Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago

November 15, 2005 8:52 PM

Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago "Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward testified under oath Monday in the CIA leak case that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed." Woodward's statement. [PDF] The unnamed official isn't Libby or Rove. [via]
posted by kirkaracha (103 comments total)

"Damn it, Deep Throat has come forward. What the hell are we gonna do for speculative noteriety now Bob?"
posted by Pretty_Generic at 8:55 PM on November 15, 2005

Was Woodward's statement done on a typewriter?
posted by neuron at 9:00 PM on November 15, 2005

He also said that his original government source did not mention Plame by name, referring to her only as "Wilson's wife."

I mean, that could be anyone.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:02 PM on November 15, 2005

Sooo, are they going to force him to divulge his source? Wonder if he'll be treated differently then whatshername
posted by edgeways at 9:02 PM on November 15, 2005

It is pitch black in the Watergate Hotel. You are likely to be eaten by agnew.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:02 PM on November 15, 2005 [73 favorites]

a gnu?
posted by edgeways at 9:04 PM on November 15, 2005

Huh. Terry Gross spent the first 10 minutes or so with Bob Woodward talking about Judith Miller and the Plame story in this interview.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 9:04 PM on November 15, 2005

Rove wasn't even an official before 2004, he was only a political advisor. So he couldn't be "Official A".

That still leaves Cheney though, and treason is not something I'd put past that black-hearted little bastard.
posted by clevershark at 9:05 PM on November 15, 2005

By the looks of that PDF, Bob and technology aren't exactly simpatico. That doesn't even look like an electric typewriter. How positively authentic of him.
posted by spock at 9:06 PM on November 15, 2005

P_G actually made me laugh. Thanks, P_G!
posted by dobbs at 9:08 PM on November 15, 2005

The unnamed official isn't Libby or Rove.

Let it be Bush. Please, please, please, let it be Bush..... and Cheney too! Both of 'em! And Delay!

Damn.... now I gotta change my undies....!
posted by Doohickie at 9:09 PM on November 15, 2005

There's one teensy thing I'm confused about. Why are they just prosecuting random officials for malicious but basically ineffectual gossip and courtroom fibs, when they should be prosecuting the fucking President's Office for proclaiming in the fucking State of the Union Address that Saddam was trying to obtain fucking nuclear weapons materials from Niger, a unquestionably deliberate lie which lead to the deaths of thousands?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:10 PM on November 15, 2005

what made you laugh, the zork joke?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:11 PM on November 15, 2005

$10 on Ari Fleischer being Woodward's source!

(He said to no one in particular.)
posted by icosahedral at 9:11 PM on November 15, 2005

Yeah, the Zork joke.
posted by dobbs at 9:17 PM on November 15, 2005

I'm confused.

I was under the impression that Grand Jury testimony was secret.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 9:17 PM on November 15, 2005

Sooo, are they going to force him to divulge his source?

It's not real clear from the article, but he may have revealed it to the grand jury. The story says: "Citing a confidentiality agreement in which the source freed Woodward to testify but would not allow him to discuss their conversations publicly, Woodward and Post editors refused to disclose the official's name." I don't know if "publicly" means the grand jury or not.
posted by marxchivist at 9:21 PM on November 15, 2005

Is the State of the Union Address under oath?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:26 PM on November 15, 2005

Can't we just give Bush The Black Spot already and be fucking done with it?
posted by Jon-o at 9:33 PM on November 15, 2005

It is pitch black in the Watergate Hotel. You are likely to be eaten by agnew.

*spits pepsi on monitor, falls out of chair, rolls on floor laughing*
posted by quonsar at 9:35 PM on November 15, 2005

.
posted by craniac at 9:38 PM on November 15, 2005

This is interesting, in that it indicates that the investigation is still ongoing.

So who gave Fitz this info? Did somebody get scared? Did somebody flip? He's had two years, and no one revealed this. What made them do it now?

