On Meet The Press, Tim Russert, to his credit, did a very good job of reminding that President Bush and his Administration lied to the American People. In essence, Russert reminded of these facts that
we have discussed often:
Q: Given -- given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?
THE PRESIDENT: That's up to -
Q: And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the facts.
There was nothing ambiguous about the White House lie:
Q: All right. Let me just follow up. You said this morning, "The President knows" that Karl Rove wasn't involved. How does he know that?
MR. McCLELLAN: . . . I said it is simply not true. So, I mean, it's public knowledge. I've said that it's not true. And I have spoken with Karl Rove --. . .
Q . . . I'm not asking what you said, I'm asking if the President has a factual basis for saying -- for your statement that he knows Karl Rove --
MR. McCLELLAN: He's aware of what I've said, that there is simply no truth to that suggestion. And I have spoken with Karl about it.
Frank Rich, a guest on MTP this morning, then made an important point - the White House made its initial denials of involvement in the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent prior to the naming of Patrick Fitzgerald as Special Counsel in December 2003, when the investigation was still being handled by the Ashcroft Justice Department. And indeed, on September 29, 2003, Scott McLellan provided false information:
Asked on 9/29/03 whether he had "any knowledge" of the leak or whether he leaked the name of the CIA agent, Rove answered "no." That same day, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, after having "spoken to Karl," asserted that "it is a ridiculous suggestion" to say Rove was involved in the leak.
So the White House got locked in to its lies when they thought Ashcroft would cover for them. But even after Fitzgerald was named Special Counsel to investigate the leak, the White House continued to lie. And what is disgusting and and contemptible about this is that the Bush Adminstration rightly calculated that the Media would go along with the lies.
The Media is just as much a part of the lies to the American People as is the Bush Administration. And not just Judith Miller.