With the dismissal of her frivolous lawsuit, it's now official -- Valerie Plame's sour grapes have now been stomped out for good. No more will this manufactured, fake controversy fuel the wet dreams of the libs. Their nightly slump-n-pump will have to revert back to using pictures of Hillary in a one piece. Did you boys get Cheney? Nope. Rove? No, sir. Libby? HA! Bush? Not even close. All your hopes and dreams have been FLUSHED. BURP http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070719/D8QFTN080.html Plame Lawsuit Dismissed in CIA Leak Case Jul 19, 5:43 PM (ET) By MATT APUZZO WASHINGTON (AP) - Former CIA operative Valerie Plame lost a lawsuit Thursday that demanded money from Bush administration officials whom she blamed for leaking her agency identity. Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to disclose her identity in 2003. Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments. Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Plame's lawyers said from the beginning the suit would be a difficult case to make. Public officials normally are immune from such suits filed in connection with their jobs. Plame's identity was revealed in a syndicated newspaper column in 2003, shortly after Wilson began criticizing the administration's march to war in Iraq. Armitage and Rove were the sources for that article, which touched off a lengthy leak investigation. Nobody was charged with leaking but Libby was convicted of lying and obstruction the investigation. Bush commuted Libby's 2 1/2-year prison term before the former aide served any time. "This just dragged on the character assassination that had gone on for years," said Alex Bourelly, one of Libby's lawyers. "To have the case dismissed is a big relief." Plame and Wilson pledged to appeal. "This case is not just about what top government officials did to Valerie and me." Wilson said in a statement. "We brought this suit because we strongly believe that politicizing intelligence ultimately serves only to undermine the security of our nation." Though Bates said the case raised "important questions relating to the propriety of actions undertaken by our highest government officials," he said there was no legal basis for the suit. Lawyers have said courts traditionally are reluctant to wade into these types of cases, particularly when Congress has established other resolutions. In this case, Bates said, Congress passed the Privacy Act to cover many of Plame's claims. Courts have held that the Privacy Act cannot be used to hold government officials personally liable for damages in court. Bates also sided with administration officials who said they were acting within their job duties. Plame had argued that what they did was illegal and outside the scope of their government jobs. "The alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility may have been highly unsavory," Bates wrote. "But there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials," Bates said. Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said Rove was pleased to have the case behind him. "The risk of being liable for personal damages is not something anybody takes lightly," Luskin said.
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6vlEavUH9ng"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6vlEavUH9ng" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
basso ages ago I forced you to admit that it was inappropriate - regardless of whether or not it was criminal or illegal- for Administration officials to disclose the names of covert operatives for political purposes and an action that you strongly disapprovied of Since this is indisputably what occured - I have yet to hear your condemnation of this tactic by the administration. I have heard a lot of dogsh-t about kerfluffle and political prosecutions, but nothing about this fact. Now, let me anticipate diversion number one - you and the rest of the Wing nut blog society are still operating under the mistaken belief that Plame was not a covert agent. This has been proven wrong in court - it is an actual fact, according to the Central Intelligence Agency itself: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/070529_Unclassified_Plame_employement.pdf So it is a fact 1. Plame was officially covert and 2. Admin officials purposefully disclosed her identity in what was obviously a political maneuver Earlier you said this was a course of action you did not agree with - do you agree with this still or did you flip flop?
Bates?.....John Bates.....? oh yes, the judge (appointed by Jr) who dismissed the FOIA lawsuit against Cheney for information on who created the administration energy policy. yes...
Let's keep it real. When you drive to work every day, go to the same spot every day, sit at the same desk every day, and it is widely known where you work.... You simply are not covert. I don't care what blind ruling is issued with all the associated technicalities and whatnot. She wasn't covert. Period. Keep it real.
Forget it cmiller. I've tried to explain it to these guys, but they keep repeating the same talk radio talking points. They literally are covering their ears and eyes, but not their mouth.