I bet Bush et. al are sweating bullets.
posted by teece at 9:42 PM on November 15, 2005

Word is that Bush is sweating Jack Daniels. Too bad Powell isn't around to tiptoe out of the room with the launch codes.
posted by words1 at 9:46 PM on November 15, 2005

Woodward has been pooh-poohing this whole thing all over the place--downplaying the significance of it and more--it would have been nice (and ethical) if he had revealed this at any time before spending the past 2 years discussing it all over the place. firedoglake:....Woodward isn't just reluctant to criticize the Administration -- he's become the water carrier of choice. Schanberg doesn't report the big, fat whopping lie that Woodward went on to tell in that interview, that he had seen the CIA damage report done on the Plame leak:
They did a damage assessment within the CIA, looking at what this did that Joe Wilson's wife was outed. And turned out it was quite minimal damage. They did not have to pull anyone out undercover abroad. They didn't have to resettle anyone. There was no physical danger to anyone and there was just some embarrassment.

Two days later, the WaPo ran a story saying that no such CIA report was ever done. I guess that was the official answer as to what Woodward's "news room colleagues" thought of his put-down of their efforts. ...
posted by amberglow at 9:48 PM on November 15, 2005

Renember, Woodworth got where he is by being a spook's stooge 30 years ago.
posted by davy at 9:51 PM on November 15, 2005

Woodward is the Washington Post's very own Judith Miller, no?
posted by amberglow at 9:51 PM on November 15, 2005

Er, Woodward. Woodworth's is the five-&-dime chain that closed a while back, right?
posted by davy at 9:52 PM on November 15, 2005

(And Woodyear has the blimp?)
posted by davy at 9:53 PM on November 15, 2005

It is pitch black in the Watergate Hotel. You are likely to be eaten by agnew.

I think I am going to go downstairs and buy a soda from the vending machine in the lobby just so I come back to my apartment, re-read that comment, and spew said soda all over my laptop screen.
posted by kosher_jenny at 9:53 PM on November 15, 2005

Woodward an administration patsy -- quick, everybody act surprised!
posted by aaronetc at 9:55 PM on November 15, 2005

And does it have something to do with this, i wonder? NYT: Journalists Said to Figure in Strategy in Leak Case-- Lawyers for I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former White House official indicted on perjury charges, plan to seek testimony from journalists beyond those cited in the indictment and will probably challenge government agreements limiting their grand jury testimony, people involved in the case said Tuesday. ...
posted by amberglow at 9:59 PM on November 15, 2005

Seriosly that was the best comment ever P_G. Excuse me while I follow Jenny downstairs.
posted by filchyboy at 10:00 PM on November 15, 2005

Look deeper into the story. Woodward was another dhoyt sock puppet.
posted by rks404 at 10:02 PM on November 15, 2005

Oh, I LOLed, rks404 and words1.

I think, too, amberglow, that Woodword has destroyed his credibility. Don't become a part of the story is supposed to be a diktat. He needed to recuse himself from commenting on this. Putz.

Of course, the Bush II fellating didn't help his reputation much, either...
posted by teece at 10:10 PM on November 15, 2005

Woodward is a tool. After that interview he recorded with gwfb and restrained from editorializing even a little bit, come on. Tool.
posted by Mr T at 10:11 PM on November 15, 2005

No more calls, please, we already have a winner in P_G.
posted by pmurray63 at 10:13 PM on November 15, 2005

I totally don't get p_g's joke.
posted by gsteff at 10:16 PM on November 15, 2005

Start here.
posted by maudlin at 10:29 PM on November 15, 2005

Me too, the Zork joke, I can't breathe.
posted by nicwolff at 10:32 PM on November 15, 2005

Oh, maudlin, you are a Bad Person. Now I shan't sleep.
posted by 5MeoCMP at 10:38 PM on November 15, 2005

I'm not sure what this revelation means, but I got to read P_G's joke, so it was worth it.
posted by furiousthought at 10:49 PM on November 15, 2005

I was under the impression that Grand Jury testimony was secret.

As I understand it, people who testify at a grand jury are allowed to disclose what they testified about, as Marc Cooper and Judith Miller have done in this case. No one else is supposed to disclose it.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:53 PM on November 15, 2005

Snakes on a Plame.

This is probably good news for Libby personally, since it bolsters the key point of his defense.

It does, however, little to redirect the giant Finger of Doom from the administration.

(And Woodyear has the blimp?)

Ah. To be fifteen again.
posted by dhartung at 11:29 PM on November 15, 2005

P_G, as a self-ordained minister of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I hereby declare that you're forgiven any and all sins you may or may not have committed before posting the above comment. (being self-ordained, I'm not sure if the FSM endorses the concept of sin, but I'm sure His Noodly Appendage extends far enough to remove sin imposed by other religious traditions.)

