I don’t know if any of you are following the Scooter Libby trial or what is coming to be known as “Scootergate”, but it’s a fascinating and disturbing look behind the scenes of the many spurious political maneuverings of the Bush administration in selling the Iraq invasion. What is important to know about this complicated trial is that top White House officials tried to blame vice presidential aide “Scooter” Libby for the 2003, leak of a CIA operative’s identity to protect President Bush’s political strategist, Karl Rove. But, also, more importantly, to protect their justification for invading Iraq. How was this cover-up conducted? You will be amazed and shocked at what has gone on behind the scenes.

For some background information, as per a Feb. 5, ‘07 article in The Nation, it was reported that Karl Rove himself leaked the name of the CIA operative in order to squelch criticism of faulty intelligence of Saddam Hussein obtaining uranium from Africa. This criticism was coming from former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. He was sent to Africa to investigate the allegation regarding the uranium connection to Saddam. What he discovered was that it was false and charged the White House with promoting twisted intelligence that exaggerated the Iraqi threat to justify the invasion.

In order to discredit Wilson, Libby and Rove conspired to inform the press that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA and this trip was merely a nepotistic junket and wasn’t a valid investigation. This outed Wilson’s wife, Valerie (Plame) Wilson as a CIA operative. Upon release of this information in the press, the Justice Department started investigating this incident as a possible violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act which prohibits federal officials from revealing information identifying an undercover intelligence officer.

What has been revealed in the past couple of days is that Dick Cheney was also deeply involved. He and Libby gathered information on Wilson and learned that his wife was an officer at the CIA division and she had dispatched Wilson to Niger to check out the claim about Saddam. Karl Rove got involved by confirming her CIA employment for Robert Novak who published the piece that outed Valerie Wilson. Then when this matter came under scrutiny for a possible criminal case, Bush’s administration didn’t want Rove’s involvement exposed because he was seen as a key political strategist for the Republican party’s survival. He was felt to be indispensable. So, Scooter Libby was offered up as the sacrificial lamb. It was Libby’s lies that he got the information from reporters that has him in trouble now.




But Libby has been reported to say, “They’re trying to set me up. They want me to be the sacrificial lamb,” attorney Theodore Wells said, recalling Libby’s end of the conversation. “I will not be sacrificed so Karl Rove can be protected.” Dick Cheney’s note in reaction to Libby’s concern, exposed his involvement. Cheney’s note said… “Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy that was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder.”

So, here we go again…another cover-up. Unfortunately the prosecutors couldn’t build a case against Rove due to the poorly written Intelligence Identities Act. So, Rove barely escaped prosecution. This cover-up which falsely insisted that Rove and Libby were not involved in the leak, was important to the Bush administration at the time because their stonewalling protected those who had been trying to maintain the cover story for the war. And, the administration was also protecting the man who they thought they couldn’t do without. This is just another example of a shameful plot to deceive the Congress and the American people in order to prosecute the war agenda of an American president.

This is just one example of the scandals involving Bush and his war agenda. There is certainly more under the covers than what has been reported in the mainstream media. In an article in Newsweek Politics, regarding a book entitled, Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, in May 2002, President Bush tells his aides he intends to “kick [Saddam Hussein’s] sorry motherf–king ass all over the Mideast.” This was reported in this book written by Michael Isikoff an investigative reporter for Newsweek and David Korn of The Nation. This newly published book details a covert White House operation throughout 2002 and early 2003, that was undertaken to pave the way for war in Iraq. And, this was going on at the same time that the Bush administration was still claiming he had no plans to invade. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know further details of the truth behind the Bush administration’s march to war.

This particular story of Scooter Libby’s trial has so far not elicited an angered response from Congress or the American people. But, I am hoping with the new Democratic oversight that investigations of this and other fabrications of intelligence that got us into this disastrous war, will be revealed to the public. And, maybe this time there will be consequences for the real guilty parties — all the way to the top.