"Cheney ratcheted up the war rhetoric in speeches that week that highlighted a particularly frightening notion, one Cheney had tracked intently in his Pentagon days a decade earlier: charges that Saddam Hussein was seeking nuclear weapons.
" 'Many of us are convinced that Saddam will acquire nuclear weapons fairly soon,' Cheney said Aug. 26, warning of a 'mortal threat' that would enable Hussein to blackmail the United States and seek domination of the Middle East.
"So when former ambassador Joseph Wilson publicly charged in an op-ed article a year later that the White House had 'twisted' intelligence to exaggerate Hussein's nuclear threat, Wilson was taking direct aim at the case for war championed by the vice president himself."
Cheney and the New York Times
On MSNBC's Hardball last night, there was much talk about the New York Times story placing Cheney himself at the heart of the leak investigation.
While no other news organization has been able to confirm the Times story, Washington Post reporter Jim VandeHei told Chris Matthews: "I have no reason to think it's not true. Nobody is waving us off that story today. . . . I haven't heard anybody deny it all, in the vice president's office, the White House, anywhere, that this not true."
CNN legal analyst Jonathan Turley opined: "For the vice president to be the source of this name, it puts him at risk of being an unindicted co- conspirator or even an indictment."
He added: "Libby is so close to the vice president that to indict Libby, it would be hard not to nick the vice president. You can't get a clean shot at Libby without coming a hair's breadth from the vice president.
"They are that close."
Meeting the Press
When Cheney appeared on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert on Sept. 7, 2003 -- three months after his reported conversation with Libby about Wilson and his wife -- the vice president sure made it sound like he didn't know anything at all about the topic.
This clip was replayed a lot yesterday on TV:
Cheney: "I don't know Mr. Wilson. I probably shouldn't judge him. I have no idea who hired him and it never came. . . . "
Russert: "The CIA did."
Cheney: "Who in the CIA, I don't know."
So, was that a lie?
VandeHei and Leonnig write in The Post: "Republicans close to the White House said Cheney was careful to distance himself from Wilson in the interview without lying about what he knew about the diplomat and his wife."
John Roberts reported on the CBS Evening News: "If the vice president made an untruthful statement in public, it may certainly look bad, but it doesn't amount to a crime."
Not Under Oath After All
The New York Times runs a correction: "A front-page article yesterday about the C.I.A. leak investigation misstated the terms under which Vice President Dick Cheney was interviewed last year by the special counsel in the case. He was not under oath."
My understanding is that if Cheney's interview was not under oath, that precludes a perjury charge -- but not necessarily obstruction of justice, making false statements or conspiracy.
The Forged Niger Documents
Wilson was initially dispatched by the CIA to investigate claims that Iraq sought uranium from the African nation of Niger Hamburger, Schmitt and Wallsten write in the Los Angeles Times: "As anticipation swirled in Washington of potential indictments -- and what it would mean for a Bush administration already beset by low approval ratings, the Iraq war and an embattled Supreme Court nomination -- a related controversy was brewing in Italy over how the Niger allegations made their way into the intelligence stream."
Laura Rozen has more in the American Prospect about forged documents and the previously secret meeting in September 2002 between the chief of Italy's military intelligence and then -- Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. At that meeting, the Italian official brought the unfounded claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium "yellowcake" from Niger directly to the White House's attention.
Poll Watch
This from the just-out Gallup Poll:
Question: "As you may know, several members of the Bush administration have been accused of leaking to reporters the identity of a woman working for the CIA. Which of the following statements best describes your view of top Bush administration officials in these matters - some Bush administration officials did something illegal, no Bush administration officials did anything illegal, but some officials did something unethical, or no Bush administration official did anything seriously wrong?"
Answer: 39 percent believe some Bush administration officials did something illegal; 39 percent believe they did something unethical though not illegal; 10 percent believe they did nothing seriously wrong at all; 12 percent have no opinion.
