Card's distant cousin an Iraqi spy?

I saw it yesterday, but didn't have much info beyond the headline.

Last night (I think on Countdown, though I could be mistaken) I saw a clip of her being led away and she was screaming the lines quoted in the story about her innocence and doing good for the country.

Frankly, she came off like a nut. I worked on Capital Hill for about 2 years and you would occasionally see people get carried away with their access and position and they would come to believe they were much more important and influential then they really were. Just based on my past experience and the little I know about this case, it looks like this woman got caught up (and probably caught others up) in her own fantasies.

 

the card connection mentioned in the press, ie "card's cousin charged w/ being iraqi spy" is particularly idiotic since he actually helped catch her. far more germaine, although still off point, would be "former aide to democratic congressman and democratic senator charged with violating intelligence laws" but why let an opportunity to smear bush pass by? what liberal media?

her relationship to card, and her former job working for mosely braun, are incidental to the charges against her.

 

Really? Did you even read the story? Her relationship to Card is a key piece of the story:

The government is accusing a one-time journalist and Congressional aide of secretly becoming a paid Iraqi intelligence agent before trying to influence her distant cousin -- the White House chief of staff -- on U.S. policy.
.....

According to the indictment, Lindauer delivered a letter "to the home of a United States government official" on Jan. 8, 2003, in which she described her access to members of dictator Saddam Hussein's regime "in an unsuccessful attempt to influence United States policy."

The U.S. official was not identified. But a government official, speaking on condition on anonymity, said the recipient of the letter was White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card (search), a distant cousin of Lindauer.

Nowhere in the story does it mention her trying to influence former Senator Mosley Braun. Accordingly it didn't merit mention.

Stop being such a baby about media bias. Christ, she tried to influence a Republican official, that's what the indictment is about. WTF do you want them to do, not report it?

 

this is the real lede for the story, buried deep w/in an AP dispatch:

"The U.S. official was not identified. But federal sources told NBC’s Pete Williams that the official was Card, Lindauer’s second cousin. The sources said it was Card who alerted authorities to his relative’s activities. A government official, speaking on condition on anonymity, later told The Associated Press that Card was the recipient of the letter."

yet here are some of the headlines for the story, from the ironically named seattle post intelligencer:

Accused spy is cousin of Bush staffer,

it was also mentioned by tom brokaw, and the WaPo.

 

Here's basso's idea of an objective story

White House Staffer Heroically Saves Nation from Disaster

(AP) White House Staff member Andrew Card bravely risked life and limb in defense of his country today when he thwarted an espionage plot by deciding not to betray his country. Card alerted the authorities when likely Kerry voter and alleged Francophile Susan Lindauer, registered Democrat and unabashed liberal, as well as former henchman of former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Democratic presidential frontrunner, attempted to influence him on behalf of Saddam Hussein, who is also a democrat. Likely democratic voter Osama bin Laden could not be reached for comment. Vote Bush 04.

 

Give me a break. The story broke yesterday and all the stories mentioned her 3 years of employement ( of the past 11 years) with Democratic Congressman. None of the original stories mentioned her father's Republican ties nor her ties to Card. They release the information on ties to Republicans on a Friday to bury it. The White House releases all embarrassing information on a Friday.

 

Usually after 3 pm too. The usual MO is press conference at noon, then press release about embarrassing news at 3 PM EST. That's what they did when Bush used a recess appointment to get segregationist Thomas Pickering onto the federal bench, same with Pryor.

 

It really is amazing how reliable this is. I've got to a point where I check the news Friday afternoons for Bush disclosures.

 

Another lowball smear from your side, but it is to be expected. Pickering and Pryor are anything but racists.

 

To be fair, this isn't just Bush policy. Presidents have been using this trick for years.

 

Was Pickering a segregationist? Yes or no?

 

For the record, that would be a big yes.