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Donate to the Wilson's Defense Trust. 

A woman is a person, not an appendage to a man, nor an object to be used or manipulated. 

Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby and Karl Rove never cared about that when they embarked on a conscious plan to blow covert operative Valerie Plame Wilson's identity in 2003. 

Scooter Libby provided a firewall to protect Vice President, lying under oath and to the FBI, obstructing justice and preventing a successful investigation of the underlying crime of the leak itself.  Throughout their notes and during their conversations at the time of their treasonous smear campaign against her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Libby and Cheney referred to Valerie Plame as "the wife."   So did Libby's lead attorney, Ted Wells, during Libby's trial.

Today, in the House of Representatives, this heretofore silent woman will speak. 

This woman, who risked her life undercover for her country, at times carrying a weapon, finally breaks her necessary silence to answer questions from Henry Waxman's committee about her experiences, for the sake of government oversight and reform. 

All those armchair warriors on the right wing, who never risked a thing but a seated rash and a sticky keyboard (eew!), today will actually see what a true American patriot looks and sounds like.  Take notes, boys.

Today Valerie Plame Wilson speaks. 

(I'll try to send updates from the hearing room for this post, but the technology may not be in place.  Feel free to make notes in the comment section from what you can find of the hearing on TV.  C-Span reports that they will be televising the hearing live.)

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10:25 am ET from Pach:

Newsy bit:  Waxman declares Valerie was covert, defines limits of what she can be asked, even now, per the CIA.

Shorter Waxman:  Toensing is. . . factually challenged, to be polite about it, though he never mentioned her by name.

10:36 am ET

Davi$ says "It's the CIA's fault." Hmmm. . .  Where have I heard that before?

10:39 am ET:

Valerie speaking, reading her statement.  She started out seeming, to me, very slightly nervous, but quickly, she's into a flow.  She's exceedingly composed, and speaks extremely well.  She's not tripping on any words.  In some sense, I imagine she's been mentally rehearing for the day she can speak out for years.

10:48 am ET

Yarmuth questions:

Valerie describes the very real and damaging effect of the leak on her life and even more broadly, on the integrity of intelligence collection.  She is very, as they say, "emotionally present."  This is her life.

10:51 am ET:

Hodes, a former prosecutor, brought his outrage voice with him, though I suppose that's required for committee hearings any time.  But this is not just some cost overrun for a rural dam project.

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10:55 am ET:

Davi$ defending his clients, Bush and Cheney, suggesting they never knew she was covert. Notice how the wingers are no longer claiming she was not covert. Baby steps. Let's see if Fred Hiatt at the ComPost catches on.

11:03 am ET:

Davi$ defending his clients, Bush and Cheney, suggesting they never knew she was covert. Notice how the wingers are no longer claiming she was not covert. Baby steps. Let's see if Fred Hiatt at the ComPost catches on.

Am putting up a new thread as comments are getting lengthy.

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