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I have always loved circuses and magic tricks.
There is something to seeing the successful completion of high-wire acrobatics and mind-bending dramatic conjuring to make you doubt your own senses and wish that you could somehow see it all again in three quarter time to try to catch the trick and the trickster. At the end of a series of beautifully executed death-defying stunts or hat-popping rabbits that defy all expectation, one leaves the tent in awe and wonder, somehow believing again in the possibility of magic in the world.
The latest, presumably final, Valerie Plame revelations have left me with my head spinning and my senses reeling. Incredulously, I re-read the news reports - scanning for the secret of the trick, trying in vain to detect some clue as to how this was all pulled off with such ease.
Let me get this story straight: After three years of speculation, nearly as many years of prosecutorial investigation, countless claims and counter claims, this boils down to an “Oops, I accidentally spilled the beans” revelation by a secondary State Department official in the case, operating with the knowledge, blessing and forgiveness of former Sec. of State, Colin Powell?
(To read the rest, click "Permalink" below)
The Wilsons dust them selves off lucky, I guess, to have been allowed to live on with what is left of their lives. Bush and Cheney remove their surgeon’s gloves and go on unimpeded to their nefarious plans for Iran and the very expensive bill for the whole affair is sealed in a plain brown envelope addressed to Mr. John Q.
The trick accomplished, the scenery is struck and the show moves on to another town. Life goes on seamlessly as if nothing had happened. After all, one should not make too much of all this or someone might start questioning whether it was, after all, somehow a slight of hand trick. As I file out of the tent with my fellow rubes I ask around, “Do you believe what you just saw?” “Well yes, everyone replies, it must be so. After all we saw it with our own eyes.”
[With apologies to Lennon and McCartney:]
For the benefit of Mr. A
There will be a show today on trampoline.
The Neo cons will all be there
Fresh from ol’ Chalabi’s Fair -- what a scene
Over men and tanks, missiles and blanks
Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
With a whoosh Mr. Bush will challenge the world!
The celebrated Mr. A.
Performs his feat on Saturday at Powell’s behest
Condi Rice will dance and sing
As Tom Delay flies through the ring -- don’t be late!
Mr. Cheney assures the public
Their production will be second to none
And of course Caligula’s horse dances the waltz!
The band begins at ten to six
When Novak will perform his tricks without a sound
And Karl Rove will demonstrate
Ten ballots he will stuff of late on solid ground
Having been some days in preparation
A splendid time is guaranteed for all
And today Mr. A. is topping the bill.
2 comments:
mr. a being "official a" one presumes?
mr. boldt deserves applause, for his creativity and for his senisitivity to the intended result.
i caution him and everyone else to avoid drinking the koolaid, though, or even despairing that everyone else will also drink the koolaid.
folks are wising up, and at the very least are not trusting what they hear, not only from the government, but the press.
hey, don't you think it kinda cool that bush's poll ratings are so low in spite of his personal propaganda machine?
let's pay attention here. first, rove's lawyer - not anyone from the prosecutor's office - presents selective words from a letter from fitz, and claims rove is off the hook. yet, a complaint remains in the dc courts labeled 'sealed v sealed' that leopold claims (from very solid sources, it appears) was rove's indictment. the investigation remains open.
next, novak announces he is off the hook, but in the process makes such a fool of himself with contradictions and back-tracking to beat the band, that no one can really believe squat that issues from his mouth. he is a lying buffoon.
in both cases, the press completely overlooks the inconsistencies and gaps in logic these two guys present, but we get the "Mr. A" version as if it were gospel. rove is cleared, so is novak, this case is a big fat zero.
just in time for the elections.
now, the armitage 'revelations,' also presented as gospel, but also just the third ring in the circus.
just in time for the electins.
most have known about armitage and his role for quite some time, rendering these 'revelations' anything but.
what is most disturbing, though, is that the press is so sluggish in their analysis. they miss the point.
armitage did not know plame's sensitive status when he talked to novak (which really doesn't let him off the ethical hook, but it does let him off the legal hook). he went to the DOJ immediately upon realizing he'd been 'A' source. that was before fitz; he told ashcroft.
and remember as well; he knew because he had received a memo with the info about plame in it, a memo ordered by libby, who had been ordered by cheney, who'd supposedly been ordered by the prez.
that may not be the only source of this info armitage ever had about plame. armitage is, after all, long time cia himself. but, it does appear that the date of that memo allows armitage to use the alibi.
nevertheless, it was grossly negligent on his part, and he should be included in the plame lawsuit. he knew way better than to let something like that, and one must wonder what prompted that. notorious gossip? please; ex-cia is a notorious gossip??
still, pointing at armitage misses the point. novak initially referenced two sources, and we know rove was the other one. and we also know that doj has known about armitage since before fitz came on board.
we also know that armitage did not call novak to spread this info, and we also know six other reporters were contacted by rove and libby. though he did tell woodward; what was that about?
we also know that armitage did not drop plame's cia connection in order to smear her husband. or at least we can assume that, as state was not involved in that scheme or much else, so at odds with the wh as they were.
but we do know that plame's id was dropped by whig and its parties for precisely the purpose of smearing wilson, to get him to shut up and to discredit what had already come out of his mouth and pen. in fact, they've as much admitted it with their lame 'we needed to get the truth out' excuse.
that is the crime, folks. and that is the point.
don't miss it.
and for a far better articulation of this problem than i have shared, please read this piece by brent budowski at consortiumnews; it gets right to the point.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2006/083006b.html
again, bob, thanks for the amusement; it was a real treat, as your comments always are.
Case SO not closed. Armitage as THE leaker may hold for the masses at least for the time being. If Fitz agrees, then fine, I'll let go.
Until then, we know that Novak called Wilson an "asshole" because he thought Wilson went to Africa at his wife's (Plame's) behest. Among other things, this at least means that Novaks concerns are virtually identical to Cheney's concerns (as Cheney's written notes show). And neither person's concerns were accurate. That's what's funny. Identical misconceptions?
Miss P
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