Many have wondered what was the purpose of the “Who’s Who In America” sitting on the desk in yesterday’s Robert Novak walk-off incident on CNN’s Inside Politics.
Josh Marshall points out this tidbit from an a Chicago Sun-Times piece on the incident explains:
In a column that ran in the Sun-Times on Monday, Novak suggested he learned Plame’s identity partly from reading Who’s Who in America. A CNN source said a producer had placed a copy of Who’s Who on the set Thursday prior to the taping, apparently so it could be consulted while Novak was asked about the issue.
So what would they have found?
Here’s what’s inside the book siting on that desk…
“Copyright (c) 2002 by Reed Elsevier, Inc.”
Melvin Schuetz from Baylor’s Moody Library forwarded Joseph Wilson’s bio from the 2003 edition of Who’s Who in America [Volume 2 (L-Z)]. He notes:
- Wilson’s entry carries over about 5 lines to the next column, which is why it cuts off in mid-sentence at the end. The relevant text is “m. Valerie Elise Plame, Apr. 3, 1998,” which not only appears in the 2003 edition, but ALL editions from 1999-2005!
So, via Who’s Who, the name “Valerie Plame” has been associated publicly with Joe Wilson since the Clinton era – nice secret… ***
Coverage Elsewhere
Mickey Kaus
Tom Maguire
Josh Marshall
Jay Rosen
Update: For the commenters and blogs tracking back saying variation of, “Plame’s identity was never a secret,” (a point I address below at the ***) this post originally related back to what the book was doing on the table [See yesterday’s post on the Novak meltdown]. Was it supposed to scare Novak? Given the content of the book why would it? It says what he said it said…
Update 2: More on Novak and Plame later, but perhaps the raging debate in the comment section can dissect what effect, if any, Novak’s piece would have had if he used Valerie Wilson instead of Valerie Plame? Also do you think Novak, on hearing of the wife’s involvement got her name from Who’s Who and stuck with it OR found the Who’s Who reference to backup his source(s)?
*** Evidently one cannot even make a snarky remark about the Plame affair without having to explain oneself ad nauseum. OK here goes…
I’m over generalizing here, but it seem like there wasn’t an outing of an agent until two non-secret bits of information were combined.Joseph Wilson’s wife’s maiden name, most would now agree, was not a secret. That Wilson worked at the CIA was not widely known, but it was hardly a secret [See Cliff May at NRO and Just One Minute]. That Wilson’s wife was (or had been) a covert operative was only known to (if reports are to be believed) the Cuban government and perhaps those receiving information form Aldrich Ames, but it was still a secret. Novak puts two pieces of non-secret information together and gets this flashpoint.
But how did that combination “out” a covert agent? I turns out the the Valerie Plame name (remember, according to many commenters her name’s no big deal) was her cover. If her cover name was Valerie Jones how exactly would Novak’s column as it was written have “outed” her? It’s wouldn’t have. As former federal prosecutor Joesph DiGenoa contends it sure looks like the CIA didn’t exactly bust a nut to “take every conceivable step to protect this person’s identity.”
Note to BR:
In the Senate Select Committe hearings, Joe Wilson admitted he never saw the forgeries. Joe lied. They also produced an e-mail from his wife recommending him for the job. Joe lied. The CIA said Joe’s visit made the case they were trying to buy Yellow Cake. Joe lied.
Joe lied. The administration had to set the record straight. Joe is a liar.
It’s amazing how quick everyone is to call one’s “traitors” when they do something you don’t like… but the NYT and LAT were just exercising their “free speach”. The logic is:
Hurts national security and Bush = free speach
Hurts national security and helps bush = treason
I’m not saying either is right… but just calling you on your hipocracy….
If I’m repeating it is only because after reading 2/3 of the comments, I have yet to see one that is entirely correct.
Those who say it isn’t Plame’s name that is the issue are correct. Those who say it is that she was covert are incorrect. Outing Val was totally unimportant to the original story and had nothing to do with the story per se.
