7/14/05: Here are a few interesting items from news reports from years gone by you may have forgotten.
From a 10/16/2003 CBS report, before Ashcroft had appointed a special prosecutor and when Alberto Gonzales will still WH Counsel:"Ashcroft has also come under fire, The Times reports, for allowing the White House to learn of the probe well before counsel Alberto Gonzales told staff to preserve evidence." So Johnny boy gave the WH a little house cleaning 'heads up'.
From a 12/31/03 CBS report: "Deputy Attorney General James Comey announced that Ashcroft had stepped aside to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest after reviewing evidence recently developed in the inquiry. He would not discuss the evidence." There was 'recently developed' evidence that caused Ashcroft to step aside ?!? Wow !!! It is related to a 'conflict of interest', it is hard to imagine that Fitzgerald doesn't know what this is.
From a 9/28/03 USA Today story: "Bill Harlow, the chief CIA spokesman, would not comment on the leak allegation apart from saying how serious it is. "People spend years in the business developing contacts overseas who can be placed in danger," Harlow said. "This sets a precedent which can result in people being targeted and killed." " Kind of makes the 'Rove should get a medal' crowd look a bit silly. From the same USA Today article: "A CIA officer in Athens, Greece, Richard Welch, was killed in 1975 after former colleague Philip Agee outed him in a book. Agee is a fugitive living in Cuba." Ya know, if Karl like baseball and cigars, this could be the best thing that has ever happened to him.
From a 10/8/03 article in the Boston Globe: "Despite President Bush's repeated pledges of full cooperation, administration officials yesterday refused to rule out invoking executive privilege to shield some documents from Justice Department investigators looking into whether someone in the White House illegally leaked the name of a CIA operative." Ya know, this is pretty consistent with the recent clam up of the entire administration.
From a 9/30/03 article in USA Today: " McClellan suggested that the leak might have come from another part of the government. "The anonymous source quoted was quoted as a 'senior administration official.' That doesn't say 'White House' in and of itself," he said." You just have to love the way Scott respects the integrity of an ongoing criminal investigation by trying to point the investigators the incorrect way.
From a 9/29/03 article on CNN.com: "McClellan said he discussed the matter with Rove and feels confident that accusation of Rove's involvement is "simply not true." "Only a limited number of people would even have access to classified information of this nature," added McClellan." I would like to ask Scott just how limited this group is now......
From a 6/25/04 Washington Post story: "Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald and several assistants questioned the president for about 70 minutes in the Oval Office yesterday morning. A White House spokesman declined to comment on the substance of the interview but said Bush, who was accompanied by a private lawyer, was not placed under oath." Why the hell wasn't he placed under oath?
From the same USA Today article: "A CIA officer in Athens, Greece, Richard Welch, was killed in 1975 after former colleague Philip Agee outed him in a book. Agee is a fugitive living in Cuba." Ya know, if Karl like baseball and cigars, this could be the best thing that has ever happened to him.
From a 10/8/03 article in the Boston Globe: "Despite President Bush's repeated pledges of full cooperation, administration officials yesterday refused to rule out invoking executive privilege to shield some documents from Justice Department investigators looking into whether someone in the White House illegally leaked the name of a CIA operative." Ya know, this is pretty consistent with the recent clam up of the entire administration.
From a 9/30/03 article in USA Today: " McClellan suggested that the leak might have come from another part of the government. "The anonymous source quoted was quoted as a 'senior administration official.' That doesn't say 'White House' in and of itself," he said." You just have to love the way Scott respects the integrity of an ongoing criminal investigation by trying to point the investigators the incorrect way.
From a 9/29/03 article on CNN.com: "McClellan said he discussed the matter with Rove and feels confident that accusation of Rove's involvement is "simply not true." "Only a limited number of people would even have access to classified information of this nature," added McClellan." I would like to ask Scott just how limited this group is now......
From a 6/25/04 Washington Post story: "Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald and several assistants questioned the president for about 70 minutes in the Oval Office yesterday morning. A White House spokesman declined to comment on the substance of the interview but said Bush, who was accompanied by a private lawyer, was not placed under oath." Why the hell wasn't he placed under oath?
From a 6/24/04 CBS report:" Mr. Bush has repeatedly stated that he has no tolerance for such leaks, but he has expressed doubts the investigation will find ever find answers.
"I have no idea if we'll find out who the leaker is … partially because your industry is good at protecting the leaker," he said in the past, referring to the media." Do you get the feeling this is what the administration was 100% banking on?
From a 10/15/04 AP story: "President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified Friday before a federal grand jury trying to determine who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.Rove spent more than two hours testifying before the panel, according to an administration official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because such proceedings are secret." Fitzgerald is supposed to be a very bright guy. Over the course of TWO HOURS don't you think he asked, at least once, 'did you ever reveal Valerie Wilson's IDENTITY'. If he did and Rove denied it, the game is over
Malpractice not causing high medical costs The Next Left
From a 6/24/04 CBS report:" Mr. Bush has repeatedly stated that he has no tolerance for such leaks, but he has expressed doubts the investigation will find ever find answers.
"I have no idea if we'll find out who the leaker is … partially because your industry is good at protecting the leaker," he said in the past, referring to the media." Do you get the feeling this is what the administration was 100% banking on?
From a 10/15/04 AP story: "President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, testified Friday before a federal grand jury trying to determine who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.Rove spent more than two hours testifying before the panel, according to an administration official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because such proceedings are secret." Fitzgerald is supposed to be a very bright guy. Over the course of TWO HOURS don't you think he asked, at least once, 'did you ever reveal Valerie Wilson's IDENTITY'. If he did and Rove denied it, the game is over
