There is only one logical conclusion that can be drawn from the fact that the Supreme Court has declined to hear Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson's case against Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Richard Armitage. The conclusion is that undercover CIA Agents can now be outed in this country with impunity. Overwhelming evidence points directly to Dick Cheney for initiating the leak of Valerie Plame's name when he became outraged at her husband's article exposing the Bush Administration's false assertions regarding Iraq's nuclear program.This was a clear case of treason committed purely for petty political vengeance. Nobody was ever held accountable for this most un-American of acts. There are many to blame for the lack of accountability in this case. President Bush said he would terminate anyone found responsible for leaking the information, but he never fired anybody connected with the leak (Cheney, Rove, Armitage, Libby). He added insult to injury by pardoning the guy (Libby) who blatantly obstructed the investigation.
Armitage was the primary source because he recklessly blabbed Plame's name to Robert Novak and Bob Woodward. Rove, by multiple accounts, was the confirming source in his conversations with reporters Matt Cooper and Robert Novak. These guys were beyond careless and I don't buy for a second their lame explanations. Her name was floating around out there in the Bush White House because Cheney got the ball rolling after Joe Wilson's article. Even Ari Fleischer (White House Spokesman) and Dan Bartlett (Counselor to the President) were mentioning Plame's name. Fleischer was granted immunity by Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald and admitted revealing Plame's name to David Gregory of NBC News after he heard Bartlett openly reveal that Plame worked for the CIA aboard Air Force One.
Fitzgerald was unwilling to go forward with a case against any of the principles because he claimed that he was obstructed by Libby. But there was a LOT of evidence that this was a politically motivated act of vengeance initiated by Dick Cheney. The final stage of leaking was carried out by the Rove's, Armitages, etc. I think Fitzgerald had a strong case, but decided not to pursue it for reasons I still cannot fully comprehend. Imagine for a second that the Clinton or Obama administrations outed an undercover CIA agent. The Republicans would lose their minds. But due to the Bush Administration, Patrick Fitzgerald, and the Supreme Court we have established a new precedent in the United States: It is now acceptable to out an undercover CIA agent without any consequences whatsoever. It is a sad day for this country and a triumph for future traitors.
