“Leak” isn’t really the right word for it. “Firehose” might be more appropriate. Evidence suggests that the White House basically cold called at least six different reporters to get the word out about the identity of Joseph Wilson’s wife as a CIA agent. Doing so constitutes a Federal Offense.
In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Ambassador Joseph Wilson was the man the CIA sent to Nigeria, at Dick Cheney’s request, to investigate allegations that Iraq had tried to purchase “yellowcake” uranium in an attempt to make a nuclear bomb. Wilson came back from Nigeria and said he found no evidence of such things. Allegedly, in retaliation, the White House decided to out his wife. (That ought to teach him not to tell the truth.)
Dick Cheney, you might remember, states that he doesn’t even know who Joseph Wilson is. Once again, we are left with a conundrum, much like the situation with Condoleeza Rice’s not knowing about the Nigerian uranium evidence being innaccurate. Either Cheney does know who Wilson is, and is simply lying about it, or he actually doesn’t know who Wilson is, and is simply an idiot. Either way, it sucks that such a person is our Vice President.
Here’s a clip from the CBS evening news explaining the details of the situation that provides a nice primer before viewing the clip of Tim Russert questioning Condoleeza Rice on the subject on Sunday’s Meet The Press.
Here’s a link to the usual, largely incomplete transcript.
More articles on this to follow. All the clips in this entry are from September 28, 2003.
CBS Evening News On The White House Leaking Classified Info (Small – 6 MB)
Condoleeza Rice On Meet The Press Denying She Knew Anything About It (Small – 7 MB)
Here’s the text of the incomplete transcript in case the link goes bad:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/973028.asp
Transcript for Sept. 28
GUESTS: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser
Rep. Dick Gephardt, (D-Mo.), Democratic presidential candidate
Tim Russert, moderator
This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday, Iraq: Still no weapons of mass destruction; little likelihood of more international troops, meaning more Reserve units being called up; and growing concern on Capitol Hill.
(Videotape):
REP. DAVID OBEY: If you don
Rather disingenuous comments from Dr Rice regarding Iraqi military buildup, considering these Bush Administration quotes, one of them made by herself:
On May 15 2001, Powell went further and said that Saddam Hussein had not been able to “build his military back up or to develop weapons of mass destruction” for “the last 10 years”. America, he said, had been successful in keeping him “in a box”.
Two months later, Condoleezza Rice also described a weak, divided and militarily defenceless Iraq. “Saddam does not control the northern part of the country,” she said. “We are able to keep his arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.”
(John Pilger quoting TV interviews)
Oh, and regarding the comments system — when I posted the comment above (and presumably when I post this one) I got an Internal Server Error after being redirected to http://209.68.51.248/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/reinla/movabletype/mt-comments.cgi
However when I backed up to this page (http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/001816.php) it had been posted fine all the same.
Yes… agreed. Either Cheney is incompetent or he is a liar.
Of course we already know the Bush administration has no problems lying to the American people so maybe he’s both a moron AND a liar!