Imagine briefing Dick Cheney: ‘Now, don’t tell anybody about this . . .’

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/6182

Imagine briefing Dick Cheney: ‘Now, don’t tell anybody about this . . .’
by Margie Burns | Mar 19 2007


Watching the webcast of Friday’s hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was a new lesson in GOP denial over the CIA leak.

The new talking point used by administration apologists is that ‘Nobody in the White House knew Valerie Plame was covert.’ Sometimes they retain a veneer of specious dignity by softening it somewhat: ‘there is no evidence that anyone in the White House knew Mrs. Wilson’s status was covert.’

Then they get a little blunter and blame the CIA point-blank for not taking adequate precautions to protect Plame’s cover. Rep. Tom Davis, Republican of Virginia, who agrees that “this should never have been leaked,” nevertheless asks, “Did they send their A team to talk to Novak?” But they don't say it only about Novak; they also say it about administration officials.

In other words, did anyone in CIA particularly emphasize and impress upon these White House and OVP officials with secrecy clearances that Valerie Plame was an undercover operative?

This seems to me a strained argument. These clowns have pulled off the feat of making me – someone who regrets every instance of ‘blowback’ the palace-guard sectors in CIA ever committed – feel a trifle protective toward the CIA. Ever since 9/11 I have been critical of the CIA for shielding behind the selective celebrity book-writing of Bob Woodward (and look where it’s gotten them). Now I feel sorry for them.

Let’s put our thinking caps on.

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