You also don't know that the VP is responsible for Plame's name coming out. The only REAL evidence points at Joe Wilson's quest for notoriety, and th emedia asking all the basic questions. Y'know, like ...Who's his wife and what does she do?
We know a little bit more about this than you may think Gunny, much came out of the investigation, which leads to it being the vp with Libby and Rove and the undersecretary of state.
I think it was Walter Pincus that first questioned Wilson's niger investigation with the administration and others...early on. This does not negate the concerted effort of this "special team" of people to the Press.
In the investigation, it did show that VP Cheney was perhaps consumed with Wilson, requesting all kinds of info on him from the Under Secretary of State thru Libby prior to the Novak outing.
It does show a concerted EFFORT on Libby and Rove and even others in this special "group" working for the vp/president, leaking to the Press on more than 5 occaisions that I know of, Valerie Plame's name and her connection to the CIa and Wilson.
I don't know if this concerted effort was with the intent of "outing an agent" and we will never know.
I don't know if this concerted effort to out her was merely innocent, and just a way to "spin" a story on their part, with no true harm intended.
I don't know with certainty, if these guys are all just following orders of their boss, or came up with this on their own.
I am not arguing this issue because I believe, as you, that this can not be known, because the investigation was stopped, according to Fitzgerald, because Libby obstructed Justice, and lied, which prevented him from getting to the bottom of this.
I personally think this is a copout.
But it could be, that Plame was much more sensitive of an agent than we surmise, and that we all should just drop it.
lol
