Wash. Post downplayed possible illegality of Plame outing by ignoring Plame outing
In an October 18 editorial, The Washington Post distorted "accounts given by reporters about their conversations with administration officials" about former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV and his wife, Valerie Plame, in concluding that the accounts do not describe a crime. But unless one ignores the single most important element of those accounts -- that in those conversations, Bush administration officials disclosed that Plame worked for the CIA -- it is clear that they very well may describe a crime.
The Post editorial, appropriately titled "Rush to Judgment," concluded:
This affair began with a trip to Niger undertaken by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, which he said disproved one of the Bush administration's contentions about Saddam Hussein and nuclear weapons. Columnist Robert D. Novak reported that Mr. Wilson had been chosen in part because Mr. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA; Mr. Wilson then charged that administration officials had deliberately blown his wife's undercover status to punish him for his truth-telling.
If so, they should be punished. Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald may have evidence that they did; there is a still a great deal that is not publicly known. But so far, in the accounts given by reporters about their conversations with administration officials, no such crime has been described. What has been depicted is an administration effort to refute the allegations of a critic (some of which did in fact prove to be untrue) and to undermine his credibility, including by suggesting that nepotism rather than qualifications led to his selection. If such conversations are deemed a crime, journalism and the public will be the losers.
In describing "accounts given by reporters about their conversations with administration officials," the Post omits the central fact -- giving rise to the whole investigation -- that White House officials reportedly revealed the classified information that Plame worked at the CIA. The Post ignored, among other things, New York Times reporter Judith Miller's October 16 statement that "well before Mr. Wilson published his critique, Mr. [Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter"] Libby told me that Mr. Wilson's wife may have worked on unconventional weapons at the C.I.A." The Post editorial also ignored the fact that Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper has said he was told by Libby and White House senior adviser Karl Rove about Plame's affiliation with the CIA. By omitting these actions, the Post was then free to dismiss the import of the White House officials' reported efforts to "undermine" Wilson's credibility. One would not know it from reading the Post editorial, but these officials did far more than simply "suggest[] that nepotism rather than qualifications led to his [Wilson's] selection." By revealing Plame's affiliation with the CIA, these officials may have converted what the Post dismissed as tough politics into a federal crime.
The revelation of Plame's affiliation with the CIA is the central issue in the case. The Post's decision to ignore it is akin to describing eyewitness testimony about a murder, without mentioning that the witness spoke of seeing a person killed, and then concluding that based on available evidence no crime had occurred.
One has to wonder...just how deeply have the Republican propaganda operatives infiltrated the press? Look at the stuff coming to light about Judith Miller. Not only did she peddle lies about Iraq'a phantom WMDs, but there are now reports that she may have fabricated stories on the "Oil for food" scandal to punish the U.N. for not backing the war.
Of course this is just speculation for now, but it would certainly help explain the pathetic performance of the "liberal media" over the last few years.
Look how Judith Miller is playing the victim to get Congress to enact a Federal Shield Law. And it looks like Specter and Feinstein are eating it up! At least the way CNN is reporting it. Disgusting.
chapter 512 of how the washington post has become a shill for the bush administration. we know plame's name because rove and libby were discussing her with reporters while her identity was classified. novak said he didn't dig her name up. it was given to him. every reporter has said they did not know her status before talking to libby and rove. and what to think of the story in the ny daily news today that suggested bush knew from the beginning rove was involved?
The Ny Daily story spells out a pretty good theory that Bush knew two years ago about how Rove was dishonest with him and perhaps scolded him a well. Thanks for mentioning that article mefirst because it is very relevant to this thread. This alone is reason to believe that Bush ignored the obvious, Rove and Libby disclosed Plame for retribution against Wilson for showing the uranium from Africa was an illusion the Bush regime was selling as fact. It seems that WaPo is trying to make excuses for so-called journalists to misinform their readers with propaganda that turned out to be so false that their spin rings hollow. It continues to be very troubling that some of these once respected newspapers are nothing but cheerleaders for what has turned out to be one of the worst policy blunders ever. How can WaPo think they're pulling wool over peoples eyes? It isn't sound journalistic practice to spread this pathetic propaganda and their attempt to wiggle around an excuse for it is inexcusable.
"(some of which did in fact prove to be untrue)"
There should be a special word to describe this statement. It's a very false, very emphatic declaration that some other statement is untrue. Every time a statement like this is published, it sucks a little bit of irreplacable light and hope out of the universe.