Yes, and no one has ever lied under oath before, especially no one with a political agenda.
I watched some of the hearing tonight with Plame answering questions. I was totally unimpressed. I found her completely uncredible as a witness. She clearly has a political agenda, and she had nothing to contribute. The investigation has nothing to do with her.
If she was covert, then why was no one prosecuted for it? Should we really believe that Fitzgerald is so inept as to skip a major crime (outing a covert officer) in order to prosecute a minor one (perjury of a relatively minor player)? If he's that inept, then why should we trust what he says about Libby? If he's not that inept, then why don't we acknowledge that a crime was not committed in revealing Plame's name.
There are many holes in her story, as I understand it. This hearing is about politics, and the Dems found someone who would take their side. There was nothing said today by Plame that wasn't already known.
I don't think there is any great conspiracy going on. I think Plame is scrambling to save her book deal. We have people under oath giving opposite testimony. During the Libby trial, if I recall correctly (and I may not) people from the CIA and Justice testified that Plame was not covert and that she suggested her husband for the trip. Now Plame contradicts both of those things.
I think Plame has more the lose. The CIA wasn't on trial. They had no reason to say that. If it turns out that Plame wasn't covert, and that this was much ado about nothing, then she loses her 15 minutes of fame.
It is hard to know what to believe. But having listened the the Dems today, I am fairly convinced that they know less than I do. And have a political axe to grind.
You're right it isn't a great conspiracy, it's a system and it's called lobbying and includes the MIC, AIPAC, ATC, global drug dealers and black market arms dealers all washing each others back at our expense. And yes the dems have an axe to grind, they've been kept from their fair share of the loot by republicans for to long.
I quit trying along time ago to figure things out by comparing one side of this global crime ring we call a 'government' to the other.
In March of 2005 Toensing submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Matt Cooper and Judith Miller. In the brief, she said "there exists ample evidence in the public record to cast serious doubt as to whether a crime has even been committed under the Intelligence Protection Act...". So yes, it was known all along that there had been no violation.
And also in 2005, Prosecutor Fitzgerald stated, "We have not made any allegation that Mr. Libby knowingly and intentionally outed a covert agent".
BTW, If you are going to use a person to defend your position, at least try and learn to spell her name correctly.
The woman's name is Victoria Toensing.
She is a right-wing Republican attorney who is friends with Robert Novak and has worked in Republican administrations in the past.
Quite possibly because he, like you and many others in teh press and even in Congress, don't know what "covert" means under the Law. It seems that many (including myself for a time) confuse covert with classified. Under the IIPA, they are apparently not the same.
Toesing's points on affirmative cover seemed very legitimate. If the CIA knew she was covert under the IIPA, they are required to take affirmative steps to protect her. Apparently, none of that was done. They confirmed that she did work for the CIA, something incompatible with covert status, as I understand it.
Here is an article for Nov 2005 where Toensing said all this, and points to some very big problems with the situation. So, right or wrong, it's not new.
Or she was at the time and the CIA is full of liars, which really makes it futile to sort things out, which is just the way the CIA likes it. Meanwhile in Washington Liars and Politicians are turning on themselves and devouring each other, which is the way I like it, as soon as they devour each other the sooner real Americans will be able to establish a real Government that is of the People and for the People.
Do You think we will ever?
I don't think it matters one whit in D.C. after all it is the opinion makers that are always presenting their cases in the Court of Public Opinion that matters, this is where all the colateral damage is done, justice means nothing.