Valerie Plame On 60 Minutes: "The President Is Not A Man Of His Word"
By Logan Murphy Saturday Oct 20, 2007 9:17pm
Outed CIA covert operative Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband, Joe Wilson, gave an interview to Katie Couric on 60 Minutes. In the first segment, Plame Wilson spoke frankly about being betrayed by this administration, as well as her assessment of the damage done to the nation's security by revealing her identity:
Part One: 
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But the second segment is where Couric goes off the rails and shows her flair for White House talking points. It's almost as if she implies that Plame Wilson should have expected the White House to out her because the work she did touched on the question that sent her husband, Amb. Joseph Wilson, to Niger.
COURIC: You never for a moment thought this could potentially jeopardize my career?
PLAME: It's called ‘living your cover.' This had nothing to do with what I was doing. He was part of the debate.
COURIC: But admit it, it comes awfully close to what you were doing, even covertly. I mean, you were trying to ascertain if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He's writing an article saying ‘it's really not valid, this one assertion.' I mean, can't you see how those two things might collide and in a very dangerous way?
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Couric should be embarassed for her arsenal of GOP talking points disguised as an interview. Seriously, this is a covert agent telling you that national security was compromised and you think this is the kind of question that needed to be asked?
Can you understand how people just were turned off by that whole thing? They felt "Gee, maybe she's enjoying her celebrity a little too much."
She even at one point accused Valerie of being very partisan and Joseph Wilson of still seething... can you believe that hackery? Did it ever cross her mind to ask that of President Bush in her softball interview from Iraq? Of course not.
To the end, the Wilsons held strong to the truth and never backed down, even when the CIA made it difficult for her to publish her own book on the events, Fair Game, eventually redacting 10% of it.
Couric: "Do you think President Bush was in on this?"
Plame: "I don't know about that, but I, like most other Americans saw President Bush say on TV that he would fire anyone from his administration found to be involved in the leak of my name. It turns out, the president is not a man of his word."
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First!
Couric's a lightweight who should have stayed with puff pieces on "Today." And Bush is the biggest liar the White House has ever seen. He and Cheney should be impeached NOW.
Just finished watching the interview on the TiVo. Katie started out pretty well, but when she started talking about Plame's job getting too close to Wilson's article, that was it!
I bet if given the chance, Katie would still argue that Plame was not covert.
As for Plame enjoying her celebrity a little too much, that would only be true if she got a nose and boob job and posed for Playboy, like our friend Paula Jones.
Lynne Cheney and Clarence Thomas got the usual soft-focus, adoring profiles Republicans get from CBS - the bigger the monster, the more adoring the gaze - but that vile pig Couric pounced on Valerie Wilson as though she were running dogfights out of the CIA. I admire Wilson more than ever; I despise Couric even more.
If her book is as boring as her interview, well.....
One good thing: Couric is going down. Nobody will be watching her and CBS is going to be forced to give her the boot. For a while I felt sorry for her, when she was being held to standards not criticized in the work of others. But she has gone out of the way to abandon even a modicum of integrity.
Republican Playbook
Responding to Critics
1. Accuse him/her/them of being "politically motivated."
2. Accuse him/her/them of some ulterior motive such as promoting a new book.
3. Accuse him/her/them of not being credible.
4. Make false statements about him/her/them that tend to diminish reputations.
I watched this on 60 min tonight. The Wilsons handled themselves very well, and at times put Couric in her place.
On a side note, I'd like to know how anyone can call the Repugs "the party of national security" when to cover up their own lies, they are willing to compromise an undercover agent and any of her contacts and sources?
The Repugs are the party of "Cover Your Ass"!
Bill Maher should get her as a guest.Let her speak her mind
mudshark @ 9:
Good idea! I'd like to see her on Bill Moyers' show as well!
