When Cheney was making all those trips to the CIA

[shraby]

is it possible he was reading reports filed by Valerie Plame to keep track of how close she was getting to what he and Halliburton were doing?

[notadmblnd]

1. I think bolton was providing cheney with the info

via Bolton's liaison to the agency (cant remember his name, but LaLARawRaw did a story on it)

Cheney was passing it to libby.... libby feeding rove.... rove feeding press.

[longship]

2. This may be an important connection.

...a *very* important connection.

Not necessarily the Halliburton one, which would be speculative, but that Cheney had the opportunity and the means to know Plame's identity. NOC identities are amongst the most secret of secrets in the US. A West Wing political operative ain't gonna know the name of a NOC--NOT EVER!

Now here's where the connections become important. The WHIG (White House Iraq Group) operated out of the West Wing to provide the justification for an Iraqi invasion--DSM connection anybody? The members of this group included the following people:

Dick Cheney (VEEP)
Condeleeza Rice (Security chief)
Andrew Card (Chief of staff)
KKKarl Rove (Deputy chief of staff)
Karen Hughes (Communication strategist)
Mary Matalin (Communication strategist)
Nicholas E. Calio (legislative liason)
Stephen J. Hadley (Rice deputy)
I. Lewis Libby (Cheney Chief)

Others have placed Ari Fleisher in this group as well.

Clearly two of the people who met regularly could have had access to Plame's identity--Cheney and Rice. I don't think anybody else would have had access to NOC identities. The question is: Who were the two or three people who leaked Plame's ID to the press?

I would bet my bottom dollar that the other leaker(s) are on this list.

The amazing thing is where this leads the investigation. If the WHIG group did this foul deed, that means conspiracy, a major felony. Furthermore, with all that was said at the time of the leak by administration principles, Fleischer, Bush and McClellan, a cover-up is highly likely, also a felonious act. Now we're into obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

No wonder the White House seems to be running scared. Like in Watergate, the stonewalling and insane talking points won't work for long, if at all. The house of cards is collapsing around them.

I can't wait for Bush's first "two years of Watergate is long enough" speech. It ought to be a doozy.

[global1]

3. Is * Talking To Pictures In the WH Yet? n/t

[longship]

4. "Henry, will you say a prayer with me?"

Nixon to Kissenger just before his resignation.

[goclark]

5. And what about POPPY?

Doesn't he still receive the daily CIA briegings?


The only President to do so.

What does he need them for?

[longship]

6. Poppy?

Who knows? Probably not.

As a former CIA chief, and as the person who signed the bill into law making exposing a NOC illegal, I don't think Poppy would have been part of this.

I can't think that daily CIA briefings have NOC IDs in them.