Replies to post #40164 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[Rick Faurot]

We don't have creeping fascism. We have a full blown fascist dictatorship.

[hap0206]

zeev -- might it be a snipe hunt -- http://home.att.net/~coledon/snipe.htm
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The CIA leak
Robert Novak (archive)
October 1, 2003 / Print / Send

WASHINGTON -- I had thought I never again would write about retired diplomat Joseph Wilson's CIA-employee wife, but feel constrained to do so now that repercussions of my July 14 column have reached the front pages of major newspapers and led off network news broadcasts. My role and the role of the Bush White House have been distorted and need explanation.

The leak now under Justice Department investigation is described by former Ambassador Wilson and critics of President Bush's Iraq policy as a reprehensible effort to silence them. To protect my own integrity and credibility, I would like to stress three points. First, I did not receive a planned leak. Second, the CIA never warned me that the disclosure of Wilson's wife working at the agency would endanger her or anybody else. Third, it was not much of a secret.

The current Justice investigation stems from a routine, mandated probe of all CIA leaks, but follows weeks of agitation. Wilson, after telling me in July that he would say nothing about his wife, has made investigation of the leak his life's work -- aided by the relentless Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. These efforts cannot be separated from the massive political assault on President Bush.

#msg-2035904

[redhot]

One study of fascism concluded a singular characteristic of fascists: They wildly lie with no worry, no social concern, of their lie being found out. [Perhaps "deliberately lie" is a more accurate paraphrase.]

[ergo sum]

Creeping, yes I think it is creeping. Right now we have so called free speech zones where you can protest against the President, just so long as you don't get in the view of the cameras. But it isn't your right to speech that worries me. It is your right to know what is going on in the world.

[5cap]

Zeev,

I have a friend who has a former co-worker still working on wall street who, soon after 9/11, discovered and analyzed the put volume on United and American stock. He knew there was something fishy and called the FBI, the CIA and the SEC, and then the newspapers. He was interviewed and to my friend's recollection there was at least one article about this in the Wall street journal. The 9-11 commission needs to acknowledge this happened and include a discussion of the subsequent investigation in their report, even if it has led to a dead end for good reason. (after all, maybe some high roller speculators simply got lucky. However, I am more cynical and suspect that this is a clue to be followed.)

The 9-11 commission website (www.9-11commission.gov) has an email address for contacting the commission. I for one sent a request that these matters be included in the report. It will be if enough people speak up. I hope anyone reading this takes the time to send an email.

5cap

[Chris McConnel]

Zeev, Josh Marshall has been following the Plame investigation quite closely. He says, in so many words, that the investigation is on going.

Here's his latest post on it:


(April 06, 2004 -- 03:28 AM EDT // link // print)

A short note on Patrick Fitzgerald, the United States Attorney from Chicago running the Plame investigation.

I'm told this isn't the first time he's done a leak investigation of the Bush White House.

This earlier investigation, which was in 2002, grew out of Fitzgerald's investigation of a series of Muslim charities accused of having ties to terrorism -- the Holy Land Foundation, the Global Relief Foundation, and the Benevolence International Foundation.

My point isn't that the White House did something else wrong. In fact, I'm told that in this case the White House really hadn't done anything improper at all.

But Fitzgerald was pissed and apparently went after them very aggressively -- and this for a case in which, I'm told, there really wasn't much to go after.

This might be something to keep in mind when figuring how the Plame investigation might play out.

-- Josh Marshall

[Chris McConnel]

Also Howard Fineman, who leans right, was on Chris Matthews' weekend show, and said that the Plame scandal is going to blow up bigger than any of them imagined.

FWIW