was not vice-president Dick Cheney who ordered Ambassador Wilson to Niger, even though in the op/ed Ambassador Wilson truthfully wrote that he was ordered sent by the CIA's Directorate of Operations. However, the CIA was acting upon the Vice-President's request for information. The Downing Street Memos make it clear that the Bush Administration was "fixing intelligence" to make it look like Iraq was more of a threat than it actually was. Vice-President Cheney wanted the CIA to confirm another intelligence report indicating Iraq was attempting to acquire uranium. What he wanted from the CIA was confirmation of his "cherry picked" intelligence, but what he got instead was repudiation made public when Ambassador Wilson wrote his op/ed. Obviously, Vice-President Cheney sought to discredit Ambassador Wilson and he set in motion his campaign of retaliation. One leak was to Mr. Novak, a conservative columnist, who made it look like Ms. Plame recommended (the CIA disputes this) her husband, Ambassador Wilson, for the fact finding trip to Niger, and it was all a case of liberals backstabbing the president. The other leaks by Mr. Rove and Mr. Libby were purposefully made to keep the story spinning in the administration's favor. It's important to remember that these two chief's of staffs were only doing what their superior (or possibly superiors) wanted them to do. In the long run conservatives will not be able to continue to misstate Mr. Isikioff's and Mr. Corn's book. The truth has already been revealed thanks to Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor appointed by President Bush. According to the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR20060408916.html), Vice-President Cheney is at the center of the campaign to "discredit, punish, and seek revenge" against critics of President Bush's rush to war. The editorial writers of The Washington Post should read their own newspaper. Here is a quote from Mr. Fitzgerald. "It's hard to conceive of what evidence their could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to punish Wilson." After the November elections Mr. Libby will go on trial for perjury. This trial will be politically explosive and, if democrats regain control of Congress, could lead to serious trouble for the Bush administration. ------------ About the author Mark Gelbart: My book, Talk Radio, is a black comedy about a radio talk show host who gets kidnapped and psychologically tortured by a loser. www.mark-gelbart.com Email: agelbart@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
