CIA Leak Case: German Media Dead Wrong

Update on the "CIA Leak Case": Contrary to reports in the German media (led by German press agency dpa) Lewis "Scooter"  Libby does not contend that President Bush ordered the leaking of Valerie Plames name to the press:

In the court filing, Libby's lawyers said they did not intend to argue that he was ordered to reveal Plame's identity.

"Consistent with his grand jury testimony, Mr. Libby does not contend that he was instructed to make any disclosures concerning Ms. Wilson by President Bush, Vice President Cheney, or anyone else,"  the filing said, using Plame's married name.

Even the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung's Washington correspondent Matthias Rüb (article not online available) last week wrote - referring to a statement by Libby - that President Bush ordered the leak of Valerie Plame's name. Normally, Rüb is one of the few German Washington correspondents not subject to the Bush Derangement Syndrome. Let's hope he will recover from this mild viral outbreak...

Comments

[Helian]

As usual, the reality is twisted to fit the agenda. We've just seen another good example of this in the US, where a significant cultural event has just occurred. I refer to culture in the sense of something living that reflects the life and spirit of a people in the here and now rather than in the European sense of the preservation of the cultural achievements of past generations. On Wednesday, an episode of South Park condemned the cowardice of the media powers that be in connection with the cartoon jihad. It noted in particular their mouthing of slogans about freedom of speech, but their unwillingness to take the slightest risk to defend it now that it is actually under attack. In the episode, the American people collectively and literally bury their heads in the sand so they won't see an image of Mohammed. In the end, President Bush, Jesus, etc., are shown splattering each other with feces in the trademark South Park style. I know this must have been offensive to some. It shouldn't be. It was necessary to bring out starkly and unmistakably the hypocrisy of the MSM, and, specifically in this case, Comedy Central, which has grown fat treading every sexual, religious and social taboo under foot, as long as zero risk was attached to doing so. Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan for the "heads up" on his blog that the episode was coming. If you missed it, my condolences. I hope there are many reruns.

The reaction of the MSM to the episode so far has been telling. The editors who refused to print something as newsworthy and essential to the understanding of an event of the first magnitude as the Danish Muhammed caricatures certainly realize that they have played the part of gutless cowards, lacking the moral courage to assert a freedom that they could not exist without, and that so many have died to defend. They also realize that is how they have revealed themselves to the whole world. Of course, even cowardly rats don't like having the truth rubbed in their face, as can be seen this morning on CNN.

CNN, you may recall, was particularly oily and abject in rationalizing its refusal to show the cartoons. Its headline on the story is, "South Park aims at censors, hits Bush, Jesus." This, of course, is a bald-faced lie. The episode doesn't "hit" Bush or Jesus in any way, shape or form. It does hit the cowardice of those who control the content of CNN and the rest of the mainstream media, and that very effectively. CNN, which has, in the past, hardly shown affection for Christian zealots, suddenly decides to give one of them a bully pulpit. After all, in this case, the zealots are saying exactly what the editors want to say themselves. MSM editors don't quote just anybody. The quote has to fit the agenda. In this case, it happens that the vile and stupid ravings of William Donohue, a spokesman for the Catholic League, happened to fit the bill. Using Donohue as their mouthpiece, the editors react to their exposure with typical venom: "The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central -- that's their decision not to show the image of Mohammed or not -- it's Parker and Stone," he said. "Like little whores, they'll sit there and grab the bucks. They'll sit there and they'll whine and they'll take their shot at Jesus. That's their stock in trade."

Never mind that Parker and Stone weren't "taking a shot at Jesus," a fact that is beyond the grasp of bigoted fanatics like Donohue. The point CNN tries to make through him is absurd on the face of it. Parker and Stone are both multi-millionaires. They hardly need to take any undue risks to make more money. They were personally willing to accept responsibility for airing images of Mohammed in a very public forum, an act of the greatest courage, and one that would certainly expose them to grave danger. They knew this, yet they were willing to stand up for freedom of speech in the face of personal risk. In my book, they are heroes, and they deserve the thanks of anyone for whom Liberty is something other than an empty slogan.

[George M]

Good thread Helian!

