Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Journey deep into the Kingdon of Idiots

I was in one of the deeper enclaves of the Kingdom of Idiots.

One could say I am nitpicking. But I really do not like 60 minutes, anything that does not fit their storyline ends up on the cutting room floor.

Here is my exchange with Count highhopes
The Outing of Valerie Plame
I love how they criticized Novak for naming the CIA front company Valerie Plame used.
However they left out the part where Mr. Novak states that was the company she said she worked for when she donated to the Al Gore campaign.

Just a inconvenient fact to seeBS.
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Heir to the Throne:
That's an odd thing to bring up. It means something to you? Libby's lawyer, Joseph A. Tate, is a well-known, rather large contributor to the Democratic party and its candidates. What do you make of that? Is that also an "inconvenient fact?" It's difficult to see what you are getting at.
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seeBS/60 minutes gave the impression that Mr. Novak/The White House named the CIA front company Valerie Plame to get back at her.

Leaving out the part where Mr. Novak states that was the company she said she worked for when she donated to the Al Gore campaign does not help give that impression.
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Heir to the Throne:
I don't know what Tom Delay's lawyer has to do with the Plame case. Nothing I would suppose. Why do you ask?

I'm still puzzled why you think Valerie Plame making a contribution to a Democratic candidate is an "inconvenient fact."

Your understanding is that the 60 Minutes producers and editors purposely left out this "inconvenient fact" in an effort to falsely leave the impression Novak was trying to "get back" at Valerie Plame? Who could come to this impression? I don't understand. Why would Novak be trying to "get back" at Valerie Plame? Are you certain you aren't the only person that got this impression? I did not. It would never occurred to me that Novak has any reason to "get back" at Valerie Plame. What did she do to him?

As far as I can see, Novak outed the CIA agent and then for good measure he outed a CIA dummy corporation used by agents for covert purposes. I think we can both agree he did exactly those things. You say the addition of pointing out that Plame made a contribution to a Democratic candidate is a significant "inconvenient fact" that somehow changes these basic facts? I don't see how. I don't understand your reasoning. I don't understand how you got the impression that Novak has a reason to "get back" at Valerie Plame. I don't see how you came to the conclusion that 60 Minutes' omission of a campaign contribution forced this false impression upon you.
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You mentioned Libby's lawyer is a democrat. My mention of Delay's lawyer being a democrat was to illustrate that your statement of Libby's lawyer being a democrat is meaningless.

It is not about the campaign contribution. It is about 60 minutes editing of Mr. Novak's statement as to why he mentioned her CIA front company. They make it appear that he just said Valerie Plame worked for this company which is a CIA front company instead of she donated to Al Gore and listed them as her employer.
That is the inconvenient fact.
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"In recent years, she told people she worked at an energy consulting firm called “Brewster-Jennings & Associates.”

Robert Novak, the columnist who first printed her name, revealed that, too. “And she listed herself as an employee of Brewster-Jennings & Associates. There is no such firm, I'm convinced,” Novak said on CNN."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/28/60minutes/main994753.shtml

Here is the full quote
The name of the CIA front company was broadcast yesterday by Novak, the syndicated journalist who originally identified Plame. Novak, highlighting Wilson's ties to Democrats, said on CNN that Wilson's "wife, the CIA employee, gave $1,000 to Gore and she listed herself as an employee of Brewster-Jennings & Associates."

"There is no such firm, I'm convinced," he continued. "CIA people are not supposed to list themselves with fictitious firms if they're under a deep cover -- they're supposed to be real firms, or so I'm told. Sort of adds to the little mystery."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A40012-2003Oct3?language=printer

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