Valerie Plame Wilson: No Ordinary Spy

In Her First Interview, Former CIA Officer Speaks To Katie Couric

(CBS)  A week later, Valerie Plame's name and CIA affiliation were printed in a newspaper by conservative columnist Robert Novak. Eighteen years of meticulously crafted cover were gone in an instant.

"I can tell you all the intelligence services in the world that morning were running my name through their databases to see, did anyone by this name come in the country? When? Do we know anything about it? Where did she stay? Who did she see?" Plame Wilson says.

Asked what the ramifications of that would be, Plame Wilson tells Couric, "Well, it's very serious. It puts in danger, if not shuts down, the operations that I had worked on."

"Did you ever hear about anything that happened to anyone with whom you had contact as a result of the leak?" Couric asks.

"Yes I have, that’s all I can say," Plame Wilson asks.

"Is it safe to say people were put in danger?" Couric asks.

"There was a damage report done by the CIA. I never saw it. I certainly didn't reach out to my old assets and ask 'em how they're doing, although I would have liked to," Plame Wilson replies.

"You probably can speculate about the damage though. If you had to write your own damage assessment, knowing what you know, how serious would it be?" Couric asks.

Says Plame Wilson, "It would be serious."

It was so serious, the president promised to fire anyone involved in revealing her identity to the press. "If somebody did leak classified information, I’d like to know it, and we’ll take the appropriate action," President Bush announced.

An investigation was launched. But as it dragged on, the Wilsons hardly kept a low profile, appearing at glamorous public events, political fundraisers for the Democratic party, and in "Vanity Fair" magazine.

"You know, you're a covert CIA agent for X number of years and suddenly, you know, you're in this Greta Garbo pose in your husband's Jaguar," Couric remarks, referring to a photo that ran with the Vanity Fair article.

"It was more trouble than it was worth. And it was, I was not interviewed for the article. I was not identifiable. The damage had already been done," Plame Wilson says.

Asked if she regrets the photo, Plame Wilson says, "You have my answer."

"What about those who think you and Joe have become too partisan?" Couric asks.

"Again, that's how it's how the 'right' has chosen to frame us," Plame Wilson says.

"You have become very partisan though. Would you agree with that?" Couric asks.

"After what we've been through and how I've seen this administration react, not
just on this issue, but on others, yes," Plame Wilson says.

But she says it's with good reason. Eventually the leak of her name was traced all the way back to the vice president's office. One piece of evidence released by a special prosecutor: Dick Cheney's own copy of Joe Wilson's op-ed piece, with handwritten notes asking, "Have they done this sort of thing before?" "Send an ambassador to answer a question?" "… or did his wife send him on a junket?"

The Wilsons believe it was the beginning of a smear campaign.

"Why do you think the administration made such a big deal over who exactly sent your husband to Niger?" Couric asks.

"Because this sets up this erroneous charge of somehow there was nepotism involved. And therefore, if I could be accused of sending him, then what Joe reported on was invalid," says Plame Wilson.

And nepotism was the key charge top administration officials made when they leaked her name to reporters.

[petersemkiw]

Beautiful Valerie Plame Wilson is certainly not your ordinary looking run of the mill spy. She looked great in that picture in the Jaguar...and for months I thought her name was Valerie Flame!

[georgew1956]

i don''t know who done the most wrong. Katie Or George were so use to george *** up that Katie jumped right in there and became president of the fools union.

[ioweign]

Hey walt, she was a desk jockey!!!!

Posted by Xlib at 09:35 AM : Aug 18, 2008

And George was a cheerleader!!!!!

[ioweign]

The CIA had already given up Plame''''s name to Cuba, Russia, et al, 5-10 years back. But of course she can gloss over that. British Intelligence continued to speak of other documents than the Italian forgeries connecting Iraq and Niger, well after Joe Wilson''''s article. Why does she gloss over that? Joe Wilson said, "I was sent by the Vice President", which raised the question of the White House, of "who is this guy"? The White House didn''''t know and literally had to find out, who this guy was, that was using the White House as a front.
Now they want to cry foul because the White House answered the very question Wilson and Plame raised in the Press. That is called being disengenuous. That means, intentionally decietful.

Posted by kesac4650 at 12:16 AM : Aug 18, 2008

Do you have a "source" for your info ??

[ioweign]

hofkurz-Ah, the big vast right wing conspiracy lives in your addled brain. This is a non story, always was, always will be. This chick was a desk jockey who sent her non ambassador hubby to Niger to spread lies. He is and was a nothing as was and is she. You leemings will swallow anything your soros controlled media feeds you. Now, refresh your koolaid cup.

Posted by Xlib at 07:33 AM : Aug 18, 2008

She did not have the pay grade to detail her husband and exactly what kind of job/occupation is a spy suppose to have that would satisfy "you".

[luvny-2009]

Watched it...listened to it.... believed it. Those that elected those criminals in Washington should be ashamed. We have a dictator not a president. This women lost her job over her husbands honestly. They went after his family. That maked me sick, the US has gotten so far out of wack in the last almost 8 years I''m ashamed of it.