Think of it as your "Get Out of Hell Free" card.
posted by Malor at 12:09 AM on November 16, 2005

this doesn't help libby at all, becuase he is being accused of/indicted on obstruction of justice, not outing a CIA officer.
So basically they caught him lying under oath.

now some random thoughts i wish to annoy my captive audience with....
1. if you supported clinton against impeachment, or censure, but now want to see Lilly fry, you are a hypo.
2. If you want to give lilly a pass b/c he did not do damage to nat'l security, but wanted to see Clinton impeached or even censured, you are a hypo.
The CIA did nothing to stop Novak from going with his story; usually the possible outing of an officer will get a journalist a call from the DCI. So at anyrate, this testimony will almost certainly not help Lilly on the charges, though it does help Bush et al politically. Woodward is right, the damage done by this outing is minimal at worst. Obviously costly politically, and not excusable....unless you think Wilson's trip was a joke, which is possible, but does that outweigh the risk?
posted by hurting.the.feelings.of.thechinesepeople at 12:22 AM on November 16, 2005

This is so eighteen-and-a-half minutes ago.
posted by orthogonality at 1:02 AM on November 16, 2005

teece writes " This is interesting, in that it indicates that the investigation is still ongoing."

You've obviously missed the sweating McClellan repeatedly stating, "I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation."
posted by Deathalicious at 1:06 AM on November 16, 2005

Start here.
posted by maudlin at 10:29 PM PST on November 15


Dammit, I was about to go to bed!
posted by kosher_jenny at 1:27 AM on November 16, 2005

Is it possible that this points to a deliberate policy of revelation on the part of the Bush administration? I mean, the same top secret info given out to multiple members of the media with the express intention of discrediting a man whose testimony is damaging to the adminsitration? And the information is given out by multiple sources inside that administration?

I mean, am I misreading this?

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
posted by maxsparber at 2:00 AM on November 16, 2005

P_G, that was some dope shit.

right up there with "Kevin Mitnick of Popcorn."
posted by Hat Maui at 2:12 AM on November 16, 2005

Thank you all. My strategy has been to constantly make a stream of puns my entire life until one of them is funny.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:37 AM on November 16, 2005

*finally recovers* Oh, gods, P_G. I want that on a T-shirt.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:36 AM on November 16, 2005

hurting.the.feelings.of.thechinesepeople writes "if you supported clinton against impeachment, or censure, but now want to see Lilly fry, you are a hypo."

If you think getting a blowjob is the same as endangering not only the life of a CIA agent, but the lives of everyone at the front company where she worked, you are an idiot.
posted by clevershark at 4:46 AM on November 16, 2005

P_G wins *forever*.

Dude, that was once seriously brilliant line.
posted by eriko at 5:28 AM on November 16, 2005

The funny thing is that despite actual crimes being commited in U.S. you're prosecuting politicians for lying which for a politician is pretty much like breathing.

It seems like a game of Simon Says to me.
posted by srboisvert at 5:42 AM on November 16, 2005

Ah. To be fifteen again.

Ah. To be without a sense of humor.
posted by languagehat at 5:47 AM on November 16, 2005

Malor, were you referring to this?


posted by Doohickie at 6:04 AM on November 16, 2005

Second Faint of Butt. Want that on a T-shirt, P_G! That was brill! (I rarely spew, and damn near did. Green tea doesn't mix well with keyboards.)
posted by jlkr at 6:21 AM on November 16, 2005

This Lilly - he's the captain of the woodyear blimp, right?
posted by Sk4n at 6:22 AM on November 16, 2005

Woodward - the fellating stenographer in the group known as The Defenders Of All Things Dubya.

Has he fallen this far or was he never really the good one in the team of Woodward-Bernstein?
posted by nofundy at 6:27 AM on November 16, 2005

i've been reading that it was all Bernstein in the beginning, and the Washington Post stuck him with Woodward, since he was more of a "steady fellow" or something, in their eyes...
posted by amberglow at 6:30 AM on November 16, 2005

The funny thing is that despite actual crimes being commited in U.S. you're prosecuting politicians for lying which for a politician is pretty much like breathing.