The U.S. legal system and the U.S. top intelligence issue disagree with you about Plame's status. You can make up whatever fantasy life you wish plame to have for your own pleasure, but the rest of us will focus on the actual facts.
cmiller: You're wasting your breath with Jorge. You served in the military. He's proven over and over he has no respect for your kind. Jorge: Any idea when the fake controversy that led to the Iraq war will end? Please answer promptly. It's been four years. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!!!!!!!!!! (TIA.)
sadly, neither point is fact. the only fact here is the fact you keep insiting these unproven suppositions are facts. nice try. and if you'd paid any attention at all to the case, you'd know that noted bush henchman armitage was the uber leaker, and fitz knew this long before he ever interviewed libby. despite your allegations, it's never been proven that plame was covert, not ina court of law, nor in any forum. it's certainly been asserted, by waxman and fitz, but not proven. i'm sure you're ware of other circumstances where a prosecutor might have fidged the facts a bit to make his case.
For some reason in Outer Wingnuttia they believe the first person to reveal classified information absolves all later leakers of this classified info from any wrong doing. Curious.
You see, this is why we need lawyers, to explain to stupid people like you things like this. The fact that Plame was covert comes from CIA records, filed by the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA as an Exhibit to an sworn Affidavit (which is effectively sworn testimony) or a Declaration under penalty of perjury under 28 U.S.C. 1746. I have sworn out many affidavits and 1746 declarations in my career. I will tell you that the last thing that I would ever do (and, likely, the last thing a law & order, republican appointed, career USa would do) is in invent an elaborate fabricated hoax in a Declaration or Affidavit. This is what you are accusing him of. That one of the most highly respected USa's around and the straightest arrow in the whole goddamned DOJ, has forged an elaborate 4 page hoax and is passing it off, under penalty of perjury, in public, and has yet to be detected. This is moon-landing denial stuff. The affidavit was not contested as to authenticity. Likewise, no contradictory evidence has ever been introduced. In fact, as the affidavit was filed months ago, Libby has probably waived any right to object to it. I don't know what else to say. I mean common sense indicates when the CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY indicates that she is a covert agent, that is the final word. But then again, you are in fact...stupid. But anyway let's adopt your stupid reasoning for a second. If she was not covert - WHY DID CHENEY SEND THE TROOPS OUT TO BLAB HER IDENTITY? Please explain - this should be hilarious.
Thanks Rimrocker and Batman! I also wanted to say, even though this may fall on deaf ears, I served as a Special Agent for the last 9 years of my 21 year military career. Having worked in that capacity, and with agents from numerous other agencies, most agents do work overtly but some will be put in covert rolls for a periods of time. Most agents never serve their entire careers in a covert or overt roll. Oh, and Trader Jorge, this war is wrong! I still have a friend who is a recruiter if you're interested in serving.
she testified under oath that she was. if she was not covert than she committed perjury, right? why hasnt she been arrested?
That's nice. Too bad is doesn't apply to the Plame situation. Listen to me, she drives to the same place, same desk job, every single day. Do you think it is any great mystery where she works? Does revealing where she works matter? Heck, if someone really wanted to know, just follow her to work one day -- ANY day since she drives to the same place. Let me tell you rookies something. The Senate report on intelligence failures basically called out Valerie Plame for recommending her unqualified, partisan husband, Joe Wilson, to go on the yellow cake expedition. OK, so if you want to point the finger at anyone, point it at Val Plame for nepotism/cronyism. Wilson then came back and LIED to the newspapers about dates/times/etc on the Niger case. Joe Wilson even admitted that he 'misspoke' (much later and after many news cycles on the story). Oh, OK. European intelligence agencies all agree that uranium activity was going on between '99 and '01 between Niger and North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Libya, and others. Sounds to me like Plame/Wilson should be the ones getting the third degree, not the folks who called her and her partisan husband out for the cronyism and lies that they were responsible for. This case was nothing but sour grapes from the beginning, and the results bear that out. NO ONE on the right went down for this. NO ONE. You boys came up with nothing. I say it's time to start digging into Val Plame and Joe Wilson's past to see what other 'misspeakings' might be in store for us. HO HO HO! You boys just got hit with some knowledge. The spotlight was on the wrong people from the get go in this manufactured, fake controversy. The Right was vindicated. The Left sits huddled with their picture of Hillary in a one-piece, looking for fresh motivation. OWNED
