How the media will make Bush* the 'hero' of the Wilson Affair

Some of today's headlines:

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CNN:
Bush: 'I want to know' where leak came from
President Bush said Tuesday that he welcomes a Justice Department investigation into any involvement his administration might have had in revealing the classified identity of a CIA operative. "If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of," Bush said during a fund-raising stop in Chicago.

New York Times:
Justice Dept. Starts Inquiry on Leak of C.I.A. Officer's Identity
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and RICHARD W. STEVENSON
The White House today asked staff members to "preserve all materials that might be relevant" to the investigation.

LATimes:
Justice Dept. Opens Probe on Leak
By Greg Miller, Maura Reynolds, James Gerstenzang
President directs White House staff to cooperate fully with criminal probe into disclosure of official's identity.

BBC:
Bush backs CIA leak probe
President Bush welcomes a formal inquiry into claims White House staff leaked the name of a CIA agent.

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- Notice the trend in reporting? Bush* is becoming the story...but in a positive way and is not being connected to the scandal.

- The professional Bush* spinners and his taxpayer-funded madison avenue public relations experts will make sure the 'wartime president' will come out smelling like a rose. He'll be the image of the 'tough on crime and national security' wartime president that 'does the right thing' by allowing one of his own to fall on their sword for the good of the country (republican party).

- How is this possible? See: Election Fraud 2000. Enron. Halliburton. Harken. Carlyle. Bechtel. National Energy Task Force. Presidential papers. Shadow Government. 9-11. Iraq invasion....

- This ain't 'it' folks. Tighten your belts and brace for the long haul. Don't confuse the media's 'reporting' of this story with a quest to find the truth or accountability in the executive branch.

- Note: this is my OPINION. Others may differ.

I don't know Q, but I think this is different - this is the FIRST TIME there's been a criminal investigation of the Bush WH. Where that will lead, I'm not sure, but a PR campaign ain't gonna make this disappear.

...to his own advantage.

- If there's one thing Bush* and his cronies are good at...it's spinning their way out of trouble.

- The point is that in the next few days the media will make Bush* look like a 'strong leader' anxious to see justice served. (If the truth were known...he probably knew about this all along.)

- It's all about perception management.

The ones I used to see on a regular basis when Bill Clinton was president, and this or that investigation was being launched. This is not good for the Bush WH no matter how you slice it. At worst, it's fatal; at best, it's a major embarrassment going into an election year. That's my opinion.

...that THESE headlines are changing over time...giving Bush* the benefit of doubt. Whereas the Clinton headlines got progressively hateful and spiteful...the Bush* headlines show him as a 'strong leader' trying to get to the bottom of the 'leak'.

My belt is tightened. I see what you see. President Stupid demands answers! BLAHBLAHBLAH.

I am feeling the Fred Sanford routine everytime one of these outrageous things happen, "IT'S THE BIG ONE!"

clutching my heart...last words..."f**k you NYTimes!"

I think this is the final crack in the dam before it gives way. If this issue blows up, the entire staff will be under suspicion and that will fuel the flames on everything else they're involved in. I was watching ABC news tonight and they followed the CIA story with a report on Halliburton and Bechtel's links to Bush and Cheney, and a story on how bad the situation is in Iraq.

Add Bush's inability to get any support from the UN and the economic disaster, and I think this may be it.

may be right on - I really don't want to believe it...
:puke:

all he is is a cheerleader and fundraising prop - he doesn't participate in policy making.

I'd rather see us get the real evil than the figurehead they control. Rove and Cheney are that evil.

Did Bush leak this? doubt it... Too far out of the loop to be concerned with "intelligence".

The thing will therefore have to turn out right.

The creatures that will be turned out are essential to the political operation, which will not function well without them.

This is beyond image; this is real damage.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

That is, indeed, why this one may well be different. This is crippling Rove and, from what was said on Buchanan & Press, possibly also Andy Card and Scooter Libby. If any or all of those three are compromised so that they can't play their normal spin games, this misadministration will be seriously compromised in their ability to spin out the endless PR machine.

Today, Pappy had a chat with Junior and told him in no uncertain terms,

"Karl is going down and he is going down hard. Ten years in a federal prison being some murderer's bitch will be getting off easy, he could easily be charged with treason and face a death penalty.'