[xlib]

Hey walt, she was a desk jockey!!!!

[archiej2]

All kidding (or seriousness) aside, it would be a sure bet that Valerie has to be the most beautiful spy that any country has working on it''s behalf. You gotta believe that just about any male could be persuaded to give away all the goods after spending an evening with this stunning spy.

[xlib]

walt1944-such a hateful, vile post but hey, that''s today''s dem party. If you have any anti psychotic meds, please take them and have your levels checked. You are a sick, vile human being.
And thanks you the supportive words for our wounded military. You, sir, are the reason I left the party.
Sick, just sick.
Hey, are you mcvet with another name???

[walt1944-2009]

All of you neocon Fascist Nazi reight-wing WACKO Republicans out there, take Anthony Scalia''s "advice", ACCEPT IT, GET A LIFE! SHOW US YOUR "PATRIOTISM"!! JOIN THE ARMY! GO TO IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN AND GET SHOT AT FOR REAL!!!

THEN COME BACK HERE (OR MAYBE A PART OF YOU ANYWAY!) AND WE CAN CALL ALL OF YOU "DESK JOCKEYS" TOO!!!!!!!

STAND UP STRAIGHT AND PROUD WITH RIGHT ARM OUT AND SHOUT!!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!!!
sig heil, OLDER CLONE OF GEORGE BUSH, "DRRRRIIILLLLL!" MCCAIN!!!!!

[xlib]

hofkurz-Ah, the big vast right wing conspiracy lives in your addled brain. This is a non story, always was, always will be. This chick was a desk jockey who sent her non ambassador hubby to Niger to spread lies. He is and was a nothing as was and is she. You leemings will swallow anything your soros controlled media feeds you. Now, refresh your koolaid cup.

[xlib]

OK, we have the CIA story, next there will be a Katrina victim story followed by race baiting and class envy.
Still waiting for the real OUTER of this desk jockey. By the way, now she was a spy and not an operative???
Say, the sister of a friend of ours has joined the FBI as an analyst (same as plame for the CIA). If I give her name will I be charged for outing spy??
This is such a non story and cbs should be ashamed.

[juwboy]

wmbrashier:

You lost even more credibility by misspelling "lose".

[wmbrashier]

They loose their "credibility" as I did for misspelling the word.

[wmbrashier]

Why is it when people disagree with thing that they read, they become judgemental and insulting? They loose all their creditability. They show their inability to express themselves.

[sdnavyproud]

I didn''t catch this diddy of journalism when it was first perpetrated upon the public last October, but now that I have truly lost all hope that Ms. Couric will make a significant contribution to resoring integrity to her field. It was totally disgraceful in the obvious desire to assault the Wilson character.

The administration had the responsibility and obligation to filter out partisanship, so that war would turn into a reckless endeavor... and they blew it.

Now a whole ''nother generation will be paying the price and only half the country REALLY cares.

[hofkurz]

All these journalists need lessons in Questions 101. I haven''t seen a good interview on CBS in years.

Guess the puppet master had to cover his tracks to save Shrub.

[dafesq]

Could Katie Couric''s interview of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson possibly been more insipid? She seemed bewildered that they would still be "seething" after their very lives were put into jeopardy by members of the Bush administration. She says she knows that neither Karl Rove nor Scooter Libby''s spouses are CIA agents and implies Plame was fair game. Finally Katie doesn''t respond to Bush''s failure to keep his promise to fire anyone found to be responsible for the leak. Katie may be cute, but a responsible journalist? The first thing a real journalist would do would be to drop "Katie" for something a little more grownup.

[kesac4650]

The CIA had already given up Plame''s name to Cuba, Russia, et al, 5-10 years back. But of course she can gloss over that. British Intelligence continued to speak of other documents than the Italian forgeries connecting Iraq and Niger, well after Joe Wilson''s article. Why does she gloss over that? Joe Wilson said, "I was sent by the Vice President", which raised the question of the White House, of "who is this guy"? The White House didn''t know and literally had to find out, who this guy was, that was using the White House as a front.
Now they want to cry foul because the White House answered the very question Wilson and Plame raised in the Press. That is called being disengenuous. That means, intentionally decietful.

Ditto on Couric! She is an idiot to beleive a c arefully laid out lie from PLAME. Plame knows that she will not be contrdicted by her employer, at least in her lifetime.
She and her husband were out to get Bush by trying to curry favor by suposedly outing a "Bush" lie regarding the attempt by Saadam to accumulate yellow cake. CBS tries to make Mr. Plame important and convincing by referring to him as an ambassador, nothing could be further from the truth! Mr. Plame was given the duties as a temporary replacement for an abscent ambassador, but NEVER given the official title. My understanding is that he talked too much and was concidered to not be "to bright". This is the guy that CBS would have yob elieve is the hero od "yellow" gate. Wake up people, CBS had to throw Rather under the bus because Rather dug his grave too deep! CBS can''t stand another embarassment named Plame. As long as it can''t be proved that Ms Plame was part of the team to embarass Bush, CBS will keep bringing the story up. After all, they stand to make money on the specious book by Ms Plame!