Personally, I would have liked to see Mohammed depicted as an acquaintance of "Mr. Slave."

[George M]

This is a little off the theme of this thread. But this story could have been written by the South Park crew.

If you recall, Chancellor Merkel lectured President Bush about Gitmo during her last visit to the U.S. She insisted that Guantanamo must be closed.

The U.S. has 15 terrorist that they picked up in Afghanistan that are Chinese nationals. The U.S. wants to return these guys to their home country. However, just like the great Satan, the U.S.A., China has the death penalty for terrorist.

The U.S. has asked Germany to put its money where their mouth is. They are asking that Germany take in these 15 Chinese nationals.

Shouldn't be no problem, right? The German Chancellor asked the U.S. to close Guantanamo, didn't they? The Spiegel has pushed headlines about Guantanamo, "Torture in the name of democracy." These poor prisoners, who are apparently too dangerous to be released on to the street, should find Germany a safe haven from the barbaric U.S. and China, both having the death penalty for terrorist.

But hold the presses. Germany does not want the prisoners. If they take in the prisoners, their new favorite trading partner, China, may take this as "an unfriendly act."

It is OK to ridicule an old "friend," the U.S., about Gitmo and the death penalty. But it is "very delicate" to criticize China about the same...especially when there is a Euro to be made.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,411534,00.html

[Helian]

@George M

Thanks for the link. If the place really were shut down and all the German Gitmo critics had to choose where the Chinese prisoners should go, about 99.9% would pick not Germany, not China, but the US, Great Satan or no.

Here's the original link to the CNN story, BTW.

But wait, there's more! It turns out that WaPo TV columnist Lisa de Moraes has more balls than all the editors of her paper combined. She definitely hasn't read their latest Muhammed cartoons talking points, because she's wandered way off the reservation. Check this out! Notice, in particular, the rather different treatment she gives to Grand Inquisitor Donohue.

[JJfromBa]

I think you meant to say Lewis "Scooter" Libby rather than Gordon Liddy (of Watergate fame).

Note from David: Oops...my bad. Corrected it.
Many thanks!

[unhinged]

Gordon Liddy.

LOL

This ia a good one, David & Ray.

Might be a Freudian slip ...

[Scott_H]

I know this is getting OT, but this line from the WaPo article cracked me up:

"Weeks ago, when they were mulling the episode on this subject, Cowardly Central told Parker and Stone they could not run an image of Muhammad on the network."

Cowardly Central!

[Mike H.]

Helian, I am offended by the south park slam at christianity, that's why I refuse to watch it. They can go to hell, and while they're going there they won't get my money.

[Helian]

@Mike H.

>>Helian, I am offended by the south park slam at christianity, that's why I refuse to watch it. They can go to hell, and while they're going there they won't get my money.<<

Yes, the cartoon jihad was an interesting affair, wasn't it? It showed how many people who mouth slogans about freedom and liberty think they should only apply to people who think just like them.

[George M]

Mike H.

I saw a CNN repeat story tonight on the Southpark controversy.

Just like Helian described, the kids in South Park were outraged because Mohammed was censored out of "the Family Guy."

When Mohammed's face was to be shown, the cartoon ran a blank screen with a disclaimer that Commedy Central was censoring the picture out of the show.

Then the screen changed to a colored screen, orange and red, with the introduction, "Ossama Bin Laden presents....Jesus and Bush....an Al Quida Production."

Jesus and GW then proceded to have a feces fight.

The spokesman from the Cathlolic League was a blowhard. the South Park guys were not insulting Jesus or Bush. Instead the South Park guys got the last laugh at Commedy Central's expense. They denonstrated that their "employers" will go out of the way to protect Mohammed because the subject invites controversy. But it is OK to treat Jesus in a semi-disprespectful way....after all it was a Bin Laden production.

I stongly suggest you watch the show, if Commedy Central ever has the guts to repeat it. Its ironic that Christians were murdered in church today, Good Friday, in Cairo....none of the MSM is making it a big deal of it....but if you tackle Mohammed, you are a marked person.

[Mike H.]