'Now Junior, you could actually become the first president in United States history who was ever impeached AND THEN CONVICTED IN THE SENATE if you don't play ball. See son, the spooks are super pissed off at you right now and what Karl did is really a crime against the country. You don't really have a choice in this matter because you could end up in worse shape than KArl if you try to cover it up.'

'Play ball son, and you can sell the ranch and come back the Kennebunkport with dignity. Try to defy me, and the spooks will take you out.'

'I can't take care of this for you like that time with the cocaine, son. It's up to you now. Please, for once in your god damned life, listen to what the fuck your father is telling you."

'I can't take care of this for you like that time with the cocaine, son. It's up to you now. Please, for once in your god damned life, listen to what the fuck your father is telling you."

BUT DAD, I REALLY LOVED DOING COCAINE!!! IT BROKE THE MONOTONY OF THE CONSTANT BINGE DRINKING!

YES, BUT THE CIA WILL FUCKING KILL YOU.

BUT I'M THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF! I'VE GOT A CODPIECE!

*SIGH*

- They KNOW and understand that there MUST be a 'fall guy' in order to put a quick close to all of this. If someone is BLAMED...end of story...and the media can go back to reporting how great this president is for protecting our 'security'.

- The scapegoat will later find that his bank account is much larger or will become a well-paid 'expert' talking head on Fox or MSNBC.

Will have to be the someone the C.I.A. already knows to be responsible, and something real will have to happen to that person.

The difference here is that something that can do real damage on its own has been crossed by these drug-store cowboys.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

the chimp is going to take a big hit with the general public. The general public is pretty stupid, but even they understand that the chimp is supposed to be in charge of the people in his office. He doesn't get away with the Ken Lay excuse. He might not get indicted (no WH tapes will be forthcoming), but the public is not going to let him off the hook.

You don't trust AShcroft to conduct a fair investigation?
}(

...and they won't take it any further than the DOJ. Ashcroft and God will protect him.

If you want to bring down the roof, you have to take out the walls, yes?

bush still has a failing economy, a disasterous fraudulent invasion/occupation, and more scandals in wait that we even suspect, I'm sure.

imho

Can't you just feel it? You can't fool all of the people all of the time. Just about 25 to 30 percent of them. :)

...but I have to disagree with your disagreement.

- Notice how Bush* and his cronies are saying they welcome a DOJ investigation? Keep this in context with the fact that the GOP majority just today killed a Dem amendment demanding an independent investigation. The Bushies will never allow an independent investigation...just as they obstructed any efforts for an independent investigation into 9-11.

- This is a BIG story...but it's no bigger than the 9-11 coverup that involved the death of thousands. Yet...the 9-11 investigation story has all but disappeared.

Surely a dollop of one of his slush funds can be tapped...

Otherwise, there would have been an inquiry when the story first broke...as with Watergate, they all didn't break into the place...they all conspired to cover it up and OBSTRUCT justice.

...of Watergate. Do you really think they'll be able to make such a direct connection to Bush*?

Somebody will have an attack of conscience or SLIP because they are so fucking arrogant and incompetent.

Karl Rove isn't likely to go down alone. It's not his nature. At some point he will be in a "nothing left to lose" position. What would stop him from pulling shrub into this Huge Mess they have created. As you mentioned ... They have known about this for some time and obviously had EVERY intention of
covering it up.

I heard him say, "No, it's not welcome," in between saying "information" instead of "administration" twice and then calling the executive branch the administrative branch. You'd think he talks to the press all the time, as often as he screws up.

Look for the bushies to go after the reporters "in the interest of Nat'l security." Then a couple of low level pubs that no one has ever heard of will lose their jobs and possibly go to jail. This won't get anywhere near bush and most people will have forgotton about it by the time the election rolls around.

keep runnin, george

...An independent investigation with a 'neutral' special prosecutor. (But what are the odds of this happening?)

though Poppy's CIA puppies barking and bawling is an additional factor.

We'll know soon if it is. If no one resigns in the next few days, it's him.

...and his resignation will mean little. Rove will become the target and Bush* will cry and say how 'betrayed' he feels.

- The problem is connecting Bush* to the scandal. Can it be done? It's doubtful given the recent history of successful coverups.

I think that's the title of a book. These people never think they are wrong so I can't see Bush having Rove resign. If someone else doesn't resign in a couple of days, it's all on Rove and in turn, Bush.

