Let’s take a peek at what former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, had to say evening last regarding Dubya’s V.P., and what Cheney contends in his new memoir, “In My Time,” about the “alleged” nexus between Saddam and bin Laden:
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The following is a segment from the “Crime and Justice” series that was originally broadcast by ABC News on January 14, 1999. Seems to leave little doubt that the nexus was a bit more than alleged.
Of course, it’s now a little late for Mr. O’Donnell to seek an interview with either one of the non-domestic bad guys. Well, who else can we get to bad mouth domestic bad guy Cheney? Ah, how ’bout the author of a Cheney-bashing book who’s actually read all of the just-published memoir! Ladies and gentlemen, here’s Barton Gellman:
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Seems to me just a tad bass ackwards that the Attorney General has veto power over a President’s policy regarding the conduct of intelligence operatives overseas, whatever the true narrative of the Ashcroft-in-the-hospital-unwilling-to-sign-and-what-was-Comey-doing-there episode may be.
Comey, by the way, was Plamegate prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s “let’s get Marc Rich” partner when they were both U.S. Attorneys on Rich’s case. Mr. Rich, as you may recall, was one of Mr. Clinton’s last-minute pardons upon his departure from office, said pardon being recommended by then Deputy AG, Eric Holder, who is now AG. Guess who was one of foreign-and-domestic bad guy Rich’s attorneys back then? Well, none other than I. Lewis “The Scooter” Libby, who was the only person ever charged or prosecuted by Mr. Fitzgerald for the non-revelation of Ms. Plame’s non-covert position with the CIA.
Scooter, by the way, was also Cheney’s Chief of Staff. Not that that has anything to do with anything. Though it may account for the fact that, unlike Marc Rich, Mr. Libby never did get a full pardon, though Scooter’s would have to had come from President Bush II. Guess Cheney and Bush weren’t all that close after all. Ya think?
Oh, almost forgot. Politician, not the actor, Richard Armitage, Colin Powell’s Deputy Secretary of State, was the one who actually spilled the beans about Valerie Plame to the now departed Robert Novak. Guess O’Donnell won’t be interviewing him either.
Ciao,
Dennis
Update: By the way, did I mention that it was Comey who appointed Fitzgerald “Plamegate” special prosecutor? Didn’t want to leave that out.