Bush Wants to 'Know the Truth' About Iraq Leak

[Paragon]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&u=/nm/20030930/ts_nm/bush_leak_dc_6

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Bush called on Tuesday for anyone with information about those who disclosed the identity of a CIA official to come forward, saying: "I want to know the truth."

"If anybody's got any information inside our administration or outside our administration, it would be helpful if they came forward," Bush told reporters after meeting with business leaders in Chicago. It was Bush's first public comment on the controversy.

This is the photo Yahoo attached to the piece. I wonder if they didn't inadvertantly finger the guilty party. :D

[Fenris]

1. Hmmm. That sounds likely.

Who couldn't trust this man? :mad:

[gWbush is Mabus]

7. Hey Bush, you want to know who...

...it is your CLOSEST FUCKING POLITICAL ADVISER

dumbass

[Shadder]

2. I'm sorry

but all I can think of is Jack Nicholson sitting in a witness box shouting that you can't handle the truth

[gratuitous]

4. Now why would you think that?

And how did you sneak your post in before mine?

[Shadder]

8. I'm fast

:)

[BQueen]

13. Leapt into my head, too

but I was too slow for you two...
:)

[lightbulb]

21. I believe this was shortly followed

by the prosecuting attorney saying to him "...and you're under arrest, you son of a bitch."

Ah, if only it played out like in the movies.

[gratuitous]

3. YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

It's securely locked away in a little glass box. Nobody can handle the truth.

Gee George, if you're so curious about this, why not call in your staff and start asking questions? Or does that seem too pedestrian? You could call in an airstrike. After all, you're not going to be there for a few days.

Dumbass.

[benfranklin1776]

15. Cause Dumbya ain't a detail man.

That was the essence of the crock of steaming Texas cowpie filling his handlers always shoveled during the last campaign i.e. "he knows how to delegate to others," and "he surrounds himself with good people." UH HUH. Translation, he is just too damn lazy and disinterested in the details of the job. Thus in times like this when his active personal involvement is required i.e. when real leadership is demanded, he reveals himself woefully incapable of the task. It cuts into weight lifting and jogging time don'cha know!

[underpants]

27. "Executive summaries" are often read to him & they planned for this

That what "he knows how to delegate to others," is meant to do. As with Reagan it is a built in firewall that stops the flames from reaching him. Everyone bought the "Reagan didn't know about Iran-Contra" because they had ingrained it into people's heads that he delegated and was "hands off", same thing here.

The real and sad truth is that both are/were figureheads with the real playmakers being behind the scenes.

That is why Clinton had so much stick to him (with the help of a rabid press) we actually believed that he could be involved in every detail of governing. Of course he wasn't no one could be.

If you are running an operation like W&Co. are you have to have safeguards built in.

[benfranklin1776]

30. That's a very good point.

Plausible deniability, or in this case plausible stupidity. It was often said that he idolized Reagan so its little wonder he is following the same warped policy playbook to a tee, destruction of the economy through supply side economics, construction of massive deficits, destruction of the environment, big beefy Pentagon budgets heavy on expensive equipment that make the hearts of defense contractors beat faster but skimpy on money for veterans and service personnel and all manner of cutbacks to social spending. So it is logical that he would also emulate his managerial "style" which is act as the figurehead of Oz while the men behind the curtain pull the levers and turn the wheels and when the wheels fall off, as they have now, he is insulated from the consequences. Daddy aparently taught him the necessity of being "out of the loop."

[bif]

26. It'll cut into his golf time

He needs his R&R.

[The Magistrate]

5. Oh, Does He?

That will be rich.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Shadder]

10. Look at it this way

Perhaps now he knows how we feel when we demand the truth about the election, 911, WMD, and so on and so on.

[Girlfriday]

6. Yeah, right!

Like he really wants to know how many people protest his visits in any city he enters. What is it now, a mile from the speaking venue!

[MurrayDelph]

9. Why start now?

Truth has never been too high a priority in this administration before.

[salin]

11. Either he is full of it - or his folks don't pay him any mind

as the leak happened more than 2 months ago. So either he only started to think about it yesterday when it broke in the news (scores high on sincerity and "moral clarity"); or he really does care - but noone working for him listens to him and follows his directives.

Neither looks like the good, pious, moral man the rightwingtalibornagains keep telling us is so good, so strong, and keeping us safe, and thank Goodness he, not Al Gore, is our president.

[Emboldened Chimp]

12. That's not what he said!!

"If anybody's got any information inside our administration or outside our administration, it would be helpful if they came forward,"

He said "inside our information" not administration. He did correct himself after this oh-so-typical blunder, but that doesn't give the media whores the right to change it!

[Scairp]

14. If he really wanted to know

He would start asking his people, don't ya think? Didn't McClellan say during yesterday's briefing that the president hadn't asked anyone in the WH if they did it? Yet McClellan said that the president knew for sure it's not Rove. One reporter asked if the president was clairvoyant since he knew for a fact but never asked the question! McClellan was dancing fast.

[arcane1]

16. NOVAK KNOWS GODDAMMIT!!!

sorry for shouting, but JEEZ!!!

:shrug:

[Shadder]

17. Don't forget the others

that were called at the same time.

[lightbulb]

23. Yeah, and folks at TIME magazine know as well

Judging by this article from July 17th...

"And some government officials have noted to TIME in interviews, (as well as to syndicated columnist Robert Novak) that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,465270,00.html

[kayell]

35. Notice that this says officials plural

as have a few other reports including Nofacts remarks. More than Rove need to fry for this. And if more than one spoke to reporters, how many others knew? Remember the good old days when the buck stopped at the President's desk? ...But then again, we don't have one of those.

