Plame is a Snake (and so is Wilson) [link]

Well now that everyone knows that former State Department official (and Iraq war opponent) Richard Armitage was the person who first leaked Valerie Plame Wilson's identity to the press, one wonders if Val and Joe will go after Armitage with the same vigor that they have gone after Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and others in the White House. The answer? NO!

In July, the Wilsons sued Cheney, Rove, and Libby, along with ten other un-named co-defendants, charging that were part of a conspiracy to “discredit, punish and seek revenge against the plaintiffs that included, among other things, disclosing to members of the press Plaintiff Valerie Plame Wilson’s classified CIA employment.” Armitage was not named in the suit.

So, let's get the story straight. Armitage (along with many of the careerists in the State Department) opposed the Administration's position regarding the war with Iraq. Armitage leaked Plame's name to the media (but not the fact that she use to be a covert operative). Then Wilson told Nation columnist David Corn that his wife use to be a covert operative for the CIA and claimed that the Administration leaked her identity to ruin her career. Then Dem Senator Chuck Schumer howleds with outrage and demanded hearings.

The State Department knew who was to blame, but stayed silent since the Administration was taking the hits. The CIA was happy to play victim (anything to divert attention from the agency's decades long record of failure) and requested an investigation of the leak by the Justice Department.

Several years ago, a knowledgable friend told me that the CIA and the State Department formed an axis of information and power in Washington DC; that these two agencies shared the same world view and were opposed to the Bush Administration's approach to foreign policy. Whether by accident or design, the State Department and the CIA allowed the appearance of a scandal to develop where none actually existed...and the two agencies were quite content to let the media, the Justice Department, and the media dig into the White House.

If I were Libby Scooter, Karl Rove, and any of the other White House staffers whose lives were disrupted (and finances depleted by legal fees), I would think about filing a civil suit against Armitage and his boss, Colin Powell.

And if Powell ever runs for President, it will be a cold day in Hell before I vote for him. I would vote for Hillary Clinton or Chuck Schumer for President before I voted for Powell.