Decision ‘08

The Plame Game Has Run Its Course

With the commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence, and now the dismissal of the Plame lawsuit against the Bush administration, surely even the most diehard conspiracy theorist can see that this thing is now officially over:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by outed spy Valerie Plame and her husband against Vice President Dick Cheney and other top Bush administration officials.

…[U.S. District Judge John] Bates, a Bush appointee, agreed with defense arguments that federal law protects Cheney and the other top administration officials from being sued for actions taken as part of their official duties.

The way the defendants handled criticism from Joseph Wilson “may have been highly unsavory,” the judge wrote, but “there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism … by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants’ duties as high-level executive branch officials.

Just so…but Plame can’t let it go. The appeal is already in the works.

Sheesh…exit stage left already, Valerie… but fear not, Plamiacs, Hollywood is coming to the rescue:

Kate Beckinsale is apparently in talks to play a newspaper reporter who outs a CIA agent and is imprisoned for refusing to reveal her source.

Matt Dillon is also being lined up to play the prosecutor in Nothing But The Truth, according to Variety magazine.

Other potential cast members in the movie, to be directed by Rod Lurie, are Edie Falco as the editor of the newspaper that publishes the story, and The Departed’s Vera Farmiga as the CIA agent.

The drama parallels the Plame affair in America, in which CIA agent Valerie Plame’s status was exposed in the press after her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, wrote a comment piece in the New York Times charging the Bush administration with manipulating intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Kate Beckinsale as Richard Armitage? Interesting choice…jeez, I sure hope in this version they get the big, bad Vice President…

11 Responses to “The Plame Game Has Run Its Course”

1 bob Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
This film could work as a comedy, where a mid level CIA office worker imagines herself to be an “undercover agent” and has all sorts of “Walter Mitty” type imaginary adventures.
2 too many steves Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Well, Ms. Beckinsale is pretty hot - should attract a decent audience.

You know, I still can’t reconcile why Libby lied. Armitage was known to be the leaker, Rove was known to have given up her name, I’m not clear on whether Libby knew those things in advance of his perjurious testimony or not - can someone enlighten? If Libby knew, then one plausible reason for his lying was to protect Cheney or Bush or the unnamed leaker Bush referred to last Thursday. If that is so, there is a reasonable, although admittedly speculative, case to be made that either the President or Vice President offered Libby a “good soldier” deal, otherwise known as suborning perjury.

Unproved, certainly, but worthy of investigation.
3 Ryan Bonneville Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Uh, correction: isn’t Beckinsale a proxy for Judith Miller here?
4 peter Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I think the dismissal of the case is correct, but I don’t understand the judge’s reasoning. The issue at question is not “rebutting public criticism … by speaking with members of the press.” It is rebutting public criticism by exposing a covert agent and ending her career in her chosen profession. If refuting Wilson’s article (by claiming it was incorrect) was all that the administration did, there would never have been a Libby conviction or a Plame civil suit. By exposing Plame, the administration caused her tangible damage which is the basis of a civil action.

I think the decision is correct because even as “unsavory” as their actions were, I believe that government officials ought to be indemnified for an extremely wide latitude of actions. As egregious as these acts were, I don’t believe that they should be subject to civil suits. (If there is criminality: Katie bar the door. But not civil suits.) There are enough reasons why sane people avoid government service, and the fear of litigation (justified or not) shouldn’t be added to the list. Holding high public office is a magnet for political enemies to file spurious civil litigation (see: Jones, Paula). It’s time for Joe and Valerie to move on.
5 Mark Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Ryan, I’m just joking…yes, she’s Judy Miller - but it’s funnier to pretend she’s Richard Armitage…because, you see, I’m easily amused…
6 peter Says:
July 19th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I think Drew Carey plays Armitage.
7 Chris J. Breisch Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 6:59 am
For once I agree with peter.

Whoah…did you feel that? The world stopped spinning for a moment. It’s better now.
8 Strick Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 7:54 am
I’m confused. With the way things have evolved on this, wouldn’t the Judy Miller character be the villain of the piece? Didn’t she become the “Dark Princess” to Novak’s Dark “Prince”?
9 Peter Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Chris: I’m not sure if your agreement is with the suggestion that government officials should be indemnified from civil suits — or if you also think that Richard Armitage sort of looks like Drew Carey — or both — but I’m glad that we are in agreement on whatever it is we agree to.
10 Chris J. Breisch Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 10:00 am
peter,
The former. And the latter, frankly.

I agree with you that we need to stop creating reasons for good (I think you said ’sane’, either word works for me) people to avoid government service.
11 Aaron Says:
July 20th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Perhaps they ought to change the name to Nothing ‘Bout the Truth.