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V for Vindictive

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by The Crabtrees

The revelation that Bush authorized the declassification of the National Intelligence Estimate information and told Cheney to disburse that information to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson raises many more questions than it answers.

And the current argument over whether Bush has the authority to declassify information misses the point.

If Bush declassified that information, then why did he lie to the press and the American people when the "leak" was discovered? Bush could have held a press conference and said, "I'm declassifying this information to clarify the administration's position on Saddam and Iraq." Why did he go through the extraordinary step of pretending the declassified information was a leak rather than hold a press conference and back up their yellow cake uranium claims, which would then have protected the identity of Valerie Plame and the front company, Brewster Jennings, both valuable resources in the fight against WMD proliferation?

Instead, he claimed no knowledge of the "leak" and said, "We may never find the leakers," which led to an expensive investigation and the arrest of Libby. Libby was a good soldier for Cheney and Bush, but they kept mum while he was arrested, charged, and now faces serious prison time for lying to the Grand Jury. He was expendable, just like Valerie Plame.

If Libby had permission to release the information, why did he lie about it to the Grand Jury the first time he was questioned? Why did Judy Miller go to jail for months to protect her source (Libby)? Did Bush also lie to the Grand Jury when he was questioned? Very likely, which would be obstruction of justice at the very least. He could have stopped this judicial charade at any point by saying, "I authorized the release of this declassified information. No crime was committed."

Can the President declassify the identity of an undercover CIA agent without notifying the CIA? Revealing her identity did not harm Joe Wilson, but it did destroy his wife's career and show the CIA how vindictive Bush and Cheney are. Her identity was revealed to do one thing and one thing only, to put fear into any CIA members who might disagree - to frighten them into silence. If they did it to her, they can do it to you.

"Wilson's wife is fair game."

V for Vindictive

The Crabtrees

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION