Why I think Waxman is Window-dressing

posted by The Vidiot @ 8:00 AM Permalink

Waxman seems to be pursuing Cheney with regards to the Valerie Plame leak. He's requesting transcripts of Cheney's FBI interview to see if it was Cheney that authorized Libby to leak Plame's name. Now, that may all be all well and fine, and I'm sure Cheney DID tell Libby to go ahead and do it. BUT, and here's the big thing, McClellan has already said that Bush admitted to declassifying the information.

And I walk onto Air Force One and a reporter had yelled a question to the President trying to ask him a question about this revelation that had come out during the legal proceedings. The revelation was that it was the President who had authorized, or, enable Scooter Libby to go out there and talk about this information. And I told the President that that's what the reporter was asking. He was saying that you, yourself, was the one that authorized the leaking of this information. And he said "yeah, I did." And I was kinda taken aback.

See, the president is the ONLY person who can legally declassify an NIE, which is where the Plame info came from. Now, I'm no lawyer (thank heavens) but if it was already declassified, Dick telling Libby is just politically wrong, but not legally wrong. Or, at the very least, it's a lesser crime. I have no idea what the the rules are with regards to covert agents on declassified NIE's, but it seems to me that Cheney didn't ask Libby to leak classified information, or rather, that's what the argument would be.

Bottom line, don't get your hopes up on this one. It's politically reprehensible, it's stupid as hell, but declassifying information and then releasing it is probably technically not illegal, and these guys are all about the technicalities.

I would appreciate any comments from anyone 'in the know' and I will add them to this post, but it really seems to me that the Plame thing has been a red herring from the get-go.

Labels: plamegate