[ExI] plamegate: the plot thickens

[Richard Loosemore]

spike wrote:
> Ah, so now Plame is claiming that her memo was "taken out of context."
> Hmmm, that is a new one.  Can anyone suggest a context out of which the
> sworn testimony "I did not recommend him. I did not suggest him," would
> agree with the three paragraphs of the memo?  OK I will try some possible
> sentences that would go just previous to Plame's three paragraphs quoted
> below:


Spike,

Not hard to notice the extreme bias in your sarcastic comments, but 
nevertheless, below is a perfectly serious answer to your question.

It was trivially easy to come up with this.

I am sure the same import could be found with various other wordings and 
pieces of missing context, without having to hypthesize an edit of 
Plame's memo itself.


Richard Loosemore.



[Hypothesized extract from the "report" mentioned by Plame:}

"The letter alleging Niger's attempts to purchase uranium, although 
probably a fake, is serious enough that we need someone on the ground to 
nail down as much hard information as possible.  It is not clear who is 
the best person to send, but [redacted] or [redacted] may be able to 
recommend someone with the language and investigative skills to get the 
job done quickly.  Ideally, we need someone with the kind of contacts to 
make good introductions, to smooth the way for whoever does the job."

[Hypothesized original version of the last sentence of the Plame memo 
quoted below, before it was doctored by someone determined to take her 
words out of context:]

"Now, with this report, it is clear that the IC is still wondering what 
is going on. If, as the report implies, we need to find someone who 
could go over there, my husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, may well be 
able to recommend someone, or provide introductions for whoever is 
chosen:  my husband has good relations with both the PM and the former 
minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, both of whom 
could possibly shed light on this sort of activity. To be frank with 
you, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy work last 
go-round, and I am hesitant to suggest anything again. However, [my 
husband] may be in a position to assist with tracking down someone 
reliable enough to do a less embarrassing job than before. Therefore, 
request your thoughts on what, if anything, to pursue here. Thank you 
for your time on this."

[Notice that the original, below, has a lowercase "my" at the beginning 
of sentence 2, possibly indicating an unauthorized edit].




> 1.  Today is oppose day.
> 
> 2.  I know that April Fools Day isn't for several weeks, but this is what I
> intend to write.
> 
> 3.  Please ignore the next three paragraphs.
> 
> 4.  I should not have written the following, but the delete key on my
> computer is busted.
> 
> Or perhaps a sentence after the three paragraphs would provide the proper
> context. 
> 
> 1.  Fake out.
> 
> 2.  The previous three paragraphs are not true.
> 
> Etc.  Any other guesses?
> 
> spike
> 
> 
> ...
>> Plame-Wilson testified under oath, referring to her 
>> husband:"I did not recommend him. I did not suggest him."  
>> Her memo of 12 Feb 2002 is quoted at the end of this post.
> ...
>> Plame's memo changes everything:
>>
>> Iraq-related Nuclear Report Makes a Splash.
>>
>> The report forwarded below has prompted me to send this on to 
>> you and request your comments and opinion. Briefly, it seems 
>> that Niger has signed a contract with Iraq to sell them 
>> uranium. The IC [Intelligence Community] is getting spun up 
>> about this for obvious reasons. The embassy in Niamey has 
>> taken the position that this report can't be true - they have 
>> such cozy relations with the GON [Government of Niger] that 
>> they would know if something like this transpired.
>>
>> So where do I fit in? As you may recall, [redacted] of 
>> CP/[office 2] recently approached my husband to possibly use 
>> his contacts in Niger to investigate [a separate Niger 
>> matter]. After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally 
>> advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison. 
>> My husband is willing to help, if it makes sense, but no 
>> problem if not. End of story.
>>
>> Now, with this report, it is clear that the IC is still 
>> wondering what is going on. my husband has good relations 
>> with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to 
>> mention lots of French contacts, both of whom could possibly 
>> shed light on this sort of activity. To be frank with you, I 
>> was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy work last 
>> go-round, and I am hesitant to suggest anything again. 
>> However, [my husband] may be in a position to assist. 
>> Therefore, request your thoughts on what, if anything, to 
>> pursue here. Thank you for your time on this.
>>
>> (end quote of Plame memo)
>>
>>
>>
>> So now what do you think?
>>
>> spike
> 
> 
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