Bustednuckles @ 392

Once again, I would like to thank you, I have been here a few years now and have followed your travails closely.
After reading the book and getting you perspective of the emotional horrors you both have been through, it is with a great lifting of spirits to see you come back out swinging.
As was once said,
The best revenge is to live well.
I certainly hope that for you and your family.

C U @ Whole Foods brings his thoughts hours after the departure of Mrs Wilson and paints the employees of CIA with a broad brush, with undisguised dislike of both Wilsons while begrudgingly praising them. Remember, C U, that these were employees of the federal government, not policy makers. There is a difference. By your gauge each and every government employee is a nasty fascist conspirator.

Whole Foods, the natural food store for yuppies who don’t know that they can get the same thing for less money at their locally owned natural food store. But then they’re the folks who think the Ford Expedition is an environmentally friendly economy car.

You are an inspiration: you and Joe Wilson have demonstrated dignity, courage, and competence in responding to the despicable and cowardly act of your outing. As suggested by John Dean, I hope you are offered and you accept a substantive position in Intelligence in what will hopefully be a Democratic Administration.

So I say, could Ms. Plame not have been aware of what the CIA has done for the past 20 years? Could Ambassador Wilson, who has done some small services for the CIA prior to his trip to Niger, not know what our government has been doing around the world for the past 4 decades?

Let’s just keep the big picture in focus. Certainly Bush/Cheney have committed high crimes, but they are not beyond what has gone before, only more brazen and overt. Why did “our president” lie us into war? Please read some history, like perhaps, Howard Zinn. There have been very few presidents who have NOT lied us into war.

I will root for the Wilsons when they cross the line Ellsberg and others like him have crossed. Thus far they have chosen not to do that. I’m sure there is much they could tell us about recent events, such as 9/11, etc.

When I bump into Joe or Valerie at Whole Foods in Santa Fe, I will be very cordial. I respect Ambassador Wilson for writing his Op Ed, and that he obviously agonized over it, since it wasn’t published until 3 months AFTER Bush started his illegal war. The rest of it is a distraction from the real issues facing us, as Cheney certainly knew it would be.

As I said, read or listen to, or watch some things done by John Pilger.

And thank you for taking the time to reply.
All the best,
C U @ Whole Foods

You mischaracterize the reason for the praise here.

To review: The Bush Administration lied us into war with Iraq, 16 words in the President’s 2003 State of the Union were proven lies even before the speach. Joe Wilson called Bush out on this fact. After Wilson’s July 2003 op-ed, the Bush Administration quickly retracted those 16 words.

As a result of defending the truth, however, Wilson suffered the wrath of the Bush Administration who chose to out Wilson’s wife Valerie Wilson. Her outting, by the way, the Bush Administration ALSO chose to lie about. (I see you Scooter).

Joe Wilson has repeatedly said it is not about the Wilsons. It has always been about who put those 16 words (lies) into the SOTU? Why did our president lie us into war?

I think you will find that the praise here for the Wilsons is for their sterling character, their defense of America, and their grace under fire.

Okay, found the reference…wow, there is a lot of dry material in that heavily-redacted report. Anyway, on page 35 of the Senate Intelligence Report they begin to discuss the details of the uranium trade in Niger. On page 72, Conclusion 12 states that “…it was reasonable…to assess that Iraq may have been seeking Uranium from Africa based on CIA reporting and other available intelligence.” Your personal involvement is discussed beginning on page 39 – a description that differs sharply from your sworn testimony before Congress. Please take this opportunity to set the record straight with loyal firedoglake readers regarding the truth of these findings.

Thanks Again!
David

Listen folks: this woman was a SPY. For the CIA.

Ever read any Chomsky? Ever read any history?

Get real.

And let’s not forget: from early 1990s running foreign interrogation centers (read: torture), etc. etc. etc.

And you think Valerie Plame is one of the good guys? Well, maybe now that she’s seen the other side of political life in America she will be. As she makes her millions in book sales.

I don’t begrudge her that and I do admire Ambassador Wilson’s courage. I was hoping Fitzgerald would pin the tail on the right ass. But how could that happen in the United States of America? Not too likely…

So, America: how does it feel? to be on your own, with no direction home, just like a rolling stone…

I suggest some John Pilger. Look him up.

I have just one question that I would like resolved – according to the Washington Post, the Senate Intelligence Committee found that that after the Africa fact-finding Joseph Wilson reported back that according to a Nigerian minister, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998. Is this accurate? Will you please clear up this matter?

In the meantime, I will wade through the Senate Intelligence Report myself and see if I can find the reference.

I also commend your courage in being truthful by admitting that the CIA believed at the the time that Iraq did have WMD.

Thank You!
Sincerely,
David A.