[tjdee]

18. Way to be proactive, asshole!

Gee...I don't know....I thought this guy was supposed to be the pRESIDENT!

This is the same kind of namby pambiness that accompanied his first feelings about 9/11 and "catching the folks who did this".

Is he even *trying* to sound involved or on top of it?

Worst. President. Ever.

[Beetwasher]

19. "It would be helpful if they came forward"

Hey asswipe! Way to get to the bottom of things! "Oh please won't you come forward (wink wink) and help us out here? And remember, no shredding!" (wink wink nudge nudge)

[LuminousX]

20. I'm sure it was Clinton's Penis's fault

nt

[leetrisck]

22. Slimy Shrub wouldn't know the truth

if it slapped him in the face. Why doesn't the media and the Repukes quit acting like this is the first time he's lied.

[Fridays Child]

24. But, remember: just like my clean air standards, this is voluntary.

We don't need an investigation. If you leaked her identity, whoever you are, I know you'll do the right thing.

Thank you,
George W. Bush
Anal Naviator and President of the Untied States of 'murka

[Snellius]

25. Bush will get caught in his own trap

If he admits there is a crime, he is obligated to find the culprit.

[PurityOfEssence]

28. I like the way he says: "we'll take care of him"

Appropriate mafia-speak...

[0007]

29. tick tick tick tick

drip drip drip drip

Won't you step in my parlor said, "the spider to the fly."

[TEXASYANKEE]

31. Sad state of affairs

The pResident admitted during his Brit Hume interview on Fox last week that he doesn't read newspapers or magazines, he relies on his staff to tell him what is "news." I don't doubt for a second that Shrub DID NOT know about Plume's outing. Now, as far as will anything happen ... don't hold your breath.

[Richardo]

32. There's a cabinet-level department for roast beef drippings?

[expatriot]

33. this is a pathetic but noble attempt by Rove...

...to separate Bush from how the Nixon WH handled these matters... to look like he is facing it fully, etc.

will it work? i am a miserable judge of the american populus' reaction to things.

[Junkdrawer]

36. Sounds like Bush needs a subscription to The Guardian...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/0,12271,759893,00.html

[Thor_MN]

34. Gee, sounds like working for a dictatorship to me....

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/30/elec04.prez.bush.trip.ap/index.html
...
Earlier, Bush did not mention the issue in his speech at the fund-raising luncheon, nor the demands from Democrats for the appointment of a special outside counsel to investigate the leak.

But he did tell his audience that he and GOP leaders such as House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois., were working with him to try "to get rid of this needless partisan bickering that dominates the Washington, D.C., landscape and the zero sum politics of Washington."
....

[young_at_heart]

38. Yes, a dictatorship is what they want

"Needless partisan bickering"? You've got to be kidding. It needs to be far more than bickering with these people...it should be a ROAR.

[damnraddem]

37. I he really wants to know the truth about it, ...

maybe he should be in psychotherapy.

[Corgigal]

39. needless partisan bickering ?

We know for NOW that Wilson and his family is okay but do we know for sure anyone hasn't been killed? I would think the CIA has that information and Bush thinks of this in the above way.

What a class act.

[IggleDoer]

40. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of"

In Repubican-speak, "taken care of" means a job on the board of the Carlyle Group.

[cliss]

41. Looks like Rove's attention needs to change a bit

These past three years, he's devoted an awful lot of energy to the pResident's image in the PR department. Now he needs to do that for himself.

Wonder how he'll do? Which subordinate will it be this time?

[PaDUer]

42. He wants to know the truth...

they've known for awhile now, 3mos?, and haven't done a thing...now because the shit hit the fan, he wants to know in front of the public!? He's BS!

[IMayBeWrongBut]

43. I love the picture...

Ashcroft "standing in the way of justice!" :)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

44. And O. J. has sworn to find the real murderer...

Can ANYONE in this entire country still be so gullible as to believe this line of bullshit?

Oh, wait, I haven't been over to Free Republic to find out yet... :evilgrin:

[madashellwontgo]

45. All the President's Men Redux . . .

BUT the press stops before Rove. If Rove goes, then the pResident goes. The repugs will not let this happen. I'm pessimistic about this. This scandal will fuel the Repug base. This is seen, again, as the victimization of the poor little shrub. Rove has this all calculated. What? A reporter beaten up to test the sanctity of the institution of journalism? No way. Rove has his arse covered. Truth? Who cares about the truth? I just want to drive my SUV and recite the scripture because Dubya is great!!!
Few other reporters that know about this will testify and few aides will resign. And the sheeps will eat it up!

I don’t need the next Clancy novel. I have all this!!!

[LevChernyi]

46. I don't get it

He is either calling Novak a liar or he is such a poor leadership figure that he doesn't call the shots and no one would listen to him if he just had a conference call and asked around who did what because his own people would just lie to him.

He needs to pick one because there isn't another scenario out there.

[dArKeR]

47. Bush and Blair feel fresh heat on Iraq war - Mirror

WASHINGTON/BOURNEMOUTH (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush and his ally Tony Blair are feeling renewed heat over their war on Iraq, with critics homing in on damaging leaks on both sides of the Atlantic.

The U.S. Justice Department said it had opened a criminal investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity allegedly to try to deflect criticism of the war, a case very similar to one that has shaken Prime Minister Blair.

Bush said after meeting business leaders in Chicago on Tuesday he wanted anyone with information about the leak to come forward.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=13466318&method=full&siteid=50143