How is it going to be good for Bush if one of his senior staff is arrested for leaking the name of a covert CIA Agent as a political revenge?

I defy anyone to argue that ANYTHING good can come of that. Especially when he already had TEN FRIGGIN WEEKS to do something about it.

...when he sacrifices one of his own to the alter of PNAC. He's got bigger fish to fry: preemptive war to prop up the Republican party and nation building.

- I may be wrong...but follow the headlines for the next few days and see what I mean.

will pass Bush* by but the cover up? Yes, he says he wants it investigated but that was said only after it was going to be investigated. Where was this desire in July when the story broke? This stinks like everything else they have done stinks and the stink will stick. (I hope)

...but the public (especially Republicans) have very short memories when it comes to scandals that hurt their own party.

- Bush* will 'cooperate' with a DOJ 'investigation' for obvious reasons: the fix is in.

saying that this broke in July? For anyone who has been paying even the littlest bit of attention this should just be another WTF? about Bush*. I also lived through Reagan, the teflon man, but I don't think he was ever this bad overtly so many times in just a few years. I am basing my hopes on the people. Some I have given up on but I am always surprised by the comments I hear from people I would never expect to even know what is going on.

...many, many Americans really aren't paying attention. They're too busy paying the mortgage and taking care of their families to read past the headlines. The headlines are saying poor George will do his best to 'take care of' this new problem that's 'not his fault'.

- The News Media understand the Headline Culture very well. They realize that most people read the headline and perhaps one or two paragraphs...which is why they always bury the bad news towards the end.

- Ask yourself why the death of 3000 on 9-11 still hasn't been investigated...and then ask why Bush* is apparently going to 'get away' with lies about war and Iraq that would have gotten a Dem president impeached? If these things didn't bring George down...the outting of an agent by one of his staffers will certainly not do it.

CNN:

Bush: I want the truth

President Bush said he welcomes a Justice Department investigation into any involvement his administration might have had in revealing the classified identity of a CIA operative. "If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of," Bush said.

- The CNN headline reads: "Bush: I want the truth". The implication is clear. Bush* has already been exonerated by a media that's never told the truth about HIM.

- In conjunction with the headline spinning...you'll have the right wing talking heads diffusing the situation from the sidelines...blaming Democrats for being partisan and 'hating Bush'.

- This is the same pattern the American media uses each time Bush* brushes against trouble that might harm his corporate presidency*.

Novak unlikely to do time, and vows not to give up source
Chicago Sun Times - 3 hours ago
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak is unlikely to spend time behind bars for printing the name of a CIA employee -- and whoever it was who leaked him the name is also unlikely to do jail time, legal experts predicted.

http://news.google.com/

- Notice how they're easing the reader into the eventuality that no one may be punished for this?

...as it's already dropping in the headlines...being replaced by Ahnuld's 'sure win' in California.

- It's going to be a short news cycle for this one. Bush* is off the hook and it's on to the next story. Ahnuld as gov. should do nicely to put drop this one off the radar.

- Once again...this story is going nowhere fast. It will be gone by next week. Why?

If this story goes nowhere now, if the leakers are not revealved and charged with a crime ("ignorance of the law is no defense"), this will come back and bite Bush's ass ("we want to set a different tone") HARD in 2004.

...and just in case you forgot, it's the CIA. They also have assets on the staff of every major newspaper in the country...do a search on Operation Mockingbird if you think I'm kidding.

No, the CIA is collectively very angry, and that includes anyone that has "retired" from the CIA. This issue will not go away. In addition to revealing the name of a CIA operative, the leak has damaged National Security by compromising a network dedicated to tracking the movements of any items that could be used to build WMDs.

i think NOT....rove knows way too much for bush to even concieve such a thought....but, if i was rove i would stay out of small planes and get a really through physical examination PRONTO....ahem....he may be at high risk of suffering an aneurysm or heart attack

"Mr. President, do you turn to prayer to help you withstand the unfounded attacks by the partisan democrats who hate you irrationally?"

...but I'm sticking with my prediction. This...like so many scandals before it...should have brought the Bushies to their knees.

- But something is missing: a free press, checks and balances and government accountability.

...that the Republicans can GET AWAY with calling Dems 'partisan' and 'Bush* - haters' when they want to see justice done. It's as if they can't remember a thing about their witch hunt against Clinton.....and Gore.