Seriously, wtf is wrong with Couric? If my wife was a covert CIA agent and our own government outed her and not one person to this day was held accountable, I'd be still seething too. The entire country should be outraged by this willful and treasonous destruction of an intelligence asset. Novak and any government official involved with leaking to him or any other reporter should be prosecuted and recognized for the traitorous SOB's they are. I mean I thought 9/11 changed everything. When is it ever ok to out an intelligence asset? I keep forgetting it's IOKIYAR. Yet, repugs are supposed to be stronger on national security issues. The GOP is nothing but a party of thugs, closet cases, hypocrites and traitors.
If Cheney & Co. did not know Plame's job in the CIA, and they were considering leaking her name, then it was their f*cking job to find out what damage they were getting ready to do. But they just didn't give a damn. It's as simple as that. To hell with national security and a person's career when something benefits them.
shorter Jack Moss:
I ♥ Treason
odanny @ 5:
"Well" what?
I thought a couple of times Valerie Plame was going to get out of her chair and slap Katie silly. I wish she would have.
news flash for Jack Moss:
The CIA says Valerie was a covert agent.
Her classmates from Quantico, including Larry Johnson, say she was a covert agent.
About the only people who refuse to believe that she was a covert agent are Bush cultists.
Whom should I believe... people who know what they are talking about, or people who will say and do anything to rationalize everything done by Worst President Ever?
Jack Moss @ 13:
What did she lie about?
r€nato @ 14:
That about sums it up
13 Jack Moss Says:
A judge dismissed her suit and she lied to in her congressional testimony.
Could you explain what the hell this means?
[deleted - you're itching for a flame war and it stops here.]
Couric is a totally owned "asset" of "CORPRATE "MERIKA" and knows only too well what would happen to her "career" if she did not sling all the mud possible in defense of HER "DEAR LEADER" which would be about the same if she were Korean and shamed their DICTATOR!
Just follow the money, folks! Katie is one of the better paid "hos" in TV.....
Just another corporate media whore outrage.
It is an everyday occurrence now.
My God, let's blame the victim, Ms. Katie Couric. I'd hate to see you interview a rape victim.
The judge dismissed her lawsuit because he was a bushbot.
WC @ 14:
Well, I probably wont read it. Instead I'll opt for "Bush At War" or this one instead
Good assesment Valerie but this has to be the understatement of the century
"It turns out, the president is not a man of his word.”
Worst. President. Ever. What will the Democrats do when history asks why wasn't Bush impeached and removed for his crimes (he is a criminal).
Couric: "But admit it, this comes awfully close to what you were doing - even covertly; I mean you were trying to ascertain whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he's writing an article saying it's really not valid, this one assertion. I mean, can't you see how those two things might collide in a very dangerous way?"
This is the imperative form of admit. Confess. Declare that you were wrong. This isn't 60 minutes. This is Room 101, and Couric fancies herself O'Brien, the Inquisitor.
I thought she was meant to be a journalist. I must have been wrong. I'll admit that, to anyone.
I like the fact that she can be outed but can't in any way publicly tell about the damage done to America's intel.
GonzoD @ 8:
Until you're next to them in the men's room.
Oh, and Jack? Hope you like Gitmo, because that's where you right-wing traitors will be going.
Couric is [deleted] What a Tool.
I'm convinced that Katie has been convinced that this is what it means to be "tough" on her interviewees in order to not be attacked for being "liberal." Remember Ann Coulter talking about her as the "Eva Braun" of liberalism? Read the messages on the CBS website, for a real Freeper fest. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/17/60minutes/main3378089.shtml
The other thing, of course, is that Valerie does perfectly well responding to the ridiculous charges.
If you don't like Katie's interview, sign into the comments section and leave some sane remarks to oppose the full freeper onslaught.
By the way, on that URL is also a part of the interview that didn't air: that Valerie Plame was working on making sure that we knew about Iran's program, and (possibly) that had something to do with selling them phony plans that would be a waste of time.