Oh, the amusing "lying under oath isn't an actual crime" defense. I love thee.
posted by smackfu at 6:30 AM on November 16, 2005

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY I AM POOR

I'm new to this. Any suggestions gratefully received.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:37 AM on November 16, 2005

What if Ron Ziegler, the late Nixon press secretary who famously dismissed Watergate as a "third-rate burglary," and Bob Woodward -- the 2005 version -- appeared together on MSNBC's Hardball?

The topic of the conversation? Watergate? Plame? You decide.

(All quotes below are from actual statements made by Ron and Bob.) ...
posted by amberglow at 6:44 AM on November 16, 2005

The funny thing is that despite actual crimes being commited in U.S. you're prosecuting politicians for lying which for a politician is pretty much like breathing.

Fitzgerald said as much; that there's a real crime that couldn't go prosecuted because this other crime, perjury and obstruction of justice, was being committed.

Lying under oath in a criminal investigation is different. If you do it well (and Libby did it okay, but not well enough, hurrah) then you can trade an "actual" crime for the crime of perjury. If your actual crime will get you 20 years and perjury got you 2, what's your reasonable course of action? This is why Libby's facing 30 years for perjury etc. I bet Fitzgerald would've taken a deal at any time in which Libby traded that for the truth, obtaining a lesser sentence.

Why is Libby doing this? Because he's sure he's going to get a pardon, the miserable fucker. You didn't hear it here first.
posted by Aknaton at 7:09 AM on November 16, 2005

if Bush pardons him, it'll be the nail in his coffin--a vast majority of Americans think this was a big deal-- ... Four in five, 79 percent, said the indictment of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on perjury and other charges is important to the nation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:13 AM on November 16, 2005

If Bush was found guilty of fixing elections, could he pardon himself?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 7:24 AM on November 16, 2005

The blinding genius of P_G has greatly overshadowed Woodplame,
posted by basicchannel at 7:27 AM on November 16, 2005

Damnable dangling commas! should be a period.
posted by basicchannel at 7:29 AM on November 16, 2005

if Bush pardons him, it'll be the nail in his coffin

Well, what's the legal impact of the Woodward testimony? It screws Fitzgerald's timeline up, at least... maybe opening up some reasonable doubt in his case against Libby? Maybe Woodward, a de facto Bush administration member, is doing the work here so that Bush doesn't have to issue a pardon?

Woodward, and Woodward's source, have surely infuriated Fitzgerald at this point, by coming forward just after the indictment was issued. Also, Woodward's testimony will be/is/would be(?) contradicted by Pincus... this is obviously terrible for Woodward's reputation, but I wonder if it doesn't have some possible negative legal consequences for him as well.
posted by ibmcginty at 7:29 AM on November 16, 2005

if Fitzgerald is using this indictment to get to others and to get to the real crimes, it's giant impact. Woodward was told before others, and by 3 officials. Is he going to go to jail like Miller? Is he going to lie to protect the administration? Is he going to tell the truth and give Fitzgerald the ammo for further indictments? ...
posted by amberglow at 7:32 AM on November 16, 2005

I'm new to this. Any suggestions gratefully received.

40 wide all caps? Perfect. Ordered.

If Bush was found guilty of fixing elections, could he pardon himself?

All he has to do is bump into someone, and say....
posted by eriko at 7:34 AM on November 16, 2005

Help what does 40 wide all caps mean help
posted by Pretty_Generic at 7:56 AM on November 16, 2005

Is he going to go to jail like Miller? Is he going to lie to protect the administration?

I think it's likely that this will have no legal impact to any other administration officials. The anti-leak statutes are really hard to break. So, an indictment on perjury/obstruction of justice/etc is more likely. But here, Woodward's mystery administration source came forward to tell Fitzgerald about all this-- which leads me to think that they don't believe that they're on the hook for that kind of charge re: their conversations with Woodward.

So, I think Woodward tells the truth, b/c the truth doesn't hurt his pals in the administration.

Alternative possibilities-- that the admin official disclosed the Woodward convo b/c he thought it was inevitably going to be discovered... or, that with just a little more info, Fitzgerald will be willing to charge some person/people with violating the anti-leak statutes.
posted by ibmcginty at 7:59 AM on November 16, 2005

It struck me last night that at the very start of this administration was a bit of foreshadowing. remember when W and staff occupied the Whitehorse and began complaining that all the 'W' keys had been stolen from the keyboards, only it turned out to be a false story? Should have kicked his ass out right then.

