The CIA leak by Novak 10/01/03

[madmax]

"The CIA leak"
Robert Novak October 1, 2003

"WASHINGTON -- I had thought I never again would write about retired diplomat Joseph Wilson's CIA-employee wife, but feel constrained to do so now that repercussions of my July 14 column have reached the front pages of major newspapers and led off network news broadcasts. My role and the role of the Bush White House have been distorted and need explanation.

The leak now under Justice Department investigation is described by former Ambassador Wilson and critics of President Bush's Iraq policy as a reprehensible effort to silence them. To protect my own integrity and credibility, I would like to stress three points. First, I did not receive a planned leak. Second, the CIA never warned me that the disclosure of Wilson's wife working at the agency would endanger her or anybody else. Third, it was not much of a secret.

The current Justice investigation stems from a routine, mandated probe of all CIA leaks, but follows weeks of agitation. Wilson, after telling me in July that he would say nothing about his wife, has made investigation of the leak his life's work -- aided by the relentless Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. These efforts cannot be separated from the massive political assault on President Bush.

This story began July 6 when Wilson went public and identified himself as the retired diplomat who had reported negatively to the CIA in 2002 on alleged Iraq efforts to buy uranium yellowcake from Niger. I was curious why a high-ranking official in President Bill Clinton's National Security Council (NSC) was given this assignment. Wilson had become a vocal opponent of President Bush's policies in Iraq after contributing to Al Gore in the last election cycle and John Kerry in this one."

more: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20031001.shtml

I thought Wilson contributed to bush/cheney in '04.

[Must_B_Free]

1. Goin down swingin'

Bye Bye Nofacts, you are nothing more than a liar.

[Terwilliger]

2. like I said...fucking traitor

and he's STILL lying to get out of it!!!

[WheresWaldo]

3. now hes denying

everything he wrote previously. some credibility this guy has hunh???

[Terwilliger]

4. This is so rich

First, I did not receive a planned leak.

How the hell does he know???

LLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

[proud patriot]

5. Well Mr. Novak

Mr. Larry Johnson has some words for you ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=442676

[Corgigal]

6. Third, it was not much of a secret

Lovely, well not now asshole.

[madmax]

18. How Deep Is CIA Cover?

http://slate.msn.com/id/2089062/

How Deep Is CIA Cover?
By Ed Finn Tuesday, September 30, 2003

<snipp>
"Nonofficial cover. NOCs (the word rhymes with "rocks") are the most covert CIA operatives. They typically work abroad without diplomatic protection (often they pretend to work for some commercial enterprise). If these spies are caught, there's no guarantee that the United States would admit their true identities. When using official cover could put a spy's life and work at risk, NOC is the only alternative.

Why is it such a big deal that someone outed Valerie Plame? For starters, it's a felony. And Plame was also reportedly a NOC with years of experience investigating weapons of mass destruction. If this is true, her discovery could compromise intelligence operations she was involved with around the world, which would explain why she maintained her nonofficial cover even when she was back in the United States. "Hard target" countries like China and North Korea often keep records of every known meeting between Americans and their scientists and officials. Almost certainly, those lists would have been frantically reviewed when Plame's identity was revealed, and any
sources she recruited could have been exposed."

So everybody knew?? This deserves investigation by a special counsel.

[PurityOfEssence]

27. Not a secret, yet James Woolsey, ex-head of the CIA didn't even know her.

It was hardly well known all around Washington that she was a spymaster if the ex-Chief of the CIA didn't even know her.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. My, my, this is now on hysterical setting

yes he does sound quite hysterical now, and I wonder
if Robert has called his lawyers... by the way, this is from the Guardian

Reporters at Time magazine and NBC News and a handful of others were also tipped off about Ms Plame, and Democrats claim the source in each case was Mr Rove. According to some accounts, Mr Rove, did not mention Ms Plame by name but referred to "Wilson's wife" being a CIA employee.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1053191,00.html

[wtmusic]

8. How the hell does he know

the leak wasn't planned?

And so what if Wilson was a high-ranking official in Clinton's NSC? Are you insinuating his investigation of Niger uranium was partisan, you turd?

And who else knew, if it 'was not much of a secret'?

[NNN0LHI]

16. I bet he called Rove and asked him if it was planned leak

And Rove told him no it was not a planned leak. So that became the truth to Novak. I can't think of anything else he would have to go by?

Don

[caledesi]

22. Yeah, and why bring up donating to Gore and Kerry...

He also donated to Bush's campaign: $2000

And mentioning Clinton....keep digging Bob

[carpetbagger]

9. I'm sure Rove and Robert Hanssen will form a fan club for him.

"Frog-marchers for Novak"

[TacticalPeek]

12. LOL!

:silly:

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Responsibility? NOT.

