Something Significant

I think Swoopa is really on to something about today's Pincus article in the Washington Post. The article notes that the only people claiming Wilson went to Niger primarily because of his wife are all connected to the Bush Administration or Republicans carrying water.

In the July 14, 2003, column, Novak wrote that Plame was an "agency operative" and that "two senior administration officials" told him that she "suggested sending him to Niger." He also wrote that "CIA officials did not regard Wilson's intelligence as definitive" because they would expect the Niger officials to deny the allegation. Although Novak cited the two officials' version of events, he also included the CIA's opposing view: that "its counterproliferation officials selected Wilson and asked his wife to contact him."

Two other sources appear to support the view that Wilson's wife suggested her husband's trip. One is a June 2003 memo by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). The other, which depends in good part on the INR document, is a statement of the views of Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and two other Republican members. That statement was attached to the full committee report on its 2004 inquiry into the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The State Department memo was well in advance of Roberts and his two minority report members both loyal Republicans to the Bush Administration.

But importantly that version of events was given to Novak, Matt Cooper and Pincus himself, most certainly from Rove and Libby. The State Department memo had information on Valerie Plame's status with the CIA. If Rove and Libby knew of that State Department Memo in advance, they are in some serious shit.