Will we ever find out who the leakers are? Do we already know?

[Hamlette]

I can't figure out if someone already knows who they are or not.

They guy on The NewsHour said we will likely never know.

Can't Bush just say "no one in this administration talks to Novak or any of the other five journalists until someone gives me the names."

What do you think? Will we ever know?

[jiacinto]

1. Condoleeza Rice

Here's why. Or she may be set up to the be "The fall guy".

She's a black. She's a woman. She's the perfect person to be the one who told.

Here's why. If Democrats find out that it was her then Bush, with the help of the media, will say that the Democrats are being hypocrits for "beating up on a black woman". They will say that the Democrats "are neglecting and being insenstive to the needs of African-Americans".

That way they will be able to deflect criticism. I am probably wrong here but I could see that happening.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Good point, but ...

I think that the White House will try to stonewall so diligently that it will soon be impossible to present a cut-and-dried solution to the problem. In other words, nobody will be chosen to fall on his/her sword, since so much truth will "inadvertently" slip out.

It's the nature of liars to betray themselves when they take pains to hide their lies.

My fear is that "something will happen" to require Bush & Co. to "put aside partisan politics" until it blows over. What that "something" will be will probably not be pleasant.

--bkl

[wtmusic]

2. Rove is toast

He has shot himself in the foot. It may take a while but Rove will resign because of this.

[LevChernyi]

4. yeah..

Bush playing ignorant can't fly.

He either runs the show or he doesn't. If he says he runs the show that means Bob Novak has committed a libelous action by claiming to have spoken to people he didn't.

If he doesn't run the show, and doesn't know what's up, and can't find out what's up he is a puppet figure.

Either conclusion is rather damning. Trying to throw Bob to the wolves wouldn't be pretty, he wouldn't go down like a good soldier.

[opihimoimoi]

5. History has a way of bringing out the truth, which often is stranger than

fiction. :o)

Come, time for some good Cognac... from France of course, cest magnifique

and a good Cuban, Muito deliciosa

[Walt Starr]

12. Mmmmm, Cuban cigars

I like Montecristo #2's myself.

Only thing better is Nicaraguan Padron Anniversarrio Maduro Torpedoes.

[Unknown Known]

6. These guys always send the women out to clean up the mess

CondiLiar being black makes it that much better. They throw her to the mediawolves whenever they've fucked up something, which seem like every week.

Karen Hughes used to do this all the time.

Now they're using Pickles on this trip - front page pictures of Chirac kissing her hand (that was funny just for the thought of freepers soiling their Depends that their first-lady was kissed by a surrender monkey). Mon Dieu!!

[Lexingtonian]

7. Yes.

There are two people who did the dirty work out of the White House in July, according to Novak's articles. There are six journalists who the story got shopped to. And there is potentially a ninth person (it may be one of the eight) who leaked the 2/6 setup of the thing out of the White House.

Wilson says he got one of the six journalists to tell him that Rove was shopping around more of the thing, and leaking from some of the other ones confirms that ID.

So we have Rove (1 of 2) and Novak (1 of 6), with at least another of the 6 providing confirmation (and is thus known).

The easiest way of finding the rest of the 6 is to see which ones name Rove as their source in columns- have done business with him- and then select which ones are the most reliable daily columnists and part of the Conintern network, i.e. which ones are sufficiently accredited on their side to get tossed onto Newsmax and into the WSJ editorial page ASAP. (On July 11 or 12 the White House needed the alleged dirt on Wilson out in a big big hurry.) Try Safire, Krauthammer, that ballpark. The idea was to poison Wilson's allegations before they could have full effect among the Believers. Wilson can name at least one of them, and

The easiest way of finding the other manure spreader in the WH is to see who, other than Rove, is particularly important as "access" to Novak et al. And s/he has to have the kind of clout as domestic political operative in the WH- iow, a first or second rank official- to be involved in as important and dirty an op as this.

The White House is certainly hard at work trying to find out who the (likely) ninth person- the leaker to the WaPo- is. That one I can't guess- maybe it's a CIA or Justice person with mid-level friends in the WH. Someone possibly connected with the Wilsons in some way and upset at the travesty of it all. Possibly it's the same journalist who gave away the game to Wilson personally. Notice how the WaPo article shows up, written as if the reporters have known this stuff for some time and waited for a go-ahead. I'd guess it's someone who knew about and didn't want to let Ashcroft suffocate the CIA referral, and s/he told the WaPo folks to get on the matter after Ashcroft hid the referral for a week.

We'll find out the original eight within days. The ninth could be a good while longer, or maybe we'll hear of a sudden dramatic firing or desire to be with family or an abrupt reassignment to assessing millet harvests in wartorn parts of Ruanda.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. I bet the CIA already knows...

...and that's one of several reasons why they've gone public with this issue.

I bet they've got more stuff coming, too.

[Unknown Known]

9. I totally agree

and I think that's why Tenet went ahead and took the heat for the SOTU 16 words. He knew then.

[opihimoimoi]

10. Well, the trail is 3 months old. They had a lotta time to shred the shit.

Oh well, we can always hope for the deep throats return.

[DinahMoeHum]

18. Tenet may have fallen on his sword for * once. . .

but g*d-damned if he'll do it for * twice.

:nuke:

[Walt Starr]

13. If they didn't have the goods

it would have never made it to the Justice Department.

If you look at how quickly it turned into a full blown investigation, you can pretty well discern that the CIA is feeding evidence to Justice.

Once this hits the special prosecutor level, it will blow wide open.

[elfin]

11. WE may never know

...but the press knows. If the WH throws some low level toady out for feeding time -- will the press save the toady's job by coming clean? Time will tell - meanwhile this is slipping off the front pages.

Was on page one in Milwaukee Journal yesterday - now inside.

[HFishbine]

15. No Toady

is going down for this. 10 x 6 is 60 years max sentence. As soon as somebody is faced with this prospect, they are going to point right up the ladder to the ultimate instigator.

[Booberdawg]

14. There have been several threads on this in the last several days

Who were the leakers? We know one was Rove - looks like the other one was out of Cheney's office. Look for a thread on last night's Nightline interview with Wilson. He spilled his guts. Rove told him his wife was fair game.

[lanlady]

16. too many people know their names

We'll know pretty soon.

Dems have to get out there and shout from the rooftops that Bush could put an end to the mystery very quickly. The only way for Bush to come out looking good is for him to get ahead of it.

[E Pluribus Unum]

17. Am I the only person here

that thinks that in the end this will be a non story. That it will
just blow away with the next big news event.

[Snellius]

19. Bush is screwed. They have to find SOMEBODY

On the face of it, Bush's "Get 'em dead or alive" strategy seems like the appropriate way to go. According to Tom DeLay:

"You have special counsels if you think the administration is trying to cover up or obstruct justice or is not interested in this issue. It is quite obvious to me that the White House and the administration are very upset about this issue."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/01/politics/01REPU.html?hp

They know a crime has been committed. They know that several reporters know who the culprit really is. But what if they don't find anyone? Which they probably will not. Ipso facto the conclusion is that the DOJ is obviously either unable or unwilling to get their man. Bush is really screwed here. He has to find a fall guy. Someone willing to face ten years in jail. And it will have to be a top WH official. No one will believe a couple of freelance flunkies pulled this off.