If the outing of Valerie Plame was a serious crime, how come Pat Fitzgerald never indicted the two men everybody in America knows were responsible for her outing; Karl Rove & Dick Cheney? Those two dirtbags were not even subpoenaed or placed under oath.The whole Plame investigation was a sham. Fitzgerald netted a sardine named Scooter; he let the big tunas named Rove & Cheney swim free. The Plame fiasco was one big joke. The gullible American public is the laughingstock.
odanny @ 24:
Mmmm...OK.
Sounds like a fair interview.
Remember the sickening clip of Couric in Michael Moore's Fareheit 911?
"Navy Seals Rock!!"
Jim H @ 30:
Well, they could have bumped Rooney's a** and aired that part of the interview. But that ran the chance of actually showing real journalistic integrity, and, well, golly, we just can't have that.
Don't be silly with your criticisms of Couric. Do you want her to be the equivalent of Hannity interviewing Coulter? It was good to ask the questions that part of the audience is wondering about, and let Plame and Wilson answer, and they did just that and well. Would you rather have a lovefest for them? Maybe Couric should do more of that with other guests, but that's a separate issue.
how low 60 Minutes has sunk without Don Hewitt around. Katie Couric? Exactly what are her qualifications for being on this show alongside legends like Mike Wallace?
Another reason that Katie Couric should be fired and why Andy Rooney cannot stand her.
Ozymandias @ 34:
Yup. But she was doing soft journalism for NBC at the time, a corporation that fired Phil Donahue because of his stated reservations on the reasoning behind the impending war.
I always liked Dan Rather. I still like Dan Rather and watch him on HDNet. And I personally agree with his assessment of CBS when he said hiring Couric was "tarting up and dumbing down" the Evening News.
mrogi @ 31:
I believe Fitz couldn't get Cheney and Rove because Scooter, as Fitz explained it, threw sand in his eyes. Scooter took the fall to save Rove and Cheney. And got his sentence commuted as a thank you kiss from Bush.
Couric probably works for the CIA. She will never be "outed" because she and Cheney see eye to eye.
Katie acted like a dim-wit. She is just another tool for the propaganda machine.
mrogi @ 31:
Ever think of changing your name to mrogi_tool?
nz @ 36:
I remember Katie's interview with the boy Bush. It was all softballs tossed into his lap. She was all goo goo eyed.
Saw the interview tonight and there were several points when I wanted to [deleted - do not advocate violence here.] Especially when she accuses Plame of being partisan. Plame, being both smarter and classier than Couric, handled it with aplomb, simply saying that the treatment she has received from the White House has made her partisan. Very good interview on her part. Couric needs to sent back out to covering 4-H and Garden Clubs. Useless Republican shill.
F Couric and her beltwayitis. Kudos to Plame
Just what we needed, another reason to dislike Couric even more.
What would be a better title for this post?
Airhead Fluff vs The Right Stuff
or
Corporate Twit vs True Grit
This is so freaking mind boggling.
One of your true unsung heroes, down in the trenches risking life and limb gets treated with outright contempt and disbelief.
Kristol, Limbaugh and the other merchants of death are upheld as patriots.
Don't mind that sound, 'twas just my head asploding.
Katie Couric is a is a parody of a serious interviewer.
jr @ 46:
Does she have Beltway tits?
Oh, sorry, i see...
BeaverBoy, dam!
katie is scary looking
Katie doesn't know what covert means. Valerie was a covert agent and how stupid was it to ask about the people overseas that she worked with. Now these people are in danger of being killed as the GOP reporter Katie wants their names on TV. I was so glad when Mr. Wilson bitch slapped Katie as he said she didn't know if Mrs. Libby or Mrs. Rove were covert agents. Now I wondered would Katie question her late husband protecting her and their girls if she were attacked. CBS should fire her or buy out her contract. She is giving 60 minutes a bad name and killing their reputation. It's time for CBS to admit their mistake by hiring Katie and count their loses. Every time she interviews a GOP it's suck up time and with non GOP it's attack and damage as much as possible.
