That is, unless you think Joe Wilson is a fount of truth and the Senate Intelligence Committee is lying.
Actually, I think, on this one, Joe Wilson is telling much more of the truth than Pat Roberts. Don't get me started on the trip Roberts does, regularly, on Rockefeller.
Now the obvious question to any Washington observer, was, how the heck did an unemployed partisan Democrat former ambassador who was obviously angling for a post in the Kerry campaign/administration, get sent to Niger on a CIA mission for the Bush administration, which mission he could pretty well be counted in advance on to undermine?
We've got a few time frames out of whack here, Nadine. As you may recall, Wilson was asked by Plame's bosses at the CIA to go to Niger well before Kerry's campaign for the Dem nomination looked even probable, let alone possible. So he wasn't angling for anything from Kerry on the trip.
At that time, he was still on cordial terms with Bush the father since Bush the father was a great admirer of Wilson's period as the US ambassador in Iraq in the early 90s.
I don't see any evidence that Wilson went to Niger to undermine the Bush administration. Trot some out and I'll be happy to discuss it.
On the question of why Wilson was picked, let's just say, for conversation purposes his wife did not work at the CIA. And you were in the CIA looking for someone who knew a great deal about Iraq and Saddam, who knew a great deal about Niger, who was reasonably knowledgeable about nuclear things, and who, at least at that point, did not have a partisan reputation. My guess is that set of folk who fall in that bag is about as small as it gets. Wilson was, to make the point forthrightly, the best guy for the job. Former ambassador to Iraq, ambassador to a set of African countries with contacts in Niger, etc.
Forget his wife's CIA employment. It's a red herring Rove, as is his wont when he's losing an argument, used to try to destroy a critic rather than address an argument.
As for unemployed, I doubt it.
My guess is, as is usual with you and me, we are going to agree to disagree. But who knows. |
