I am going to let the left continue with their tizzy over the Plame affair, but before I make any more statements about this issue, I want a few questions answered. They are as follows:
1.) Who was the administration official that Novak was interviewing in July when he found out this material?
2.) There are reports of two officials shopping this info to six reporters, one of whom was Andrea Mitchell. Were they shopping this information BEFORE or AFTER the Novak column that ‘outed’ Plame?
3.) What was the exact role of Plame with the CIA?
4.) When Novak called the CIA, and they did not try ‘hard enough’ to get him to not print her name, were they not trying hard enough because she really is a nobody at the CIA, or because they were afraid thast if they tried hard enough it would blow the ‘super-deep’ cover the left would like us all to believe she had (you would think this woman was Jane Bond with all the leftwing hyperventilating- I will make my judgement when we know more than vague assertions in hastily written newscolumns).
5.) Is there anyone who thinks that if the CIA had told Novak that she was a real deep cover agent, he would have printed her name anyway?
6.) Why is Joseph Wilson repeating lies about Karl Rove with no evidence, and why is the press not calling him on it?
7.) Why was Joseph Wilson sent in the first place? Why is his clear political agenda not being questioned?
8.) Why does the left seem to think that Bush needs to get involved in this- my guess is so that anything he says can be scrutinized and distorted so later on they can treat it as a lie or as evidence of a cover-up.
9.) If these two officials were shopping the name to the six reporters AFTER the Novak column, under the impression Plame was not a deep cover operative (thanks, CIA), did they break any laws.
10.) When all the evidence is out, and it turns out that the President had little to do with this (assuming there was wrongdoing) and fires the individuals involved and has Justice proceed with criminal prosecution, will Kevin Drum, Dan Drezner, and all the others who have jumped on this like white on rice devote 1/10th the column inches they have spent to date clearing Bush’s name?
Like I stated a few days ago- if someone within the White House, and I don’t care how senior, intentionally leaked information that would endanger the lives of undercover agents, it was not only illegal, unthinkable, and evil, it was treasonous in my eyes. Put em in a cell next to Aldrich Ames for all I care. What does bother me is the glee with which some seem to think this is going to ‘bring down the President.’ If Bush is involved, I say fuck him. But right now, what I see and what I have read is a lot of garbage, speculation, and hyperventilating (and that is just from the press- let alone the left wing bloggers). When some of the questions I have asked above are answered, then I will weigh in on this issue again.