So someone expresses an opinion that what you want to hear & that's enough for it to become a fact for you?
<< "If declassifed afterwards, its a problem for bush-cheney." >>
Unfortunately, the power to classify or declassify resides in the Executive Branch. Bush, as Chief Executive (no one can over rule him), is able to decide what & when something is no longer classified. Per the story as reported, Bush told Cheney that Libby was free to release (NOT LEAK) the information...
"Defendant [Libby} testified that the vice president
later advised him that the president had authorized
defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE,"
the prosecution filing said.
Mr. Libby told the grand jury that he also sought the
advice of the legal counsel to the vice president, David
Addington, who indicated that Mr. Bush's permission to
disclose the estimate "amounted to a declassification of
the document," according to the new court papers....
Mr. Bush's alleged instruction to release the conclusions
of the intelligence estimate appears to have been squarely
within his authority and Mr. Fitzgerald makes no argument
that it was illegal.
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=22333847