Don't look for future interviews with top officials are more GOP indictments come out. Maybe Katie will interview soon to be indicted Al Gonzales.
Couric should have stuck with Emeril cooking segments on Today.
Even as a network hacks go, she is awful....Just awfull.
Couric’s Plan B:
After failing at CBS, she will write a book about how biased the liberal the media is, then take a job on FOX.
She doesn't have the integrity to clean out Edward R. Murrow's ash tray.
nz @ 36:
I agree that she needn't be Larry King but who came up with those lame, personal, Baba Wawa "Some would say..." crap questions? Heaven help us, Edward Murrow!
old hack @ 51:
You know, there was something evil the way her eyes looked.
Maybe it's her seasonal look...Halloween is right around the corner.
It was amazing how much of a hack Couric was; my eyes were falling out of my skull.
What was even worse was trying to explain in any terms why Dick Cheney outed her to my sheep parents... good god its times like these when I think we're utterly screwed.
Couric sure missed the boat on this one. Fortunately Plame handled everything very well. But the big point here is that Joe Wilson was absolutely correct in writing his NYT editorial and as we've seen, the administration's case for war was shaky ALL ALONG. When the administration's protectors claim that "everybody thought" Sadam had WMD, we can see that there were lots of reasons to be skeptical of that claim...that they never sought solid intelligence on the matter, only evidence that would help them go to war.
A war that is proving to be perhaps the greatest blunder in the history of this country's foreign policy.
nonbeliever (post #11) Says -
I agree.
Not only did they put Plames life in danger but everyone she had talked to overseas and in the US. Everyone she had lunch with etc.
This outing was probably one of the lowerst forms of political dirty tricks I have ever witnessed.
Forget about Nixon. This was a deliberate malacious tactic that put the lives of many people in danger, and destroyed God knows how many man hours of work, and the assets she/they had built up over the years.
Cheney/Rove and everyone else involved in this, including those in the media who made this possible, should be tried for their crimes.
Does anyone think that just maybe the VPlame information is conveniently classified because she really has no credentials?
Anyone want to check out her education "for real" instead of the bio stuff published?
There is more to the Plame / Wilson characters -- possible frauds but the CIA won't expose a
long time loyal secretary. They hit big time with the movies and their Hillary campaign contributions.
That piece of shit, Couric, should be relegated to reporting on high school sports. What a complete tool. This whole idea of having to tell "both sides" is another croc of shit. What if there is only one viable side? The Wilsons were targeted. They didn't "do" anything that would merit being targeted. There is no "other side" here to report. I guess reporting the "other side" means repeating the baseless right wing attacks. I'm surprised they still aren't claiming that VP wasn't really "under cover."
The world is going to hell in a handbasket.
Johnny2Bad @ 53:
I tell you who I'd like to see replace Katie: Lara Logan.
PSmith @ 60:
Tin foil is on sale this week at ACME. You sound like you need a new hat.
Of course, Joe Wilson is still seething. So am I and so should the rest of the country. bush/cheny/rove outed a CIa opperative. That is treason. They should all hang.
you know, I'm not trying to launch a conspiracy theory - I'm really not - just pointing out a coincidence.
the Chief Of Operations for the non-nuclear proliferation wing of the CIA was outed... she claims her entire operation was ruined... and less than 18 months later we hear Iran almost has a nuke built and North Korea successfully launched a missile into the Sea of Japan.
OK, again, what was new here for her book launch? What did this interview tell us about the story?
The 'story she hasn't been able to tell' is exactly the same story her husband has been telling for 3 years.
The story seems to be Couric's questions, and even those were rehashes.
PSmith @ 60:
Wow! That is some STRONG shit you are smoking! Where did you get it?
Kouric: What would you possibly know? It's not like you actually had highly classified experience in the field or anything... I on the other hand know just about pretty much everything.
