“Rivkin repeated the standard apologist line that there was no underlying crime and Valerie was not covert and “everyone knows that” — three falsehoods in one sentence.”

So, David, when did you “know” that Valerie was not covert and furthermore reached the conclusion that “everyone knows that”? Was it before or after July 14, 2003, when Robert Novak outed Valerie Plame-Wilson as a CIA operative, after Novak was leaked this information by two Bush officials, and even after Novak was strongly advised by a CIA official not to print Valerie’s CIA identity?

And, David, if you had knowledge before July 14, 2003 that you (as well as everyone else) knew that Valerie was not covert, then who told you, and when? Or were you just wandering down the hallway at CIA headquarters one day, ran into Valerie, read her nametag, and blurted out, “Oh, so you’re Joe Wilson’s wife, the one I’ve heard so much about from (fill in the blank), a top official in the Bush administration”?

Anyway, these would be the questions I’d ask anyone who used the phrase “everyone knows that” in claiming that Valerie Plame-Wilson was not covert. When were they first informed that she was not covert? Was it before or after Novak’s July 14, 2003 article? And who told them? And if before July 14, 2003, David, did the FBI and Patrick Fitzgerald contact you?

And if “everyone” knew that, then why didn’t I know that? I’m part of “everyone,” aren’t I? Why wasn’t I in the loop involving the outing of Valerie Plame-Wilson’s CIA identity? I feel so left out. Someone must have forgotten to tell me that Valerie was not covert. Maybe Scooter Libby since he supposedly has such a poor memory?

Side note: Congressional intelligence committees can subpoenae the CIA’s damage assessment report, commissioned after the outing of Valerie Wilson as a covert CIA operative and the disclosure of Brewster Jennings being a CIA front company, which was used by multiple covert CIA operatives as a cover during overseas intelligence gathering operations. The Democrats on these committees can then report to us, We The People, a general assessment of the damage done to our national security by these traitorous leaks of classified information by the Bush administration. I’m waiting.

Beautifully written, well researched, thoughtful post!

Thank you, from a loooog time lurker.

travelite

I would just like to defend Ben-Veniste’s performance on the News Hour. When Toensing claimed it was a case of “he said, he said,” Ben-Veniste came right back with “more like ‘he said, THEY said.” And when she tried to paint Fitzgerald as partisan, Ben-Veniste replied that not even Bush had called him anything but professional. Toensing backtracked extremely quickly.

I agree, he did push back on those and other points; the problem is trying to keep up with all the misstatements; there wasn’t enough time.

The jury was totally sympathetic to Libby. They felt really bad for him. Then they threw his ass in prison for up to 25 years. “Too bad, so sad” sayeth the jury.

Oops. sorry. Got caught in a time warp.

Libby down. 3 more to go.

We need to write our congressional representatives and order that they lay down the gauntlet with Bush: Congress will impeach Bush/Cheney if Bush pardons Libby!

Sorry if this was said already; I didn’t have time to read the comments to this excellent article. Thanks to Scarecrow and FDL for this and everything related to the Libby prosecution. The truth must come out; we must demand the truth.

yes! call your reps demand that congress take the club that Fitz handed them. Investigate Cheney’s involvement and impeach the whole group!

Scarecrow:

Thank you. It is not a “letter”. It is a manifesto. I’m sick of the fucking letter writing to these cocksuckers; they’ll never listen.

I would like your help or anyone else’s. I don’t know how to “promote” this idea, and using a work e-mail, I don’t really have the wherewithal, either. But I want to wreck the Post. I want to picket them. I want to picket Hiatt’s house with placards of mangled Iraqis and U.S. soldiers that his children can see.

These people only understand force, or, barring that, money. Fuck reason and persuasion. It’s not about that anymore, if it ever was.

Yes..enough of the letter writing. This group of neo-cons are psychopaths and pathological liars.