George M., actually I don't watch South for other reasons but the comment was just to show up the cowards. Of course I won't kill the cartoonists for trashing christianity (and that's what they did). It's easy to use christianity for their point, but I think it comes under the storyline of 'Hold me back, hold me back, I'll kill him, I'll kill him, (psst, hold me back). One wonders at the courage displayed.

[Helian]

Meanwhile the CNN sheep Ba-a-a-h-h-h's on. Today there's a video link on CNN's homepage with lots of footage of the ranting of über-Inquisitor Donohue. They also throw in a lecture by their own Moslem affairs expert carefully explaining to the dhimmi the latest shackles they are to accept to the right to freedom of speech to insure they don't "inflame" the Islamist fanatics. The video is a virtual tutorial on the New Political Correctness at CNN. Apparently the scales have suddenly fallen from their eyes. A network that never missed a chance to publish demeaning, supercilious put downs of creationists, intelligent designers, and Christian fundamentalists of all stripes, is now exquisitely sensitive about offending them. The modern journalistic art of maintaining a threadbare pretense of "balance" while delivering the "correct" political message is on full display. We are informed that Parker and Stone, the producers of "South Park," were "unavailable for comment," the classic "60 Minutes" line usually reserved for corporate bad guys, welfare cheats and scam artists. The message of the piece is, "See how wise and reasonable we were to be cowardly sheep?" Meanwhile, I expect the people at Cowardly Central are desperately trying to find out if any of the original writers of "Leave it to Beaver" or "The Andy Griffith Show" are still alive to write material for them that won't offend anyone.

[Mike H.]

Helian, kudos for the accurate shot. I'm disgusted with it all and I wish I could draw beyond the stick figure level, although---

O
/|\
 |
/ \ OK, meet Mohammed as a youth.

Sorry David and Ray. The threats should start tomorrow.

[Don]

Yep. I've been watching the South Park cencorship idiocy and one other thing, the firing of a blogger named Bill Hobbs for posting a cartoon about Mohammed on the internet.

http://www.news2wkrn.com/vv/2006/04/the_scene_responds.html

In the past I've argued passionately for respecting religion and refraining from insults against all religions around here - but this is where I get off.

Comedhimmi Central should change it's name (not original with me, but it fits). Cowards.

Belmont University behaved contemptably and with cowardice, betraying it's every principal on the subject of free speech. The publication and the columnist are little better, as they try to wash their hands of it this Easter Sunday. The 'outing' of the blogger occured on Thursday and the firing the next day - highly appropriate timing I say. The below is a link to a piece of Photoshop art making the point except that two more pieces are needed. The editor of 'The Scene' washing her hands a la Pontius Pilate - and the President of Belmont University depicted as Caiaphas....

http://sarcastro.squarespace.com/journal/2006/4/14/the-long-good-friday.html#comment329808

[Scott_H]

It'll be interesting to see how they handle the leak cases that are the real story:

"CIA Fires Employee for Alleged Press Leak"

"By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer"

"WASHINGTON - The CIA fired a top intelligence analyst who admitted leaking classified information that led to a Pulitzer Prize-winning story about a network of secret CIA prisons, government officials say.

"The officer was a senior analyst nearing retirement, Mary McCarthy, The Associated Press learned. Reached Friday evening at home, her husband would not confirm her firing.

"Almost immediately, the firing turned political. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., praised the agency for identifying a source of the leaks and encouraged vigorous investigation of other open cases. "Those guilty of improperly disclosing classified information should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Roberts said.

"Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called on President Bush to hold accountable those in his dministration who leaked information about the Iraq intelligence in the run-up to the war and outed undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame."

AP News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060422/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_20

"CIA Director Porter Goss made a strong case against media leaks before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in February.

"I'm sorry to tell you that the damage has been very severe to our capabilities to carry out our mission. I use the words 'very severe' intentionally. That is my belief. And I think that the evidence will show that," Goss said."

Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060422/pl_nm/security_cia_dc_6

Of course, the Democrats are trying to divert attention from the real leak scandals by continuing to spout the meme that "the White House" outed Valerie Plame.

The cynic in me says that the part of the story here that'll interest certain folks is how they fired someone (a "civil servant," no less) who is nearing retirement, thus depriving the person of their pension.