3 powerful Critics of the Invasion of Iraq - 2 dead, one and his entire family in constant danger

[ck4829]

Paul Wellstone - Wellstone told an audience that before the vote to use force against Iraq, Cheney told him that "If you vote against the war in Iraq, the Bush administration will do whatever is necessary to get you. There will be severe ramifications for you and the state of Minnesota." He was one of the few Senators that did, a few weeks later, his plane crashes and he, his wife, and his daughter die.

David Kelly - Caused a scandal over the dossier on Iraq, found dead a couple of days later, a panel says very quickly that he committed suicide even though the investigation was not completed. The way of slashing his wrists would also be incredibly painful as well as suicide being considered a sin according to his Baha'i faith all make it seem very unusual that he did it.

Joe Wilson - Writes an op-ed sharply criticizing the Bush Administration and debunking their claims, then his wife gets outed as a CIA agent and her career is ruined.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. K&R

for the bloody truth

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. One would have to prove it?

one could speculate?

[MADem]

3. Are you suggesting a conspiracy, or a coincidence? NT

[cascadiance]

13. I think that it's more of a "conspiracy theory" that Libby, Cheney did this just for revenge!

Committing potentially capital offenses in terms of crimes just to get revenge on Joe Wilson? THAT is a conspiracy theory, even if it is the conveniently 'officially blessed" one! Covering up conspiracies that involve falsifying WMD evidence, covering up arms dealing, and murders in those conspiracies would seem to justify outing a CIA agent more and going to prison for it as a "better option" than answering for more severe crimes. Then things make more sense to me!

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Yes, I agree. The mtive would not have been "mere" revenge.

In each case there is more than one operant motive. In all the cases there is the common purpose of issuing a warning to others who might cross them. In the Wilson/Plame case, there is the additional motive of shutting down an inconvenient anti-WMD proliferation operation. With Wellstone, there was the additional motive of replacing a progressive troublemaker with a tame Republican Senator.

[MADem]

17. No, not REVENGE. They did it to marginalize the guy's CREDIBILITY.

They may not have known Valerie was covert (and Fitzgerald never charged that, so he might think so too), or they may not have realized how covert she was--there are PLENTY of people who are covert who, if they're outed, it doesn't matter--they do little 'bag' jobs, they have positions like secretaries, deputy assistant attaches, or low-level paper shufflers, and they're only dragged out to do covert work when something needs to be dropped off or a message passed--then, after they've done their bit, they go back to their regular work. Valerie, OTOH, was "really covert" but they may have assumed she was one of those deniable paper-pusher types.

They did that whole outing business because they wanted Wilson to be perceived by the media as a pussywhipped, loser, hack little effete who gets jobs from his WIFE. It was his credibility as a former ambassador and specialist that they were after, they wanted him marginalized as a viable, believable source. They wanted him to be perceived as that "bum" (everyone knows one, the guy up the street who can't hold a job, his wife is pulling the bulk of the load, and he can't even do the damned laundry, cook a meal, push a vacuum or get the kids to school) who's just a putz, a loser. That's what they were going for with him. It's the image they were trying to foster, and that is why they started this whole foolish game. They overreached, though.

Wilson is a bit of a pompous bastard, but he's a pompous bastard who is smart as a whip, has an excellent grasp of his subject matter expertise, knows what he's doing and has reason to be pompous.

They simply fucked with the wrong guy.

[JohnnyLib2]

4. The Clenis did it!

To set HRC up for the win, it's obvious.

[global1]

5. Interesting One Dead On Each Side Of The Ocean......nt.

[WiseButAngrySara]

6. Everyone be sure to read the DU post about Kelly's

death. Very interesting. I see you've already read it ck4829!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x284240

[BayCityProgressive]

7. Wellstone

was murdered. Much like the many "plane crashes" in Latin America whenever a leftist is elected. It just happened in Ecuador. The new head of the military was a socialist and whoops within a wek she was dead. Oh well, time to move on!:sarcasm:

[cascadiance]

12. And if you don't believe that, read Perkins' "Confessions of an Economic Hitman"

It makes the case for many of these kinds of "crash" deaths over the years, especially in South America (Torijos, etc.) that try to fight the IMF strategy that the U.S. has used for so long down south to keep those countries "under control". Now with the U.S. being more occupied in the middle east, and places like Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, etc. becoming a bigger "bloc" of these sorts of resistant countries, you are right. Expect more "accidents" in the years to come if we don't fix Washington and start prosecuting instead of pardoning and recycling the criminals that work there now!

[biscotti]

8. I believe it was only his left wrist

So I went to look and discovered this new article from the BBC & others reporting investigation of the death of Dr. Kelly.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6390981.stm
Kelly death not suicide, says MP

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news-channels/headline-channel/scientist-kelly-was-murdered-mp-says-$1056288.htm

More at Google search Dr Kelly wrist

[WiseButAngrySara]

11. And it was only the ulnar artery, not the radial. Almost

impossible to alone count for his death due to supposed exsanguination by 'suicide.'

[peacetalksforall]

9. I've never heard that quote from Cheney - where does it come from?

Meaning - where was it published?

[UrbScotty]

10. I didn't even know about Cheney saying that! (nt)

[Morgana LaFey]

15. There were a number of other reasons for them to hate Wellstone

including his work on asbestos. And Cheney was pretty interested in THAT subject too.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

16. You are forgetting Paul Sanford!

Lawyer falls to death at hotel
Seaside: Police suspect Paul Sanford committed suicide

Mills said Sanford decided in recent years to add journalism to his many occupations.

Almost immediately, he caused a stir after he joined the White House Press Corps in 2005, making waves as the first reporter to ask then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan whether the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name might be considered an act of treason.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/16326502.htm

[Jcrowley]

18. Check it out

3 WR Grace employees were killed
In the recent NC plane crash, 3 WR Grace employees were killed: Joseph Spiak, general manager of specialty vermiculite (including the highly toxic asbestos containing Zonolite), Paul Stidham, director of environmental health and safety, and Richard Lyons, global health and safety manager.

From:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/080400-02.htm

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x927596