George's obsession with the letter 'w'.

Whiskey
WMD
missing 'W' keys
White mosquito
Whitehouse
...
Woodward?
posted by edgeways at 8:07 AM on November 16, 2005

It is pitch black in the Watergate Hotel. You are likely to be eaten by agnew.

Alas, for I am late to compliment P_G on this... but daaaaamn, that was awesome.
posted by kaseijin at 8:09 AM on November 16, 2005

No sir. You could say the same for all the other letters.


except G apparently.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 8:13 AM on November 16, 2005

buy a shirt
posted by Pretty_Generic at 8:14 AM on November 16, 2005

Can we get some stickers, too?
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:51 AM on November 16, 2005

No!

Yes. Yes you can. Now in stock.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:50 AM on November 16, 2005

"If you think getting a blowjob is the same as endangering not only the life of a CIA agent, but the lives of everyone at the front company where she worked, you are an idiot."

Libby isn't being indicited on outing Plame. He's being indicted on obstruction of justice and possibly perjury, the same crimes clinton committed. If Libby had put Plame's life in danger, or the identity of other officers (they are not called agents), or their sources, we would certainly hear about it.
posted by hurting.the.feelings.of.thechinesepeople at 12:29 PM on November 16, 2005

I don't suppose you could do up a black t-shirt, couldya P_G? (*pushing luck*)
posted by chuq at 1:17 PM on November 16, 2005

Libby was assistant to Bush, not Cheney, according to the court documents.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:39 PM on November 16, 2005

chuq, they're not selling those yet. I don't know why. I'll try to find another shop that does them.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:01 PM on November 16, 2005

hurting: There's a significant difference between what Clinton and Libby did, even if you ignore the context in which it was done.

Clinton lied about having sex (using a pretty damn crafty linguistic dodge) during a deposition in which he could rightly consider a witch hunt (there was no illegality in regards to his Monica affair, and it had no bearing on his case. But telling the truth could destroy his career, so he lied). That's a crime. He was tried and let off. It is not quite clear that it rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors, but whatever.

Libby, on the other hand, is accused of making up a story out of the whole cloth about a matter directly relevant to a criminal investigation, and repeatedly telling that story to a prosecutor. Further, his lies have hampered the investigation.

So even if you look at the underlying charge as the same, the circumstances are a world apart.

But I think the most significant thing about this Woodward revelation is that it puts to rest any idea that this was a lone wolf thing in the White House. We now have 3-4 WH officials telling at least 4 or 5 journalists that Plame was CIA. This was not an offhand thing: this was done on purpose. Also, the fact that Woodward's knowledge has just come to light makes it quite possible that there is someone else in the WH that perjured himself, in addition to Libby (and that someone is not Rove, who may yet be charged with perjury).

The real significance here seems to be that it hints at a pretty broad, illegal conspiracy in the WH to cover up their actions.
posted by teece at 2:53 PM on November 16, 2005

Carl Bernstein:

"“This investigation has cast a constant searchlight that the White House can’t turn off the way it has succeeded in turning off the press. So their methodology and their dishonesty and their disingenuousness -- particularly about how we went to war -- as well as their willingness to attack and rough up people who don’t agree with them are now there for all to see. They can’t turn off this searchlight, which is shining on a group of thugs that makes the Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Ziegler press shop look like a small-time operation.”

posted by ericb at 3:03 PM on November 16, 2005

The real significance here seems to be that it hints at a pretty broad, illegal conspiracy in the WH to cover up their actions.

Growing signs of a criminal conspiracy over PlameGate at the White House
posted by ericb at 3:04 PM on November 16, 2005

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley was Woodward's source, attorneys say.
posted by ericb at 3:09 PM on November 16, 2005

"Woodward sounds as if he has come a long way from those shoe-leather days [of Watergate] — and maybe on a path that does not become him. He sounds, I think, like those detractors in 1972, as they pooh-poohed the scandal that unraveled the Nixon presidency — the scandal that Woodward and Bernstein doggedly uncovered." [Sydney H. Schanberg | November 15, 2005]
posted by ericb at 3:13 PM on November 16, 2005

if Bush pardons him, it'll be the nail in his coffin--a vast majority of Americans think this was a big deal--

Why do you think Libby is pleading innocent, and has waived his right to a speedy trial? The pardon won't be necessary until after the 2006 elections, maybe even the 2008.