Yes, that means just shy of 80 percent of Americans think something stinks.
Here are the complete results .
Among the other findings: Only 40 percent of those polled would vote for Bush today if he were running for re-election; an all-time high of 50 percent don't think Bush has the personality and leadership qualities a president should have; and 57 percent don't think that Bush agrees with them on the issues that matter the most. The good news for the White House: Bush's job approval rating is up to 42 percent, from an all-time low of 39 percent a week ago.
Briefing Follies
Here's the transcript of yesterday's briefing with press secretary Scott McClellan. There were lots of emotional questions about whether the press corps should trust McClellan -- or Cheney.
Thomas M. DeFrank and Kenneth R. Bazinet write in the New York Daily News:
"Bush spokesman Scott McClellan used carefully parsed language to hint that Karl Rove and Lewis (Scooter) Libby could have misled him when they said they were not involved in outing CIA spy Valerie Plame."
Ken Herman writes for the Cox News Service: "McClellan did, however, defend Cheney in response to a published report that Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, first learned about the CIA officer from Cheney himself.
"When asked whether Cheney is always truthful with the public, McClellan said yes. But when pressed about Cheney's credibility, McClellan called the questions 'ridiculous,' adding, 'The vice president, like the president, is a straightforward, plain-spoken person.' "
Cheney and Torture
Charlie Savage writes in the Boston Globe: "Senator John McCain yesterday warned that a push by the White House to exempt overseas CIA agents from a proposed ban on mistreating prisoners in US custody would exacerbate the problem of detainee abuse by giving interrogators legal authority to torture suspected terrorists. . . . .
"McCain went public with his concerns after published reports yesterday that Vice President Dick Cheney met with him to urge changes to his widely supported proposal to outlaw cruel and degrading treatment of detainees by any US official. Cheney suggested exempting CIA counter-terrorism agents working overseas, but McCain balked."
The Washington Post editorial boardtoday minces no words: "Vice President Cheney is aggressively pursuing an initiative that may be unprecedented for an elected official of the executive branch: He is proposing that Congress legally authorize human rights abuses by Americans . . . .
"The Senate's earlier vote suggests that it will not allow such a betrayal of American values. As for Mr. Cheney: He will be remembered as the vice president who campaigned for torture."
2,000
Deb Riechmann writes for the Associated Press: "President Bush tried Tuesday to begin reviving U.S. support for the war in Iraq and reinvigorating his troubled presidency as the U.S. military death toll topped 2,000."
Here is the text of his speech at Bolling Air Force Base.
Michael A. Fletcher writes for The Washington Post about "a solemn vow from President Bush not to 'rest or tire until the war on terror is won.'
"Bush's voice cracked as he acknowledged those who have died in the war.
" 'Each loss of life is heartbreaking' he said. 'And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom.' "
Bush's speech started off very lightheartedly. "Speaking about decisions, I've got another decision to make, and maybe after the lunch you can help me, and that is what do I get her on the 28th anniversary? (Laughter.)"
At this point, someone in the audience shouts out, "Diamonds!"
The transcript picks up: "Never mind. (Laughter.) "Never mind.
"(Laughter.) Sorry I asked. (Laughter.)"
In fact, the transcript records 14 bouts of laughter during the speech.
And then, as Dana Milbank writes in The Washington Post, Bush ended the day with a party.
"It was, perhaps, not the best possible time for the Republican Party to hold a soiree. . . . .
"And yet, there they were at the gilded Mellon Auditorium last night: the Republican Party's biggest donors, men in tuxedos and women in cocktail dresses, dining on Asian spoon canapes, orange carpaccio and seared mignon of beef, and listening to the soothing tones of a jazz band and a keynote address by President Bush."
Here is the text of Bush's speech.