Bob Novak, exemplar of "personal responsibility," has devoted an entire column making justifications, alibis, explanations, and blames for petty back-stabbing that has compromised major intelligence operations.

Read the article -- Novak wants us to believe that he, and pResident Bush, are the targets of a hateful campaign to forever silence the lone voices of truth, a plot engineered by such base and malicious bureaucrats that they actually supported Clinton, Gore, and Kerry. The scoundrels!

Hey, Bob -- how about a little of that "personal responsibility" that you so often and so haughtily advise?

--bkl
Truth of the matter? It's not spelled B-L-A-M-E, it's spelled P-L-A-M-E.

[annagull]

11. He's calling the Washington Post liars

The published report that somebody in the White House failed to plant this story with six reporters and finally found me as a willing pawn is simply untrue.

Umm, Nofacts? You are in no position to call real journalists liars.

[kayleybeth]

13. I can't believe that they are

still trotting out this lie:

...an unofficial source at the Agency says she has been an analyst, not in covert operations.

The assertion that she was an analyst rather than a covert operative has been debunked several times today.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Novak is crashing and burning

Wonder why he conveniently leaves off of Wilsons bio that Wilson was originally hired to work for the White House by George Bush senior? That would seem to be kind of an important detail to leave off of his BS excuses, when he is insinuating that Wilson is a Clinton flunky. Seems like Novak is panicking now.

Don

[caledesi]

23. Good point NNNOLHI...that article was so transparent, trying to

make Wilson look like a Bush-hating, partisan Dem who just wants to stir up trouble for *.

[Zhade]

31. Sheesh - Shrub's dad hires him, ShrubCo targets his wife!

Gee, Bush doesn't have issues with Daddy, does he?

[Nevernose]

15. "Bill Clinton's National Security Council"

I was curious why a high-ranking official in President Bill Clinton's National Security Council (NSC) was given this assignment.

Maybe because he was the former ambassador to both Niger and IRAQ? Seems like perfefctly reasonable to send him to Niger to investigate their relationship with iraq, doesn't it?

Keep covering your ass, Novak. We don't want you anyway, we want ROVE!

[TacticalPeek]

17. I see now why Asskroft looked so glum and behaved so wierdly

before the press today:

(closng graph)

"The Justice Department investigation was not requested by CIA Director George Tenet. Any leak of classified information is routinely passed by the Agency to Justice, averaging one a week. This investigative request was made in July shortly after the column was published. Reported only last weekend, the request ignited anti-Bush furor."

The request for investigation was made in July? And finally, yesterday, they notify to preserve evidence?

Right there's the case for special counsel. And depending on what Asskroft did in this interim, he could be a candidate for the deluxe, John Mitchell cell in the pen.

[proud patriot]

20. Bingo n/t

[Unknown Known]

19. NoFacts - Get thee to a nursing home!

He's so senile he can't keep his lies straight. BWAHAAAAAAA!

P.S. Bob - You are now officially irrelevant!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. *cough* Bullshit.

There's 6 other witnesses. It won't fly.

[caledesi]

24. Oh yeah, & on NightLine Wilson told Koppel that he would

NAME NAMES of the reporters if the FBI asked him! Rove is toast!

[lumpy]

25. Odd statement by Novak

"The CIA never warned me that the disclosure of Wilson's wife working at the agency would endanger her or anyone else." Does this statement by Novak indicate that the disclosure was checked by Novak with the CIA ?

[Must_B_Free]

26. Yes, he says he called CIA to check

and they told him not to publish it.

His arguement is, "Well, they said don't publish it, they didn't say what would happen if I did"

[sandnsea]

28. Pelosi said Tenet ordered Criminal Investigation

Just watching her on C-Span and somebody passed her a note and that's what she said. A criminal investigation.

Novak has move from slug to pond scum. What the hell does he think 'she could have difficulties traveling abroad' means??? If the CIA said any more than that, THEY would be outing her. And it's really sad that he uses the Democratic spin here because career civil servants don't tend to get into that. They've got a job to do and respect people who can do the job, politics can't be part of that. He needs to be fired.

email and let him know he's not fooling us. Be nice and be smart!! That way you're not just a fringe lunatic.

[radfringe]

29. didn't take long

"I was curious why a high-ranking official in President Bill Clinton's National Security Council ...."

It's Clinton's Fault....

[Zhade]

30. Doesn't this fool realize he's a pawn - an EXPENDABLE pawn - to BushCo?

NT!