Decision ‘08

PlameGate Still On? Keep Dreaming

Jeff Greenfield has a particularly weak story up on PlameGate with the thesis that the revelation of Armitage as the original Plame source doesn’t mean the investigation is over. After reciting the historical backdrop in a cursory fashion, here’s the big finish:

…[D]oes this put an end to the mater[sic]? Liberal bloggers say maybe not. Maybe others were out to punish Wilson and his wife even if Armitage’s talk with Novak was wholly innocent.

And there is this curious report from a Washington Post piece of September 2003:

“Before the Novak column was published,” the Post said, quoting a senior administration official, “two top white house officials contacted at least six reporters and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson’s wife.” If that reporting is right, the questions remain.

At the least, though, this story suggests that passionate opposition to a policy or an administration is no guarantee that every suspicion will be borne out.

Conspiracy is a great plot device for TV shows like “24″; it’s a much less reliable guide to what happens in Washington.

Ah, so some liberal bloggers still think there is a nefarious plot…none quoted, no links, and that’s your story? Then, a final sentence or two that seem to pooh-pooh the possibility. Sloppy, sloppy…what is Greenfield’s point? Was he just dotting down some random observations that accidentally got published? That would be the charitable explanation.

As for the Post story, well, without reviewing all the voluminous history of the PlameGate affair, I assume the two top officials were Libby and Rove. One has been indicted, but not for revealing the idenity of Plame; the other was not indicted on any charge at all.

It’s O-V-E-R…

On a related matter, AJ thinks the Armitage revelations show a lying Patrick Fitzgerald; on the contrary, says Tom Maguire, merely an inept one…

3 Responses to “PlameGate Still On? Keep Dreaming”

1 mtl Says:
August 31st, 2006 at 9:00 am
This is a lot like the wellstone funeral.

Squeeze some more more political juice out of a corpse…

The oblermann monologue from last night said it all, confusion and hurt abound.

The plame conspiracy can linger as long as they want, but the corpse is starting to stink and sooner or later they’ll have to bury it. or keep genuflecting by it.
2 AJStrata Says:
August 31st, 2006 at 9:08 am
Mark,

I note more specific ‘false representations’ by Fitz in his court filings to the USSC and US Court of Appeals. In those filings he defines his investigation as looking into who leaked Val’s details to Novak in possible retaliation. But at that time he knew the answers! What he was doing was going on a fishing expedition when he tried to coerce Miller and Cooper to testify - it had nothing to do with what HE defined as his investigation. He misled the courts. No small matter.

Cheers,

AJStrata
3 mtl Says:
August 31st, 2006 at 3:20 pm
I’m waiting for the poll that sums this story up.

(In all honesty, maybe 2% of the country have actually followed the case, but polls are polls)

“given that the person who leaked Valerie Plame’s name to the press has been shown to be richard Armitage, do you still believe that Rove is guilty of the same offense?”

I know, a leading question, but then this story has been propelled by leading statements and innuendos from liberal writers.