The Violence Worker!

The Plame Game Goes Lame!

So Joe and Valerie are going to sue the Vice President, Rove and Libby.  Really!

From the WAPO:

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, filed a lawsuit yesterday against Vice President Cheney, presidential adviser Karl Rove and former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, accusing the three of violating their constitutional rights in retaliation for Wilson's criticism of President Bush.

Plame and Wilson say that, after Wilson accused Bush of twisting intelligence about Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, Cheney, Rove and Libby conspired to "discredit, punish and seek revenge against the plaintiffs that included, among other things, disclosing to members of the press Plaintiff Valerie Plame Wilson's classified CIA employment."

Does anyone really think this is going anywhere?  First of all, Cheney can buy and sell the likes of Plame and Wilson many times over.  Cheney can hire the best legal defense money can buy and sleep well knowing he has absolutely nothing to worry about.  And I’m guessing the other two will be sleeping just as soundly.

Even to this non-lawyer, some things are fairly clear.  This isn’t like the grand jury where only one side gets to do the questioning.  In discovery, the Wilson’s will have to answer a lot of questions they might find really uncomfortable.   How is Cheney putting you in danger when you pose for the cover of Vanity Fair, anyway?

In any case, this is only launched with the slightest hope of salvaging what is left of their 15 minutes of fame. 

The right side of the Blogoshere is laughing their keesters off and I’m one of them.

VW

Mary McCarthy Might Just Be “p0wned”

It’s coming to light that the “secret torture prisons” might well have been a sting operation.  According to an NYT story yesterday, Mary McCarthy might just be “p0wned”.

BRUSSELS, April 20 — The European Union's antiterrorism chief told a hearing on Thursday that he had not been able to prove that secret C.I.A. prisons existed in Europe.

"We've heard all kinds of allegations," the official, Gijs de Vries, said before a committee of the European Parliament. "It does not appear to be proven beyond reasonable doubt."

This, also from the NYT, is interesting:

Ms. McCarthy's departure followed an internal investigation by the C.I.A.'s Security Center, as part of an intensified effort that began in January to scrutinize employees who had access to particularly classified information. She was given a polygraph examination, confronted about answers given to the polygraph examiner and confessed, the government officials said. On Thursday, she was stripped of her security clearance and escorted out of C.I.A. headquarters. Ms. McCarthy did not reply Friday evening to messages left by e-mail and telephone.

See that line “scrutinize employees who had access to particularly classified information”?  That might just mean this is an example of the old classic game of "tell certain people there is something going on, provide a little documentation to make it appear plausible", and see if it gets leaked.

So here’s the problem for the left.  They want so desperately to hang a leaker in the Plame game, but now they want to give McCarthy a pass because she told something that would embarrass the Administration if true. 

You can’t have it both ways, folks.  I’m betting McCarthy, along with some others, were caught in a trap they gladly stepped into.

She has admitted to leaking, now prosecute her.

Hat Tip:  Wizbang

VW