The list of false claims that Chris Matthews and others continue to reinforce is staggering.
Claim #1: Former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV claimed Vice President Cheney sent him to Niger.
Wilson did not claim that the vice president sent him to Niger; rather, Wilson stated that the CIA sent him to Niger to answer the vice president's office's questions regarding the purported Iraq-Niger uranium deal. Claiming that Wilson stated or insinuated that Cheney's office sent him to Niger lends false justification to the argument articulated by defenders of the Bush administration that, in outing Plame, administration officials were merely setting the record straight by disclosing that Plame -- not Cheney -- had authorized the trip.
Claim #2: Wilson was unqualified for his mission to Niger.
But as Media Matters noted, Wilson's qualifications for the Niger mission included diplomatic credentials (he specialized in Africa for the majority of his diplomatic career), as well as past experience investigating sales of Niger uranium in 1999.
Claim #3: Wilson's wife got him the job investigating the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal.
But as Media Matters noted, this assertion is disputed by CIA officials cited in The Washington Post and by unnamed intelligence officials quoted in the press. It is also unsupported by the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee report.
There are other claims which also stick in my craw but these three are the main ones which continue to muddy the waters concerning this treasonous behavior. It is especially damaging when it comes from Chris Matthews who speaks with such certainty and authority. I once adored Mr. Matthews and watched his show religiously. Something changed during the lead up to the 2004 election.
Another point that I have heard to minimize the importance of this case is that everybody knew that Valerie Plame/Wilson was a CIA agent. There is much on CNN to demonstrate that this is totally false. The point is that this is unconscionable and treasonous and it should be approached with absolute seriousness, giving no wiggle room to the individuals that perpetrated it. And any reporter or commentator who helps to provide cover for this should be fired from their jobs and replaced with real reporters
glad you are back...had been trying to figure out what was amiss...about MSNBC...don't worry, they will eventually learn from all of this...if they read the Indictment they would realize that they don't have the details straight and the devil is in the details....
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