Reply #31: Well at least Corn in his article, unlike Isi, ascribes a possible motive [View All]

[Garbo 2004]

for Armitage that is not simply "oops, I'm such a silly gossip, I did it again."

Were Corn and Isikoff spun by Powell's and Armitage's State Dept allies? I think I may have suggested that in my post. I especially love the drama of reconstructed conversations, Armitage in a "panic" calling Powell, almost three months after Novak's first Plame column and shortly after a DOJ investigation was announced. And Armitage confiding in Ford of State's INR. (Ford as I recall is noted as the sender to Grossman on the INR memo dated June 10.) Oh the drama, the "fly on the wall" perspective for the reader, it's almost Woodward-worthy. ;)

(And Powell's certainly not blameless in his role in the selling of the Iraq war. Despite Powell's reported "heroic" tossing of the Niger info out of his UN speech, and the Niger info having been debunked by State long before, I recall Seymour Hersh reported in the New Yorker that Powell and Tenet both peddled the Niger yellowcake and aluminum tube stories in secret briefings to Congress while the IWR was pending in Fall '03. These presentations apparently were effective in securing votes to pass the IWR.)

As I suggested, Armitage and company seem to be getting out the message they want via Corn and Isikoff. And it appears they're pointing the sword at the WH, not falling on it as some have suggested here.