Go read Digby NOW!!

This is a must read from Digby:

After reading my post about the WHIG group from last night, conservative journalist Robert George wrote in to give me a heads up about a post he wrote earlier (and cross posted on the Huffington Post) about "those two tense weeks in July" on both sides of the atlantic. This was the same period, you'll remember, in which the "sexed up" British dossier came to a head and resulted in the suicide of one of the major players in that saga.

Judy Miller, the Zelig of Iraq lies, was right in the middle of that too.

Read it all: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_10_09_digbysblog_archive.html#112916211604659240

•  I have never

  ..understood the Miller-Kelly "friendship" except she was using him for some info purpose...he was on the opposite end of the WMD issue than Miller was pushing. Very mystifing to me.

  by Cal45 on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 09:04:40 PM PDT

  •  Kelly was a research source for her

    on a book she co-authored: "Germs".

    Also, I understand that Kelly supported the removal of Saddam, but was unhappy with the lies used to support the case for war.

    Kelly was a biological warfare expert.

    Here's a brief bio

    by 2lucky on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 09:30:26 PM PDT

  •  That covert circle of WMD folks seems very,

    very tight. At the nexus of this mid-2003 WMD firestorm, especially when looking at the timeline, we have as principals: Wilson, Plame, Kelly, and Miller.

    The rotten apple is Miller, the journalistic/very public propaganda arm of the WHIG conspiracy, from the beginning and right up to her jail term.  

    Conspiracy. Pervasive. No doubt here.

    by towit on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 10:16:45 PM PDT

•  Hate to get tangential here

  but it begins to shed light on Libby's letter.  I have thought all along that Libby's letter implied that Miller was a link in a conspiracy.  In short, there were a core group ("the roots" in Libby's letter) who conspired (at a place or a meeting called "aspen") to have multiple attacks and tasks ("the clusters of leaves") to make a case for war.  Miller knew about this conspricay and Libby was telling her that the individual "clusters were turning" but she needed to protect the conspiracy or the "roots".  I think that Fitzgerald is probably investigating the conspiracy because I just heard on Obermann that he is looking at the two months prior to the outing.

  by mswsm on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 10:43:32 PM PDT

  •  I agree with you analysis.

    He also limited his references to July 03 only.  Little reminder to Judy that June was off limits.  

    He also repeatedly reminds her of her role: reporter. "Your reporting, and you, are missed."

    I think he was threatening her: talk and you lose your access on Iran, biological weapons, etc.

    by 2lucky on Wed Oct 12, 2005 at 11:10:03 PM PDT

    •  If Miller is legitimate

      then she HATES the Rovians by now. She might still hold neocon beliefs about a likely world war between the West and Islam, but, if she's any kind of legitimate journalis, even a hopelessly biased journalist, and not a paid Rovie operative, that doesn't mean that she wanted to be a tool in a campaign to destroy Joe Wilson by getting his wife.

      There is also no possible way that a legitimate journalist -- even a neocon journalist -- could be happy about getting forged Iraq WMD documents.

      So, who knows, it's possible that the Rovians continue to have some tool they can use to scare Miller. Maybe they're threatening to kill her husband or something awful like that if she causes problems. But, again, if she's even sort of partly legitimate, there's no way that she can now be an emotional Rovie. At this point, she probably is as hostile toward Rove as we are.

      by sclminc on Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 12:02:36 AM PDT

      •  just my 2 cents

        but I think Judy is another one who believes her lies, once they are told.

        by NeuroticBlonde on Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 05:08:41 AM PDT

        •  I think that's a big deal

          What makes Cheney and Rove so, so evil is that they know that they're lying and believe that they have a right to lie because the Leader is all and the people are nothing. They lie to support a shift to a dictatorship.

          If Miller is lying at all, it's because she was a little too friendly with the Rovies and is embarrassed. But, so far, it seems to me that Miller's enemies are blowing up the revelations that have come out so far to make them sound a lot worse than they are. She is, basically, an annoying woman who wrote some stupid WMD articles along with some other articles that were fine.

          by sclminc on Mon Oct 17, 2005 at 01:05:50 AM PDT

•  I think Miller's links to Kelly are under-reported

  I'd like to see some more digging here.

  by nj mom on Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 06:00:10 AM PDT

•  Rendon Corp.

  Shortly after 911, after the decision had been made to go after Iraq, Rendon Group was hired to sell the war. James Bamford quotes the figure "$100,000-a-month from the Pentagon to offer media advice.." in his book "A Pretext for War" (296). He goes on to write: " The Rendon Group's specialty--to gin up the American public's fear over Saddam Hussein. If so, it would have been illegal under U.S. law, which forbids the use of taxpayer money to propagandize the American public" (298).

  This is an important diary that I saved from last night's while reading kos. I don't know yet if it has fallen from the front page, that would be unfortunate. I've recommended this diary and bookmarked it for future referrence. Thanks.

     

  by Donna Z on Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 06:52:09 AM PDT