So let’s backup. Novak is following the Niger Yellowcake story and Iraq WMD and in the course of his reporting research he talks to his “anon” source who everyone now knows is Richard Armitage of the State Department. In a discussion with him about the Wilson Niger trip and its results and background info, Mr. Anon mentions in passing or as described “inadvertently” that Wilson was selected for the trip by his wife at CIA. Novak doesn’t even see this as important until the brouhaha erupts over Wilson’s claims that Cheney’s office was behind his trip. Now Novak’s curiosity is piqued and he makes a few calls to find out about “Wilson’s Wife.” Rove tells him that he also heard that it was Joe’s wife who arranged the Niger trip. Novak checks Who’s Who and finds out that Wilson’s wife is Valerie Plame. He already knows she works at CIA from his very first source who was not trying to out her, just briefing on Wilson’s trip. Novak then gets the CIA confirmation that indeed Valerie Plame does work for the CIA from the CIA itself. So he runs with the story.
But let’s stay on point. The story was not that Val was CIA nor did it have a single thing to do with Valerie Plame’s work status. The story was about Joe Wilson’s trip to Niger and the interesting tidbit that it was his own wife who arranged the trip and not an order from the VP’s office. If Novak had elected to publish the story exactly as is only instead of using Valerie Plame, CIA WMD operative, he had just said Wilson’s wife, the story would have been the same. However, the next question would be just how long do you think it would have been before the NYT or WaPo or the LA Times or any other news outlet read the Who’s Who entry and published a follow-up story that Joe Wilson’s wife is the former Valerie Plame?
This whole story is such a nonstory and all this talk about “outing” is so silly it borders on crazy. Noone is being charged with outing Plame, no one did out her. Only the narcissistic Wilsons claim she is important to the story.
Why aren’t all you lefties screaming for Armitage’s head if you really care about Valerie Plame? You show yourselves as being the hypocrites you are because the only reason you aren’t screaming for Armitage’s head is because he isn’t George Bush, Karl Rove or Dick Cheney.
“As soon as Wilson published his op-ed, his name would have gone up in lights as at least a “part time” CIA operative.”
Well isnt that the hard thing to believe? Lets suppose Joe thought some evil do-er who was being gulled by Val would harm her if he thought she was associated with the CIA….
Then why doesnt he think there is some danger in publishing in the NYT, in a way sure to generate comment, the fact he was a CIA errand boy? Then there is only a thin wall protecting Val’s exposure- like namely someone has to look up his bio.
If we are supposed to imagine that Val was just about to bust some evil doer in a WMD deal- does it matter to the baddie that she is in the CIA or that husband is a CIA affiliate? Either way she’d be busted.
And woudnt this occur to Joe when he typed up his screed?
Sara Spewigler wrote: Mr. Anon mentions in passing or as described “inadvertently” that Wilson was selected for the trip by his wife at CIA. Novak doesn’t even see this as important until the brouhaha erupts over Wilson’s claims that Cheney’s office was behind his trip.
Inadvertant…in passing…unimportant..my ass! Even inadvertant disclosure of a CIA agent/officer/operative/whatever is treason. Split hairs with Val’s “offical” status if you’d like…you’re a TRAITOR too!
Sara Spewigler wrote: Why aren’t all you lefties screaming for Armitage’s head if you really care about Valerie Plame? You show yourselves as being the hypocrites you are because the only reason you aren’t screaming for Armitage’s head is because he isn’t George Bush, Karl Rove or Dick Cheney.
Who said we aren’t screaming for Armitage’s head?!?! All the cowardly TRAITORS SHALL BURN IN HELL! And, who says we care about Valerie or Joe?
I CARE ABOUT LIES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO JUSTIFY AN ILLEGAL WAR.
WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s? WHERE ARE THE WMD’s?
IMPEACH BUSH and CHENEY. Take back the Whitehouse from the fascists.
-zzzz
I started reading this thread and got about 1/3 of the way through before I realized that if I got further I would have to duck tape my head together if I read another leftie wacko post. I think I have found the new definition of mental illness. It’s the wackie left wing.
It’s entirely useless to rehash this non-story. The left is in a collective personality disorder over it because once again they got bit by the truth. So let me give you lefties some advise…keep it up. No, I really mean it. Keep spewing your ignorance, hatred and psychotic babble. I want you to keep revealing what the rest of the world already knows (that the inmates are running the left wing asylum).
