Republicans Want an Investigation Into 'Secret Prison' Leak

[YankeeRebel]

Face it, no one involved really cares about Plame or Wilson or anyone effected by leaks of sensitive information.

Well, the CIA does care. All of a sudden, the lives of all those covert agents who were associated with the same CIA front company as Plame were put at risk. Not to mention foreign intelligence sources who had contacts with employees of the front company. They were put at risk too.

Finally, the CIA is going to find it a lot more difficult to recruit foreign intelligence sources in the future because potential informants now know that undercover identities will be disclosed when it is politically expedient.

If you are an American, you should care that the intelligence agents working to protect us are being outed by their own government.

There have been many, many more leaks of information much more sensitive than this over the years that have put many more lives in danger than just Plame and her associates.

That's a pretty general statement. Would you please provide examples to back it up?

[Inquartata]

Hmmm... so you have no problem attributing unsubstantiated behavior to Wilson, but rail endlessley against applying any negative connotation to Bush's actions.

Of course! Fight fire with fire.

Actually, I am not the originator of this claim. And Wilson was a member or which Party? An Ambassador to which countries? ( Hint: not Niger. ) A staffer for who? A supporter of who in 2000?

Treat similar cases similarly. If we're going to assume the worst of motives was behind the Administration's actions, we assume the same about Wilson. If you wish to turn over a new leaf and stop automatically imputing bad motives to every Administration action, I will be happy to board the Peace Train with you.

I don't suppose his going had anything to do with his long experience as an ambassador.

And there were no other ambassadors available, I'm sure. Well, at least none with wives in a position to pull the right strings...

Now that I think of it, what in an ambassador's training and experience qualifies him to conduct a covert investigation? Wouldn't that be a job for a spy, or an investigator?

Also, Wilson wasn't the only person/agency to discredit the badly forged documents.

Which I understand he himself never actually saw. That's quite a good trick, authenticating documents via telepathy.

Meanwhile, the British intelligence services still seem to be sticking by the claim that Iraq tried to open trade relations for Nigerian uranium.

Yes, and the right refuses to even look into relevant issues of potential misleading and falsification.

I thought that's what the investigation was doing?

And didn't we have a Committee report on the intelligence not too long ago?

[Inquartata]

The administration stonewalls (the Bush administration is more Nixon-like every week, so the lovely old jargon is coming back) on investigating items that potentially reveal their incompetence, unethical or illegal acts or are merely politically embarrassing to them, but jumps onto an investigation to find out who exposed administration-sanctioned acts that may be unethical or illegal.

This is the game in politics, and Bush did not invent it. Selective recriminations only make one look like a partisan warrior.

Here's the pattern:

News report: "Today the White House announced that---"

Every liberal inthe country: "SMOKESCREEN! COVERUP! LIES!"

Bringing up whether Wilson was qualified or Plame hooked him up for his assignment (well, there's a laugh: Bush administration apologists pointing the finger elsewhere with accusations of cronyism and nepotism) are nothing but partisan attempts to change the subject.

And the truth of it is immaterial, is that your position?

Then why not treat this newest leak the same way? Instead of trying to "change the subject" from the leak to whether the leaked information is true?

[jeff]

What Wilson did or did not do is irrelevant, as is whether or not he's qualified to carry out investigations (what, the CIA doing something incompetent? Well, that's not a surprise). He committed no crime other than embarrassing the Administration, and they responded to that by trying to discredit him. Standard operating practice for Rove, but in this case it may have also violated the law. That, and committing perjury, are the only questions relevant to legal proceedings. Any attempt to draw the issue back to Wilson's qualifications or lack thereof is just an attempt to change the subject from Administration activities that are unethical and probably illegal.

[gojujay]

Treat similar cases similarly. If we're going to assume the worst of motives was behind the Administration's actions, we assume the same about Wilson. If you wish to turn over a new leaf and stop automatically imputing bad motives to every Administration action, I will be happy to board the Peace Train with you.

Asked any leopards to change their spots lately?