They Never Asked

The Times report said Mr. Libby had taken notes of a conversation he had with Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, after Mr. Cheney had spoken to George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, about newspaper stories quoting an anonymous former diplomat taking issue with the administration’s use of intelligence about Iraq’s effort to acquire nuclear material in Niger.

The notes do not show that Mr. Cheney had learned the name of Mr. Wilson’s wife or her covert status, lawyers involved in the case said. But they do show that Mr. Cheney knew and told Mr. Libby that Mr. Wilson’s wife was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency and may have helped arrange her husband’s trip, they said.

Republicans sympathetic to Mr. Cheney said there was no inconsistency between what the vice president is reported to have told Mr. Libby and what Mr. Cheney said on “Meet the Press.” They said there was nothing in the reported conversation to suggest that the vice president knew Mr. Wilson or knew who had sent him to Africa.

Please. He spoke with Tenet about the newspaper stories. He found out about Wilson and he found out that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA and and “may have helped to arrange her trip.”

But he didn’t know who “sent” him and he never asked. Sure.

He was either lying or he just jumped on the juicy tidbit that girly-man Wilson’s CIA wife sent him on the boondoggle — to which Libby saluted smartly and went out to spread the good word.

I think it’s important to remember something. Even if these guys didn’t have a clue that Plame was undercover — they should have asked. These are people who have the toppermost of the poppermost secret clearances. They have an obligation to check before they start talking about CIA employees to reporters.

In order to smear her husband, these guys behaved in a totally irresponsible manner, no matter whether they knew she was covert or not. If they aren’t fired for being under indictement for a crime, they should be fired for reckless, negligent behavior. They should have been fired a long time ago.

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