But besides that, what evidence do you have that he cares at all? Is there some past behavior that I'm forgetting, that would lead you to believe he does?
posted by Aknaton at 3:14 PM on November 16, 2005

Intriguingly, Lechliter also concludes that Fitzgerald could, if he chose to, recommend administrative disciplinary measures against those officials, even if they have not done anything clearly illegal. Such recommended measures, he says, might include firing such officials or revoking their security clearances.
posted by Aknaton at 3:16 PM on November 16, 2005

Smears, Lies and Videotape: A Leak Scandal Documentary (Quicktime) -- streaming video documentary by Think Progress using "footage pulled directly from the White House, recent TV news clips and other archival video to explain exactly what happened and why it’s important. Most of the story is told by administration officials themselves."
posted by ericb at 3:18 PM on November 16, 2005

if Bush pardons him, it'll be the nail in his coffin--a vast majority of Americans think this was a big deal--
I know there's something about this that bothers me, and I think what it is is that I'm not one of them. I hope that doesn't mean I've just used up all my hope in any of the other blunders that could have caused a massive downfall.

I didn't get the joke.
posted by hoborg at 7:09 PM on November 16, 2005

So I'm dying of flu this past few days, and I'm listening to Puzo's The Godfather, mostly because I've seen the movie and read the book (yes, in that order, I have no class), and so it's familiar enough that I can pass in and out of sleep and not lose track of the story.

And aaanyways, it starts to seem to me more and more that, geez, what if someone did what The Don did, only in political circles. We know this sort of monopoly evil has happened in real life: the Hell's Angels, the Teamsters, the Mob, the Mafia, the HMO... oh, I've said too much.

Anyway, same thing can happen in government as happened elsewhere in our societal power structures.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:06 PM on November 16, 2005

Meanwhile, back at the WH: Sixteen former CIA and military intelligence officials on Tuesday urged President Bush to suspend his top political adviser Karl Rove's security clearance following revelations that he played a role in outing CIA officer Valerie Plame.
"We are asking that you immediately suspend the clearances of all White House personnel who spoke to reporters about (Plame's) affiliation with the CIA. They have mishandled classified information and no longer deserve the level of trust required to have access to this nation's secrets," the former officials, some of whom were covert operatives, wrote Bush. ...
posted by amberglow at 7:47 AM on November 17, 2005

this is good--digby--All The Presidents Stooges
posted by amberglow at 8:28 AM on November 17, 2005

I'm wondering if the President's security clearances should be suspended as well.

Yes, I know, he wouldn't then be able to do his job.

Guess he'd have to resign.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:52 AM on November 17, 2005

'Washington Post' Ombudsman: Woodward Saga Inspired Negative Reader Response
posted by ericb at 1:22 PM on November 17, 2005

'Washington Post' urged to probe Woodward's role in CIA case
posted by ericb at 2:36 PM on November 17, 2005

Woodward in Jan. 05 on the Plame thing and sources: ...Bob Woodward, perhaps the preeminent investigative reporter of his time, believes in supporting journalists who are protecting sources. Yet he sees the use of confidentiality in this case — to hide the sources who identified Valerie Plame — as a weak reed to lean on. “I use confidential sources more than most anyone,” Woodward concedes, “but it has to be worth the risk involved. I don’t think outing Plame was worth the risk.” ...

And meanwhile, why hasn't he revealed his source if it's not worth the risk?
posted by amberglow at 5:09 PM on November 17, 2005

Looks like the fat lady won't be singing for awhile --

New Grand Jury to Probe CIA Leak: Prosecutor's move opens door to additional charges in Plame case.
posted by ericb at 11:21 AM on November 18, 2005

Bad Reporter has a great theory you'll have to click to find out about.
posted by Aknaton at 5:45 PM on November 18, 2005

That'd be a comic, folks. The gag of the Gannon/Deep Throat variety. Might make you smile.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:34 PM on November 18, 2005