A quick note on the purpose of this. This is not, as some think, an attempt to assign guilt or to determine whether or not Rove should be alternately hanged from neck until dead or given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is an attempt to collaboratively agree on a certain baseline of facts, and to determine where our partisan inclinations create a breakdown in a discussion of the topic. As such, I have no real storyline I am trying to advance, I am just trying to provide steps that we all agree on. Therefore, rewrites are going to occur, and you are encouraged to aid in the process in the comments if you disagree with the current statement.
There will be times that one or two people disagree with a certain point- and that is fine. When the vast majority agree, we will have to just move on, as there will always be some imprecision in the language and something to offend someone. We are searching for an overall narrative, and there are things already that I personally disagree with (even though I am writing this).
Next, one small modification to the previous version of step #8:
8.)
It was within the context of renewed media scrutiny of pre-war WMD intelligence and administration claims that Joseph Wilson’s op-ed piece appearedJoseph Wilson’s Op-ed piece appeared in the NY Times on 6 July 2003, and this led to an effort by Republican partisans, including some in the administration, to discredit Wilson personally, as well as efforts by the administration and others to refute Wilson’s charges.
And onward, with step 9:
9.) After the Wilson op-ed appeared, there was a renewed focus on the pre-war WMD intelligence, and within the media at large, a heavy focus on the ‘sixteen words’ that appeared in the President’s State of the Union address.
A little over a week after Wilson’s NY Times op-ed, Robert Novak’s 14 July 2003 column appeared, containing the following paragraph:
Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson’s wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report. The CIA says its counter-proliferation officials selected Wilson and asked his wife to contact him. “I will not answer any question about my wife,” Wilson told me.
Wilson himself muddied the waters and provided more fuel for the fire by stating that his wife had nothing to do with his selection to go to Niger, and by penning several op-ed pieces (most notably on 21 July 2003 in the LA Times) and appearing frequently on news shows attempting to rebut those seeking to discredit him.
This will be a contentious one, but that is ok. If you have a problem with the language, offer an alternative. Also, don’t forget to vote on the new version of Step #8.
I should also note I am unsure where to go from here- if you have a suggestion for Step #10, email it to me.