"The donors greeted Bush warmly, but they struggled to rouse themselves to honor the applause lines. Bush earned only a smattering of applause for his usually reliable call to end 'frivolous lawsuits.' His boast that his economic plan 'is working' garnered no applause. And his mention that 'I've been talking about Social Security' was greeted with dead silence."
Meanwhile, Agence France Presse reports: "Cindy Sheehan, mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq, said she planned to be arrested outside the White House Wednesday to protest US troops presence in Iraq as US military deaths hit 2,000.
"'We've identified the problem and it's not going away. What I think it's going to take now is non-violent, peaceful civil disobedience all over the country,' Sheehan told reporters across the street from the White House."
Economic Talk
Bush speaks to the Economic Club of Washington this afternoon, just two days after nominating Ben S. Bernanke to take over the Federal Reserve Board.
Edmund L. Andrews, David Leonhardt, Eduardo Porter and Louis Uchitelle write in the New York Times: "In settling on Mr. Bernanke, President Bush avoided embroiling himself in another confirmation fight at a time when Republicans and Democrats alike are questioning his nomination of Harriet E. Miers to the Supreme Court. But in doing so, he essentially chose a candidate who would satisfy others - investors on Wall Street, lawmakers in Congress - more than himself or his Republican base."
Caroline Daniel and Christopher Swann write in the Financial Times, citing a former administration economist, that Bernanke's departure for the Federal Reserve also raises questions about a lack of strong and influential economists across the administration.
"Of the new people who have now been finally confirmed at the Treasury, none are trained as economists. There is no one in the White House now, with the exception of the two young CEA nominees who are not yet confirmed, who has a good understanding of economics," their source said.
Avoiding the President?
Michael D. Shear and Robert Barnes write in The Washington Post: "Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore has decided not to attend President Bush's appearance in Norfolk on Friday, saying it is not a campaign-related event and that he has other plans 11 days before the election . . . .
"The decision highlights some concerns among Virginia Republicans, who have watched nervously in recent weeks as Bush's popularity has waned and as scandals involving presidential aides and congressional leaders have dominated news coverage. Although it is unclear how the national political environment affects voters choosing who should lead their state, even small shifts are important in races that are as close as the Virginia contest."
About Those Foiled Plots
John Diamond and Toni Locy write in USA Today: "President Bush's claim on Oct. 6 that U.S. and allied intelligence operatives had foiled 10 al-Qaeda terrorist plots included plans on the group's wish list rather than fully formed attack plots, according to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials."
Here's the fact sheet the White House was pressured to put out after Bush's speech .
Diamond and Locy write: "In at least six of the cases, U.S. or allied forces arrested alleged conspirators who divulged details of operations they had been planning. Those plots involved preliminary ideas about potential attacks, not terrorist operations that were about to be carried out, said a U.S. counterterrorism official and an official familiar with the counterterrorism efforts. They spoke on condition of anonymity because information about the list issued by the White House is classified."
Latest from the Stakeouts
This AP photo from this morning gives Rove a "Prince of Darkness" look. This AP photo of Libby makes him look more like a prime minister.
Here's an AP photo showing Rove, ever the jokester, saluting outside the White House this morning. Here's an AP photo of Libby hobbling to a meeting.
Here's an AFP photo of Fitzgerald arriving at court this morning.
Fashion Statement
Bush appeared briefly yesterday in the Oval Office with Massoud Barzani, the president of the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
Barzani (see this AP photo ) was wearing a traditional Kurdish outfit, including a khaki jacket, a knotted sash at his waist and a red-and-white headdress.
Here's the transcript of the photo op.
"He wore this outfit because it wasn't all that long ago if he had worn this outfit and was captured by Saddam Hussein's thugs, he would have been killed for wearing it," Bush said. "He feels comfortable wearing it here because we're a free land, and he feels comfortable wearing it in his home country because Iraq is free."
Reporters were not allowed to ask questions. CBS News's Bill Plante shouted one out anyway: "What did the vice president know, and when did he know it?" He got no reply.
