From The Happy Land Of Make-Believe…
…we notice the magical fairy dust of denial has been sprinkled all over the world’s laziest blogger:
…I haven’t commented on the information that Armitage was apparently Novak’s initial source on Plame…because it isn’t especially interesting, it doesn’t change the basic narrative at all – Armitage was widely suspected of being that person – and it doesn’t magically nullify every other factual revelation about the case…
Oh, sure, THAT’s the reason you haven’t commented – yep. Ummm-hmmm…we finally know, definitively, who ‘leaked’ Plame’s identity to Bob Novak and Bob Woodward, but it’s not worth the time of this pillar of the lefty blogosphere who was formerly so indignant about this outrageous leak…
BWAAAA-HAAAA-HAAAAAA….the Left hasn’t been this silent about a major story since Fitzmas collapsed…and whaddyaknow, it’s the same non-story…
I don’t know, Mark. Everyone (right and left) has been pretty sure Armitage was Novak’s source for a long time now. I don’t really see how this changes anything about Rove and Libby. Which is why I think all this self-congratulatory nonsense by people like Hitchens is a little bizarre.
I think the thing that deflated this case was Fitzgerald’s decision not to indict Rove. I think he probably debated back and forth on that one. My personal hunch is that Fitzgerald was pretty sure Rove lied to him, but wasn’t confident he could make that case beyond a reasonable doubt. But we’ll probably never know.
At any rate, to the extent this became a major political issue in the first place, it is largely because people like Libby and Rove misled investigators and the public (by lying to Scott McClellan). None of that has changed. Had there been no investigation, there would have been no story, no matter what Joe and Val said. And the investigation persisted because those involved were less than candid with investigators.
Rove cooperated fully with Fitzgerald’s investigation, including at least 5(!!) appearances before the grand jury; the person who has been less than candid during this whole affair is Richard Armitage…
“Everyone (right and left) has been pretty sure Armitage was Novak’s source for a long time now. I don’t really see how this changes anything about Rove and Libby.”
Everyone? for a long time? don’t see how it changes things?
Please point me to a blog or major media source that has been saying it was armitage for a ‘long time’.
Better still, balance that against the speculation that it was Rove who told novak. Why not point to a person critcal of the admin, but also equally critical of Wilson’s lies.
let’s start with the WaPo’s editorial,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101460.html
To answer your question about “how this changes anything about Rove and Libby…”
start with the bold print under the link’s headline:
“It turns out that the person who exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame was not out to punish her husband.”
This was the central contention of every conspiracy theorist, and it is flat out wrong. Ironic that the book debunking 9/11 myths comes out in the same week that the Rove/Libby conspiracy is put to bed.
“It follows that one of the most sensational charges leveled against the Bush White House — that it orchestrated the leak of Ms. Plame’s identity to ruin her career and thus punish Mr. Wilson — is untrue. ”
“Nevertheless, it now appears that the person most responsible for the end of Ms. Plame’s CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming — falsely, as it turned out — that he had debunked reports of Iraqi uranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senior administration officials. ”
that ‘falsely’ has got to send the progressives into mania, but makes for grand entertainment, should the dems get the house back.
” I don’t really see how this changes anything about Rove and Libby.”
I guess you don’t see the implications of Wilson’s failed attempt to discredit the admin as another consequence of his complete deconstruction. Very simply, it now proves that Libby and Rove were not the sources that made Plame’s identity public.
MTL, I said I thought is Armitage all the way back in November of ’05. Tom Maguire predicted that even earlier. All the “plamologists” have thought it was Armitage for a long time.
And I thought it was Katie Couric, as I’m sure you all remember…
I agree with Anonymous that a lot of bloggers did think it was Armitage…but I don’t think the MSM was quite as prescient (or else they were held back by editors – a real possibility)…nevertheless, it does put a fork in the whole conspiracy, as does Maguire’s post of today…
So let me see if I have this straight: The more times you are called back before a grand jury, the more candid you are? That’s silly. Rove was called back five times because his story didn’t make sense and because he kept forgetting to mention key facts. People are only called back multiple times if the prosecutor suspects that you are NOT cooperating fully.
As for Armitage, it appears that he also forgot to mention a conversation with a reporter (Woodward). Once that came out, he too was called back before the grand jury. My personal hunch is that it broke down like this. Fitzgerald concluded Armitage’s lapse of memory was unintentional and therefore chose not to indict him. With Rove, I suspect Fitzgerald thought, at least initially, that his misremembering was intentional and was about to indict him. After the Viveka Novak revaltion and two more trips to the grand jury, Fitzgerald concluded that he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Rove’s omissions were intentional.
Unlike Rove and Armitage, however, there is pretty clear and convincing evidence that Libby intentionally misled investigators. That’s why he was indicted. I never thought this was a “conspiracy”. I thought and continue to think that a number of people were very reckless about a piece of information. They probably didn’t know that Plame was a NOC. But they (particularly Libby) had at least some reason to suspect that that was a possibility and therefore should have been more careful. When the investigation started, they all panicked a little. Libby made up a cover story. Rove “forgot” relevant facts. And Armitage came forward and fessed up (while also forgetting some relevant facts). Probably no underlying crime. But definite obstruction and perjury, at least by Libby.
Oh, we’re not that far off in our interpretations…I, too, think Libby is probably the one that comes out smelling the second worst…that whole ‘aspens are turning’ thing with Judy Miller, etc…
Still, I think Armitage carries the greatest stench, because he played so loosely with other people’s freedom when he carried such a heavy burden, no matter his intentions…