Did the fact that Valerie Plame suggested Joseph Wilson for the C.I.A. trip to Niger discredit his visit?
I don’t think so. Why would it? It hardly seems that who suggested him for the job matters. The only way it would matter would be if his wife or the people in the C.I.A. who sent him had some strong bias, or if he had some strong bias himself. To date, no one has suggested either situation to be the case.
Is it possible that it was a "boondoggle" – that Valerie Plame suggested it to get him a free trip to Niger?
That seems absurd, on the face of it. Niger is no vacation wonderland. It’s a poor African country – hardly the kind of place to "send" one’s spouse for R&R.
What about Robert Novak’s comment on Fox News that he doesn’t think the "leak" was a manipulation or malicious?
That’s kind of hard to believe. If it were neither, why make it? The Administration was clearly upset by Wilson’s allegations: Cheney’s notes on the newspaper, Libby’s meetings with Judith Miller, the ‘secret’ report Powell had on the Africa trip, Fleischer’s coaching the newsmen on that same trip. Likewise, when Novak ran into Wilson’s friend on the street and told him, it was said in a definitely derisive way. "Wilson’s an asshole." And the part about his wife was hardly neutral. Novak’s comment was malicious.
Was Wilson being "self important" in thinking that his Intelligence was being ignored?
Were I he, I would feel that. But more to the point, if I had been sent to Niger to poke around about this topic and came back absolutely believing there was nothing to it, I would be a bit incredulous to hear Bush use it in the State of the Union Massage – particularly if it were being said as a justification for starting a war in the Middle East…
Is there enough evidence that the Administration did actually twist intelligence to confirm Wilson’s allegations?
Way more than enough. Overwhelming evidence.
So how about the fact that Joseph Wilson’s criticism of the Administration was correct?
That speaks for itself. The Administration was in trouble and they knew it. They definitely had a motive…
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