Sometimes I wish we could create a new state and throw all these mindless people who still support Bush and think with the same degenerate mentality as Couric in there and let them gloat about themselves as they silmultaneously bring about their own destruction. At least they wouldn't be dragging the rest of us down with them. THAT would be a reality TV show I'd like to see.
the dvr went on the fritz tonight with the game before 60 minutes-- i missed this report-- thanks for putting it up!!!
burnt @ 65:
Observed that connection a while ago. No conspiracy though, this is the most honest Administration this counrty has ever had!
BillT @ 64:
can we waterboard them first???
couric shuld go visit a few more markets in Iraq - sans armor and several platoons of soldiers to protect her. Then she can report what it's really like to be in the middle of a civil war, and in a place where the occupied wish only to kill the occupiers (after 5 years).
How many news media types know the difference between a covert and a clandestine CIA agent? How many know CIA policy governing agents with non-official as opposed to official cover? How many idiots like Couric know anything about the shit they report every day?
I think it is time for a campaign to let CBS know how offensive that "interview" was to the American people.
PSmith @ 60:
Movies? campaign contributions?
The big point here is that Joe Wilson was absolutely correct in writing his NYT editorial and as we’ve seen, the administration’s case for war was shaky ALL ALONG. When the administration’s protectors claim that “everybody thought” Sadam had WMD, we can see that there were lots of reasons to be skeptical of that claim…that they never sought solid intelligence on the matter, only evidence that would help them go to war.
All this crap about movies and Vanity Fair and the like are deflections away from the truths Plame and Wilson have stated and away from the administration's dishonesty. This president and his minions are always attacking the messenger to obfuscate the truth of what is going on.
The war is proving to be the greatest blunder in the history of this country’s foreign policy, all based on lies and deception.
Hype-Jersey @ 61:
That, my friend, is corporate journalism at its core. There never are two sides. Only the truth.
And yes, I realize its not easy to get to and never, ever complete but its certainly not practiced by Big Media.
She is posting at the HP:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/valerie-plame-wilson/finally-telling-my-st...
Joe and Val were partisan after the fact, and Karl Rove and Novak were doing what in ID'ind an undercover agent? Couric is brain dead.
Couric, and the rest of the morning media prostitutes need to go back to the morning news and their grande latte enemas..
I cant stand that hollow woman...
They had plenty of time since the libby trial and now that Iran is a target, they can bring up her undercover job to finger Iran. very convient timing by cbs.
Huh ??????
Katie , you empty-headed bim ; when and why in the hell would a COVERT AGENT IN THE CIA , ever have that type of thought in their head ???????
A big part of the reason for so much of the outrage over this , is because it was the whole upper levels of the White House that concocted and executed this insane smear and subsequent outing ; when the hell was any undercover CIA agent's cover blown INTENTIONALLY , and by those in the hierarchy of a presidential administration ???????
This is an unprecedented event of pure and outright treason ; meanwhile , we have Mary Poppins who believes herself to be a 'serious reporter' , asking the most insane questions ever uttered ...........
Something else odd I noticed. When Couric mentioned the initial publication of Plame's name, she said it was published in "a newspaper" instead of in "The Washington Post." That was weird, I thought.
the outing of plame, shut down her operation and opened the door to many coverts being put at risk
wanna know why we are crossing swords with iran right now?? because her operation was shut down
if this isnt a high crime...i dont know what is
and the enitre administration should all be charged with treason
JM @ 75:
Sorry, I couldn't help it! It really has always been about the money.
i want to see her interviewed by bill moyers, the only mainstream journalist with any integrity anymore.
couric and pelosi are evidence that women can be just as bad as men when given a chance. couric talks about him seething, she still seems like a high school bitch to me.
uncle joe mccarthy @ 83:
we're crossing swords with Iran, because - in the words of rumsfeld: "They've got all that oil"
groucho @ 85:
the operative word is journalist. that excludes kc, period!
BaScOmBe @ 84:
Spot on bascombe!
nonbeliever @ 11: