A federal judge has just dismissed Valerie Plame Wilson's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration.
Will this be the lead story of this evening's newscasts? Regardless of the answer, the Washington Post reported moments ago (emphasis added throughout):
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said that Cheney and White House aides cannot be held liable for the disclosure of information about Plame in the summer of 2003 while they were trying to rebut criticism of the administration's war efforts levied by her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.
Please hold your applause, as the following will likely be greeted by the press with similar disdain as an unwelcome guest on Christmas Eve:
"The judge said such efforts were certainly part of the officials' scope of normal duties."
Can you imagine Katie, Charlie, or Brian saying those words this evening? Marvelously, there was more:
"The alleged tortious conduct, namely the disclosure of Mrs. Wilson's status as a covert operative, was incidental to the kind of conduct that defendants were employed to perform," Bates wrote in an opinion released this afternoon.
Bates also ruled that the court lacked the power to award damages for public disclosure of private information about Plame. The judge said that was because Plame and Wilson had failed to exhaust other remedies in seeking compensation from appropriate federal agencies for the alleged privacy violations.
Given the media's almost sycophantic devotion to this woman and her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, it will be fascinating to see how this is covered in the next 24 hours.
Stay tuned.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
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Bates dismissed the case
July 19, 2007 - 15:53 ET by JDWBates dismissed the case against others including Libby.
JDW
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
as a tragedy of justice
July 19, 2007 - 16:05 ET by regimeofterrorDon't we already know that this will be a letdown for them and they will either ignore it, report it as a tragedy of justice.
Saddam Hussein and terrorism. The rest of the story...
http://www.regimeoft...
WP ... The Wilsons'
July 19, 2007 - 16:24 ET by JDWWP
... The Wilsons' lawsuit claimed that Cheney, his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, senior White House adviser Karl Rove and former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage violated the couple's privacy and constitutional rights by participating in discussions that led to Plame's identity being publicly revealed. They claimed the leaks to reporters were an effort to retaliate against Wilson.
Plame's identity was disclosed in a syndicated column in July 2003, days after Wilson publicly accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence Wilson gathered on a mission for the CIA...
... Libby was convicted in March of lying to a grand jury and FBI agents investigating the leak, and was sentenced in June to 2 1/2 years in prison. President Bush commuted his sentence earlier this month, eliminating the prison time.
JDW
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
It's Bush's fault!!!! He
July 19, 2007 - 15:53 ET by BEGRUNTIt's Bush's fault!!!! He had the master of manipulation Karl Rove channel himself through the judge. How else could these poor people have had their BS lawsuit tossed?
"If a man does his best, what else is there"?
General George S. Patton Jr.
BEGRUNT... You said a
July 19, 2007 - 15:57 ET by Clear thinkerBEGRUNT...
You said a mouthful. Just last week my wife had a flat tire and I had to go rescue her. When I asked what happened she stated the obvious..."It's Bush's fault".
The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.
Well, afterall, George Bush
July 19, 2007 - 16:31 ET by BinxlyWell, afterall, George Bush is the #2 leading cause of uneven tire wear.
MSM Headline:"Confusion
July 19, 2007 - 15:59 ET by Mica the MagnificentMSM report:
"Confusion over which federal agency to use forces judge to rule against Valerie Plame and Joe (Thurston Howell the Third) Wilson the Fourth. When asked, the judge did not respond to the question if he thought Bush sucked."
Okay, this will cause five
July 19, 2007 - 15:56 ET by Chris NormanOkay, this will cause five gallon's worth of spittle from Chris Matthews. Get out the tarp!
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Hah! It'll be worse than
July 19, 2007 - 16:04 ET by Roger the ShrubberHah! It'll be worse than being in the front row at a Gallagher show!
Oh yeah!
July 19, 2007 - 21:20 ET by dahliatraversOh yeah!
Like I said earlier
July 19, 2007 - 16:00 ET by bigtimerLike I said earlier elsewhere, I can already hear Olbermann screaming conspiracy ect...
Drooling spewing Matthews will be besides himself...along with his side-kick Shyster...er...Shuster
msnbc will be in free fall...CNN not far behind.
Joe Wilson will be all over the place.
