Bush: Any Criminals in Leak to Be Fired

[helderheid]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/07/18/national/w085029D38.DTL&type=printable

- By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
Monday, July 18, 2005

(07-18) 11:03 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

President Bush said Monday that if anyone in his administration committed a crime in connection with the public leak of the identity of an undercover CIA operative, that person will "no longer work in my administration." At the same time, Bush again sidestepped a question on the role of his top political adviser, Karl Rove, in the matter.

"We have a serious ongoing investigation here and it's being played out in the press," Bush said at an East Room news conference.

Bush, appearing with visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, spoke a day after Time magazine's Matthew Cooper said that a 2003 phone call with Rove was the first he heard about the wife of Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson apparently working for the CIA.

Bush said in June 2004 that he would fire anyone in his administration shown to have leaked information that exposed the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame. On Monday, however, he added the qualifier that it would have be shown that a crime was committed.

Asked at a June 10, 2004, news conference if he stood by his pledge to fire anyone found to have leaked Plame's name, Bush answered, "Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts."

<snip>

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Is this some kind of annual statement? Aren't we due for another one now?

[helderheid]

2. this was from 2004. Just a reminder! RESIGN *!

[rox63]

3. I guess he'd better fire himself, then... n/t

[Triana]

4. So. When will George be leaving then? (n/t)

[Crankie Avalon]

5. Next weaseling down of the Bush "integrity" pledge...

..."I will fire anyone who leaked Plame's name, illegally, for partisan political purposes--and it's up to me to determine whether the purposes were partisan and political."

[helderheid]

6. weeeee and we spin around and around!

[Fridays Child]

7. The spin will be that, if B*sh authorizes the release of information...

...it can't be defined as a "leak." And, unless it can be proven that he or Cheney authorized such a release regarding Valerie Plame, in violation of the Agent Identities Protection Act, the White House will dodge the bullet.

[tanyev]

12. Yeah, but then he should have come right out and said that at the

news conference, not promised to fire the criminal who did the leaking.

[bowens43]

8. He said nothing about firing

those responsible for authorizing the leak......


What a scumbag he is....

[helderheid]

9. huh?

Bush said in June 2004 that he would fire anyone in his administration shown to have leaked information that exposed the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame.

[salin]

11. he then added the qualifier... "if it was a crime"...

suggests that even back then they realized they had to have an out... can you see it, Card leans over to bush... Er W... YOU authorized the leak... so jr goes to figure out what to do and after the fact... You are the pres - so technically if you say it - it is declassified... so no crime... now go back and 'clarify' that statement...

[helderheid]

13. but that was AFTER. He first didn't have that qualifier until Rove got

through with him

[salin]

14. I understand your point... and find it very interesting

how transparent their wiggling has been - so transparent that now the spin should be easily recognized by most of the public. Bush will lose even more supporters. And some who still support are going to start being a even more quiet about it (as in everyone will think I am stupid if I admit this...)

[helderheid]

15. sorry - I see that you got it - oops! I was talking to a friend who said

the Rs are going to have to go for impeachment if they want any chance in hell of winning in November.

[salin]

16. nah - sadly this won't make them turn that corner

they believe their rw talk/media has innoculated bushco by talking about it so long that the public is yawning. Right or wrong, this is how (at least initially) it is being played. Then there is the fear that Ken Melhman is right - that if bush goes down they go down further... that they are in a rock and a hardplace situation. Thing is - they get that the context of public opinion has shifted, but they don't get how fundamentally so and thus it is now they that are playing from an old rulebook ... and they will keep misstepping (with some wins a long hte way because they do have all branches of govt) thinking that their wins will save them.

Here is how this plays for those in the midwest who want very badly to believe that elected officials do not act cynically and are basically good folks (sometimes flawed) with whom they sometimes just disagree (strong held belief system, out here, btw)... esp for those who have tried to stay somewhat positive...

"Okay, now they are saying that since the pres. was involved, and the president has the authority than it isn't a leak. Well if that was the case, why didn't they just come out and say that years ago?" And hence the already shakey credibility, with those whose lives are tougher now than they were prebushco, but who want to believe the best in folks... are stuck shaking their heads with a "that makes no sense" belief ... and once credibility turns into cynicism... things go down hill real fast. Thing is that the congresscritters running out here - do not get that shift - so they repeat the unbelievable bush lines again and again... cuz it has worked for years. This is why they won't act against bush - not anytime soon, and certainly not soon enough to protect their political behinds.

Long way to say: I completely agree with you. Big moment just happened - which will be followed by a whole lot of ripples.

[helderheid]

17. I will be facinated watching the ripples!

[salin]

22. What an interesting week... big GOP themes come to a head

CULTURE of CORRUPTION king DeLay resigns
ARROGANCE/IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY more dsm confirm pre-decision (while lying to public) per going to war - and then show BUsh to have lied to the public and now using a technicality to try to cover his sorry ass about his deception per that war.

All we need tomorrow is some huge tie in to the corpate-owned nature of congress and/or the WH and the week will be complete.

[salin]

10. who knew that he would use the word "criminal" as his wiggle word.

Not anyone leaking. Anyone who was "a criminal" and who was leaking. You see it all depends on the definition of "Is"....

[xultar]

18. Libby said Dick said Chimpy said leak. !!

[helderheid]

19. A Chimpy Dick leak? DOH!

Sorry... crass but soooo easy.

[pdxmom]

20. Clinton was impeached because of his "I did not have sex with

that woman" line. The media used that clip over and over and over again. Well, this is Bush's "I did not have sex" moment. Now, to see if the famously hypocritical Repukes will stand up and express the same shock and outrage that they did over Clinton.

Of course, I know it won't happen, but this man LIED to the entire country...and about something that actually mattered, as opposed to consentual sex.

I would hope that we'd see the same feeding frenzy from the media...my guess is that it won't make it to the evening news cycle.

[helderheid]

21. I don't know... should be interesting to see if the evening news covers it

[pdxmom]

24. I'm going to reassess and say that the evening news will cover it

today, but I think that it will be quickly disappear. My prediction is that the Immigration Bill in Congress will be the lead story and Bushco's lying and leaking will be a one-day wonder.

[helderheid]

26. it was the lead story on my local (Utah) news

[vickitulsa]

27. I wanted to find out, but the tornadoes are popping so fast

all around me that the local meteorologists have remained on the air continuously right through the national news! So I will have to learn from the rest of you here how it came out....

Yikes! Take cover, fellow Okies!

[Supersedeas]

23. Monkeyboy says do as I say, not as I do--the Press labs it up like dogs

[helderheid]

25. .

[Infomaniac]

28. I'm pretty sure slime has been committed...

Bush withheld material information for more than a year. What need would we have had for a special prosecutor if Chimpy had taken ownership of his decision to leak classified information? Isn't this obstruction of justice on Bush's part?