Countering the Talking Points

The Left Coaster has put together a comprehensive database of facts to rebut the Republicans' talking points on Karl Rove. Eriposte examines each RNC talking point and, one by one, debunks them.

Raw Story has an interview with Joseph Wilson. Among other things, Wilson talks about the collateral damage caused by Valerie Plame's C.I.A. status being revealed.

Raw Story: Do we know the extent of the damage outside of your wife and her projects? Do we know the number of casualties including other assets, abroad or other domestic assets?

Wilson: I think that is unverifiable. I don’t have any information on that and I don’t know nor would I know if the CIA has done an after action review. Just as general proposition, you have to assume that every project or program she was ever involved in has been rolled up. Whether there are casualties is something I don’t know.

The other thing you can assume that even if 150 people read the Novak article when it appeared, 148 of them would have been the heads of intelligence sections at embassies here in Washington and by noon that day they would have faxing her name or telexing her name back to their home offices and running checks on her: whether she had ever been in the country, who she may have been in contact with, etc.

Wilson also says, in response to a question, that he got a handwritten note of sympathy after Valerie Plame's outing, from his former employer, George H.W. Bush.

Raw Story: I know that after this occurred you had gotten a kind letter from George H. W. Bush expressing his concern and dismay.

Wilson: I got a long hand-written note.

Raw Story: What were his sentiments?

Wilson: He expressed his outrage at what had happened and his understanding of the seriousness of it.

Raw Story: And it was he, the elder Bush, who said of outing CIA assets, was akin to treason and later the current President used that quote as well.

Wilson: Yes, he said “those who betray the trust by exposing the names of our sources" are "the most insidious of traitors.”

Via TalkLeft.