The new WH LeakGate spin: It was nepotism, not revenge...

[TruthIsAll]

"Administration sources said they believe that the officials who discussed Plame were not trying to expose her, but were using the information as a tool to try to persuade reporters to ignore Wilson. The officials wanted to convince the reporters that he had benefited from nepotism in being chosen for the mission".

If this is the spin, then these WH sources must know who the leakers are!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13696-2003Oct11.html

Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters
FBI Agents Tracing Linkage of Envoy to CIA Operative

snip


What started as political gossip and damage control has become a major criminal investigation that has already harmed the administration and could be a problem for President Bush for months to come.

One reason investigators are looking back is that even before Novak's column appeared, government officials had been trying for more than a month to convince journalists that Wilson's mission was not as important as it was being portrayed. Wilson concluded during the 2002 mission that there was no solid evidence for the administration's assertion that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium in Niger to develop nuclear weapons, and he angered the White House when he became an outspoken critic of the war.

The FBI is trying to determine when White House officials and members of the vice president's staff first focused on Wilson and learned about his wife's employment at the agency. One group that may have known of the connection before that time is the handful of CIA officers detailed to the White House, where they work primarily on the National Security Council staff. A former NSC staff member said one or more of those officers may have been aware of the Plame-Wilson relationship.

snip

That same week, two top White House officials disclosed Plame's identity to least six Washington journalists, an administration official told The Post for an article published Sept. 28. The source elaborated on the conversations last week, saying that officials brought up Plame as part of their broader case against Wilson.

"It was unsolicited," the source said. "They were pushing back. They used everything they had."

snip


Wilson said that brought an immediate halt to the reports he had been getting of anonymous attacks on him by White House officials.

An administration source said, "One of the greatest mysteries in all this is what was really the rationale for doing it and doing it this way."

[MrJones]

1. That's no excuse.

Plame was a NOC agent. No one without clearance and "need to know" should have even known she *was* CIA. So it doesn't really matter *why* they gave her name out.

[Cat Atomic]

2. Lamest. Excuse. Ever.

Next!

It's way too convoluted to sell to a large audience, Mr. Rove. But keep working on it. And try to come up with a reason why black is white while you're at it- I hate these white pants.