Letters to the Editor
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So What?
Bush lied. Old news.
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Obstruction of Justice
If Bush and Cheney authorized the declassification, and then both said they know nothing about it, wouldn't that be obstruction of justice?
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Obstruction of Justice
No. They will just take the stance that Bush, in his role as Commander in Chief, has the power to do what ever it takes to fight terrorism. If it takes outing covert agents working on the proliferation of WMDs, then so be it...
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Where, oh where, is Tim?
I miss Tim's posts, and I hope he'll soon be back overseeing the War Room.
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Obstruction of Justice
No. They will just take the stance that Bush, as Commander in Chief, can take what ever action he deems necessary to fight terrorism. If it requires outing a covert agent specializing in the proliferation of WMD's, then so be it.
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Fitzgerald should
put Bush and Cheney under oath and find out what they say about Libby's claim that they authorized the leak. If they keep to their stories and say they didn't, that could set up a perjury charge if Fitzgerald has or gets corroboration of Libbey's story elsewhere.
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Pardon me?
This seems like a great way to nuke one's chances for a pardon. What could have gotten into Libby that he would give up his get-out-of-jail-free card?
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Apples and Oranges?
Perhaps I'm missing something here. Unless information on Ms. Plame was included in the NIE (which seems very unlikely), how is authorization to leak information in the classified NIE relevant to leaking information on Ms. Plame?
Is there an assumption that the purpose in revealing this de facto declassification is to show a pattern of "due diligence" on Mr. Libby's part--that anytime he shared previously classified information, he got an OK from the VP and/or the President? Although this is perhaps interesting from the perspective of more information on the internal machinations in the White House, this seems to me to be separate from the Plame issue.
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Newsflash!!!! Bush lying sack of manure
In point of fact, the Chimpresident of the U-nited States of Amuricuh is 200 lbs of manure in a 50 lb sack.
Bush originally said anyone involved in leaking the name of the covert CIA operative would be fired. Then, on July 18, 2005, the First Asshole when asked whether he still intends to fire anyone involved in the leak case "regardless of whether a crime was committed" replied, "We have a serious ongoing investigation here. And it's being played out in the press. And I think it's best that people wait until the investigation is complete before you jump to conclusions. I will do so as well. I don't know all the facts, and I want to know all the facts. I would like this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts. And if someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."
This makes Clinton's "depends on what your definition of is is" a model of honesty and forthrightness, as it is now clear that the okay for Libby and his butt-buddies to out a covert CIA agent came straight from the horse's ass.
As for whether or not Bush committed a crime (by okaying the leak) - admittedly he probably didn't. If the President wants to out every damn CIA agent around the world - it's okay by me. On the other hand, when it comes to whether ordering warrantless wiretaps is a crime - the answer is clearly "Fer shure, Dude!"
ยง 1809 of th Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act says: "A person is guilty of an offense if he intentionally . . . engages in electronic surveillance under color of law except as authorized by statute . . . [and] an offense described in this section is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
1,000 wiretaps. 1,000 counts. 5,000 years in prison and a $10,000,000.00 fine. Bush: Impeach and indict.
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Do some research
Before stating that he cam probably out whomever he wants, do some research on it. From what I understand, the authority to declassify material depends on who classified it in the firstplace. The president may have the authority to declassify anything, but maybe not and perhaps not unilaterally. Also, if he didn't declassify it, just leaked it, then that is indeed a felony and in endangering America's security, tantamount to treason.
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Donde esta Tim?
We haven't lost Tim Grieve have we? I love your writing Farhad, but I hold a special place in my heart for the wit and wisdom of Mr. Grieve.
Please tell us that he'll be back soon - better then ever!
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What else is new?
If it serves Bush anything goes. Including authorizing the outing of anybody. Libby, DeLay, Abramoff etc.etc. When will some of the true old time Reps finally admit that their NeoCon Cheater and Liar should be indicted, might as well include the lesser but smarter lights such a Cheney ,Rove and Rumsfeld, not to forget Condy Rice.
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What Am I Missing?
Thank you, DaleDimas, for asking the same question I had... and for which there has been no answer.
Libby has apparently stated that Bush and Cheney declassified information in the NIE about Iraq's efforts to buy plutonium. The Sun article says nothing about the disclosure of information about Plame. Rather, it says that Libby's disclosure places Bush, "for the first time, directly in a chain of events that led to a meeting where prosecutors contend the identity of a CIA employee, Valerie Plame, was provided to a reporter."
Umm, what am I missing here? Did the disclosure of the NIE information somehow lead to the disclosure of Plame's identity?
Disclaimer: I hate Bush as much as anyone. But will people please stop frothing and explain the significance of this?
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A prelude to the departure of the Vice President?
You know, I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but the fact that this apparently came to Libby through Cheney provides Dubya with a convenient method for dumping the Veep should he decide to do so. "I never authorized this leak. The Vice President was exceeding his authority, and I said I would punish anybody involved... So don't let the door hit you on the way out, Cheney."
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A note on Tim:
He's on vacation. He'll be back next week.
On the questions regarding the plame news, I'll be posting more shortly. Thanks all.
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As a follow-up...
... to my post above:
Mr. Manjoo writes that "Bush has disclaimed any knowledge of the leak and called for anyone who was involved to be punished."
What "leak" are you talking about, Farhad? The leak disclosing Plame's identity, or leaks of classified information generally? I think you mean the former, as you said "the leak."
If you mean the Plame leak, you've conflated that with the NIE leak. This is poor writing: unlear at best, deliberately misleading at worst.