PS ZZZZ….Hundreds of WMD’s found in Iraq..http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html
(could have posted 100’s of other links but why do the work you obviously are too lazy to do)
BOB NOVAK, THE PUDGY LIL GOP PARTISAN, ALL HE DOES IS PUMP OUT LIES AND SPAM, LIL DOG TRYING TO RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS, SO FUNNY TO WATCH HIM SUCKING UP TO THE BUSH GANG, MAYBE HE AND KARL ROVE ARE BUTT BUDDIES IN THE CLOSET
PROHORIDZO———IF A HUMMING BIRD HAD YOUR BRAIN, IT WOULD SUCK A MULES ASS FOR A MORNING GLORY,,,,,,,YOU ARE A LOW GRADE IDIOT, IS THE FOX NET PAYING YOU, YOU RIGHT WINGNUTS ARE LETTING THE GOP BLOW SMOKE UP YOUR ASS, YOU ARE BEING PUMPED FROM BEHIND, MAYBE YOU LIKE IT THAT WAY,,,,,,,PROHORIDZO, YOU CRACK ME UP, KEPP ON RUNNING YOUR IDIOT MOUTH,,,,,,,,,,,,,,MAYBE,,,,WE CAN BE FRIENDS,,,,,I HUG YOUR ELEPHANT,,,AND YOU KISS MY ASSSSS
po-ed liberal said :
“I’m more pissed-off. Like many liberals, I have grown tired of listening to morons tell lies, and am no longer going to be sitting around and taking it.”
I believe you believe that. It’s so easy for you incompetant and traitorous liberals to dismiss those who time and time again expose your lies by crying out to have “grown tired of listening to morons tell lies”.
Indisputable proof that you are a lying POS. Liberals always claim that they don’t know anyone who voted for President Bush or agrees with his policies, which is an outright lie. That’s because you cannot tollerate anyone who doesn’t think like you and the more you speak the more your lies and stupidity reveal themself.
Fisrt of all “grown tired of listening”, you losers don’t even listen to yourselves.If you were even capable of “LISTENING”, your going to sit there and expect us to believe that you listen to Republicans/Conservatives? Please, Give us a break. You only tollerate those that share the same warped thinking.
Listen: to hear with intention. Your choice of words such as “Listening” shows your lack of intelligence , you think everyone else is stupid or both. To try to paint yourself as caring and compassionate using words such as “listening” goes almost unnoticed in what is todays democrat party “THE PERPETUAL FRAUD”
I just love watching Democrats smearing and stabbing each other in the back when they are running for the same position.
“Prior to the Bush Admin, no US adminstration had ever previously engaged in torture. But now that the Bush Admin has engaged in torture, aren’t you ashamed of your repukeliking president?”
More proof your a lying POS. Like I said , you are incapable of “LISTENING”. What you are really trying to hide is the fact that the last democrat president was so corrupt and an incompetant white trash POS to even protect this Country , vow to kill or capture those he allowed to attack at will. How about disproving the fact that your JFK was the last President to have ASSASINATION OF AS A OPTION OR A TOOL? AND THAT HILARY RODHAM HAD ALL WRITTEN EVIDENCE SEALED FOR 40 YEARS JUST TO BOLSTER THEIR CLAIM THAT WHAT NIXON DID WAS THE WORST THING IMAGINABLE.
Festering shit wrote:
“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
– H.L. Mencken
Thank you. I am adopting that as my motto”
Hey stupid, the quote said “EVERY NORMAL MAN”. No mention of lying POS sore loser liberal.
You have so much crap spewing from your mouth it’s simply laughable.
“You are gonna see a buncha POed libs over the next 18 months. We awake and we angry”.
Your a little late bed wetter, were have you been for that last 6 years.
“I’m polishing my baseball bat, and swinging for the knee-caps”.
I just love it when cowards talk tuff. You have to mention “polishing” just to take your mind off the fact that you are going to proceed to make a threatening claim. Your nothing but a stupid cry baby and a lying loser , a fraud like the entire democrat party. The only thing you have continued to polish are the turds in your party.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you were actually that punk ass wanker , LEE. If you had any honor or class as a Patriotic American and was remotely concerned about the future of the human race, you would go to the nearest cliff and jump.
You have already lost and your party’s continued fraud is an embarrassing failure and everyone is laughing at the democrat party except for of course for the frauds themselves . If you were only capable of real emotion you would have jumped long ago. Thanks for the laughs loser.
Game over!
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008872
The “Who’s Who” volume does not mention Valerie Plame’s status as a CIA agent. It mentions only that she is Joseph Wilson’s wife. The fact that she was a married woman was widely known. Even her closest neighbors were unaware that she worked for the CIA.