I just wonder if they will go all the way to the SC?
Sunday shows may even have this topic on if nothing more important in their leftist eyes presents itself between now and then.
The leftist ink will be just that, of all venues...leftist whining portrayals.
Going to be interesting tonight here indeed politcally speaking that is...lol.
I'm almost wishing the case
July 19, 2007 - 16:32 ET by Del DolemonteI'm almost wishing the case hadn't been tossed. I would have loved to see Joe Wilson squirm and lie under oath on the witness stand!
Don't Hold Your Breath
July 19, 2007 - 17:28 ET by CaringwhiteguyI won't be surprised to see precious little coverage of this event on any of the 3 network news programs and perhaps a few short segments on the cable shows. This news doesn't fit the template and it didn't go the way they had hoped. They really hate eating their own words.
LOL
July 19, 2007 - 16:22 ET by Gary HallWell, that was the best laugh I'd had all week. Usually it's your GW giddies, today it was Mark's post on Dan Rather's b.s., but when I saw the news-alert on screen, I was sorry I hadn't put my steak sandwich down a moment earlier. What a mess. Speaking of steaks - that sure looked like Ruth's Chris work! (;~> gh
If they mention the story,
July 19, 2007 - 16:30 ET by Del DolemonteIf they mention the story, I'm sure they'll mention that the Judge was appointed to his current position in December of 2001. Of course, they'll ignore the fact that he also worked in the Justice Dept. while Bubbah was President.
But they'll also highlight his work as a Deputy Independent Counsel for the Whitewater Investigation from 1995 to 1997; anyone who went after their hero Bubbah can't possible be qualified to be an "objective" Judge.
No wonder this case was
July 19, 2007 - 17:03 ET by jdhawkNo wonder this case was thrown out. The judge asked Plame what the definitiion of covert was. Like at her hearings before Congress, Plame hadn't a clue there and certainly doesn't know now.
What is really bothersome about this whole affair is that we have CIA employees that are so clueless as to not know what should be "Spying 101" definitions and that the CIA would hire such incompetents.
from cnn.com
July 19, 2007 - 17:10 ET by exLibhave a problem doing the links so I'll just say it's on Cnn.com
They emphasized that judge was a Bush nominee.
That Plame WAS covert and That Rove outed her.
That they are planning to take the to the Supremes.
THey also mentioned threw allot of mud around in story, saying the Bush admin was "Unsavory" in it's actions.
How will MSM report
July 19, 2007 - 17:18 ET by mattmHow will MSM report it?
"Good evening, in our top story tonight, staunch republican district court judge John D. Bates (no connection to the Bates Motel) dismissed Valerie Plame's lawsuit against the Bush administration, seeking to rectify the administration's violation of non-disclosure laws in revealing Ms. Plame's identity while she was a covert CIA operative. No word yet as to what further recourse Ms. Plame has at this point. So far, this sordid example of political corruption has only resulted in a minor conviction of Scooter Libby for what amounts to a technicality. The question remains, will Ms. Plame ever get justice? Only time will tell...."
That picture of Valerie
July 19, 2007 - 18:26 ET by Mica the MagnificentThat picture of Valerie Plame looks like a woman, who can be beautiful, is having her 'I'm divorcing you and I want all of what you have so I will look like this' look.
(tremble)
LOL Mica... That is
July 19, 2007 - 18:55 ET by bigtimerLOL Mica...
That is putting it nicely...
I would be banned for what I think that woman and her arrogant demeanor portrays.
One thing about it...her partner in crime is just as equal.
A picture is worth a thousand words...and this is one of them that is for sure.
Yes!
July 19, 2007 - 18:50 ET by sembyYes!
Be prepared. Just when you
July 19, 2007 - 20:12 ET by GregEBe prepared. Just when you think the media will have to make up an excuse, here's info they won't have to make up, but they can use it as an excuse, and will, just as every liberal in America will if confronted with this story in a discussion.
Judge Bates was a Bush appointee in 2001. That settles it. The excuse has been laid before the media on a red carpet. I can hear their collective sign of relief already, that they don't have to make up something right from the start, but instead have this piece of info on which to build their collective whining.
http://www.dcd.uscou...