re: Flame vs. Plame, there’s probably lots of discussion re: this on some Emptywheel threads over at TNH. But, I’ll mention one tidbit that I remember: Novak’s original story, and I believe his second story, both contained “Flame” not “Plame”. Not sure on the exact details here, but I do know that Novak shared this little quirk.

I’ll also observe that a P and and F will look really similar, especially on an n-th generation copy, or a fax.

It’s not in Novak’s original expose! http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00874.html

Maybe her copy of the paper was smudged? ;-)

Here’s some interesting speculation on the derivation of the variant.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.c…..007350.php

I’d just point out that there’s the possibility of what is called a “phonological shift” of P for F when some people speak to other peoples ears. This can happen most easily if the person doesn’t sharply aspirate the P sound in conversation.
Soime people will recognize the P as a P, while others will think the person said F. Lot’s of languages shift from one to another this way.

So perhaps Libby whispered or dropped his voice when he said “Valerie Plame” and Miller misheard it. Also the fact that “V” was at the beginning of the name can make this a more likely confusion ~ the mind might here someone saying her name quickly as “Valerie Vlame”.

I suppose that Team Libby might have found evidence that some other source (a second stream) used Valerie “Flame”? Or maybe they are simply suggesting that it must be such by innuendo. But if Libby told ARI something similar, then I would think that the argument actually backfires on Scooter. It might suggest that Scooter has a voice that easily can be mistaken when he speaks softly…or that he himself misused her name.

Maybe he had a false source, or simply misspoke or misrecalled her name?

More interesting to me is why FITZ made a point of pointing out that the document that dealt with the VEEPS note that he didn’t want “to protect one staffer sacrifice the guy the Pres. that was asked to stick his neck in the meatgrinder…” has that strange PRINTED “Security Status” stamped on it.

Who precisely would have a stamp that said “To be treated as TOP SECRET”???

Fitz was very interested in that!

Speaking of Poppy’s gang. I saw the reptilian James Baker on the tv yesterday urging the support of the Bush surge.

He’s a company guy that Jimmy B. Just like that weasel, Bobby “Embolden the terrrrists” Gates.

That town needs an enema.

-GSD

First round is on me!

SharonW @ 82

J If you googled Wilson’s name, you’d pull up that his wife’s name is Flame. Sorry–Plame

Okay that’s, at least, the second time he’s made that mistake (but I think it’s been three) and I believe it’s not accidental. He’s up to something and I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that Miller wrote the name “Flame” as did Novak in his Human Events Townhall article.

That’s just too coincidental. I wonder if he’ll try tying “Flame” to Rove somehow?

And at the time wasn’t she listed in the Who’s Who as Valerie Wilson?
Not sure if her maident name was listed, but certainly her cover profession and not any CIA linkage would have been.

Why did none of this raise red flags for anyone in the news orgs if they were non partisan and loyal Americans?

Ooops, answered my question didn’t I.

Absolutely true! Is Jeffries allowed to introduce BLATANTLY FALSE statements like this into the record??

If you Googled Valerie Plame at that time you likely would not have gotten ANYTHING. Her husbands website only referred to her as Valerie Wilson, I believe.

For someone to link Valerie Wilson with Valerie Plame would have required more than a little googling, methinks.

Mary probably views Joe Wilson as totally disloyal to the Bush Family Fortunes. Remember, she was Campaign Manager in 1992 for GHWBush’s failed re-election campaign, replaced in the last month by James Baker who had to resign from State to take the campaign job.

Wilson was a true hero of the first Bush presidency — his “hold the fort” presence in the Baghdad Embassy during the 6 months between the invasion of Kuwait till the day or so before the bombs started flying, and his success in getting about 2000 Americans out of Iraq and Kuwait being the basis for GHWBush promoting him to Rank of Ambassador. But then during the Clinton years, Wilson served in Clinton’s NSC heading the Africa Desk, organized Clinton’s famous tour of Africa and all — Mary as a total partisian would view Joe Wilson as disloyal, and yep, a snake. Worse, Wilson comes from a Solid Republican family in California — related to former Senator Pete Wilson. But he also worked for Gore while Gore was in Congress as part of a State Department program training senior management — in fact it was Joe Wilson who had persuaded Gore to vote for the first Gulf War in 90-91, with his call from the Baghdad Embassy patched into the Senate Cloakroom during the debate. While it was OK for Mary to Marry Carville — she does not allow for anyone else to follow their head & heart instead of crass party instinct. What is interesting here is how Mary essentially invented a small wedge issue (Russert & Matthews = profound mutual hate) to deal with a political problem.

This would never have been possible back in the days of Walter Lippmann and Scotty Reston!!! They let the advertising guys into the temple.

Ironically Wilson donated $1000 to the Bush for President Primary Campaign in 1999…the same amount as he did for the Gore Campaign.

And anyone who followed Wilson’s statements in the lead up to the Iraq invasion would find that he was for playing hardball with Saddam in order to get the Inspectors BACK IN to do their job! It’s not as if Wilson was working from some preconceived conclusion about whether Saddam did or didn’t have WMD’s…but he certainly didn’t want he reported upon in Niger to be used as a basis for an invasion!

Swopa @
18

Fitzmas @
7

Breaking News – Yesterday’s testimony leads directly to the oval office!

Cheney’s Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair

…

[snipped]
it looks like he wrote “the Pres” to me, not “this Pres”

Agree, but not sure if it’s relevant.

I’m more fascinated in what was the “meatgrinder” that Bush asked Libby to put his neck into.

LIBBY was “the guy ASKED” to do this task…others (”volunteers”) seem to have screwed things up due to “incompetance”.

I can’t conceive that doing what Bush claims he ordered…simply declassifying parts of the NIE by the book would represent any sort of “meatgrinder” at all.

Meatgrinder implies a very nasty job with high risk (esp. if you are putting your neck on the line). It’s not simply playing dodgeball like ARI or Scotty McClellan. IMO Libby was asked to undertake something that was really dangerous to his FREEDOM and put him in legal jeopardy. He was tasked with leaking someones identity… ;-)

I thought Dickerson said that he was told by Ari to seek out the information on Plame. Ari said he told Dickerson but that Dickerson wasn’t paying much attention. Now Cooper is saying that Dickerson called him and told him about Plame. Seems Cooper’s version backs up Ari’s version.

Two against one…maybe Dickersop should be grateful that he wasn’t called to make a sworn statement.

BTW There was also a third reporter there…how much you wanna bet that she also recalls ARI saying that he mentioned “Wilson’s wife” on that Ugandan road.

Maybe Dickersop was distracted by all the singing children??

Seems Cooper’s version backs up Ari’s version.

That’s what I was thinking.

So, why is Dickerson saying that Ari lied on the stand. Sure seems to undercut that position.