WEST POINT RALLIES AGANST WILSON
By John Batchelor Posted in User Blogs — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
WEST POINT RALLIES AGAINST WILSON.
Lt. General Tom McInerney, USAF (ret), West Point '59, will join his colleague Maj. General Paul Vallely, USA (ret), West Point '61, on my show Monday 7 November (1005 pm Eastern Time on ABC Radio Network) to repeat and expand upon Vallely's memory that Joe Wilson more than once in 2002 in the green room at Fox New Channel in Washington D.C. boasted about his wife the "CIA desk officer." McInerney has the same memory and more, since both he and Vallely were on FNC between 150 and 200 times in 2002 each.
You will recall that Vallely received a threatening e-mail from Wilson's attorney Christopher Wolf on Saturday 5 November, demanding Vallely retract his remarks on my show Thursday November 3, and to WorldNetDaly.com on Friday November 4. Vallely has not such intention.
Included in the threatening e-mail was an attached e-mail from Wilson himself, calling Vallely's remarks "slanderous."
Also, I have written my regular correspondent Victor Davis Hanson to ask after his reported memories of Wilson boasting to him in a green room meeting that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.
Joseph Farah, editor of WorldNetDaily will join us, since Farah's website has covered this tale closely since last week, and has received the same sort of threatening e-mail from Wilson's attorney Wolf to retract published remarks by Vallely about the incidents.
The tale grows incrementally and steadily, like history. Questions for those concerned: Did Russert of NBC, or Cooper of Time Warner, or Miller of NYT ever have a similar conversation with Wilson in a green room, or know someone who did? Did Fitzgerald's lengthy investigation ever concern itself with green room conversations, contacting such as Vallely and McInerney and Hanson?
More: what or who at the CIA decided to refer the revelation of Plame to the DOJ for investigation in 2003, after the publication of Plame's employment by Novak, yet never moved to investigate the green room incidents such as Vallely, McInerney in 2002? Did the CIA know of the 2002 green room incidents? Was this not a concern in choosing Wilson to travel to Niger and report on Niger to the NYT and other publications, and to write of the trip in 2003? Does the CIA know if Wilson continued to boast of his wife's employment in 2003 up to and after her identity was revealed by Novak?
In brief, why did Fitzgerald not investigate Wilson for the same concerns he investigated Libby and Rove and others?
Time for Fitzgerald to start again? New grand jury? Put Wilson under oath along with Vallely and McInerney and all others who remember Wilson's boasting of his wife as a "CIA desk officer" prior to Novak's publication?
For now: Monday November 7, 1005 pm Eastern Time, West Point rallies against Joe Wilson. Who is more credible, two decorated combat heroes with a combined five stars and nearly one hundred years living with their oath to defend the Constitution - or Joe Wilson?
Was this reported to the FBI?
If it was, why is it not part of the record.
Gen Paul Vallely has come forward and claimed Joe Wilson was talking about his CIA wife in the Fox News Green Room - a charge Wilson is denying with threat of legal action.
"This is slanderous," Wilson wrote. "I never appeared on tv before at least July 2002 and only saw him maybe twice in the green room at FOX. Well, when was Wilson possibly in the Green Room with Vallely? In reverse chronological order:
January 10th, 2003 (Vallely, Wilson). Wilson was on John Gibson's show this day. Which is why Gibson has similar recollections to General Vallely. Vallely was on Cavuto which airs right before Gibson's show.
November 18, 2002 (Vallely, Wilson). Vallely was scheduled for 1:10, Wilson was to be on after 3:00 PM.
October 1, 2003 (Vallely, Wilson). Wilson was on Fox and Friends in the morning, Vallely on Cavuto. Depending on when Vallely came in to tape his section they could have met up.
September 12, 2002 - they were on the same show at 3:00 PM.
August 20, 2002 (Vallely, Wilson). Wilson was on Greta and Vallely on Cavuto. Depending on when/if things were taped the could have run into each other.
Well, four good opportunities to run into Wilson in the Green Room. BTW, all the guests listed in the same days as these make for potential witnesses. Not to mention all the times Wilson was at Fox and other networks.
to you. I did no research on this it was all AJ's research at Strata-Sphere! I take no credit. Just, glad I could pass on something you were asking about.
with regards to the denial. Is Wilson only denying a Spring 2002 encounter where this conversation might have occurred, or is he denying this particular conversation occurred at all. The snippet posted here only seems to involve a denial of the timeline which could be a parsing denial.
In the WND report General Vallely is emphatic about the timing:
Again, tonight, Vallely repeated his assertions that he met at least three times with Wilson in the Fox green room. He said he is certain it was in the spring of 2002.
and Wilson's denial through his lawyer, in the same report, doesn't have much wiggle room::
As you know, that assertion and the claim that Ambassador Wilson revealed to you or to anyone that his wife worked for the CIA is patently false, and subjects you and anyone publishing your statements to legal liability
Well, it worked. I definitely read your piece after I saw the title. It is a little misleading, however. One of the hallmarks of the American military is its steadfast committment to nonpartisanship. This traces back to the early days of the Union and the Newburgh Conspiracy.
In many ways West Point is the "keeper of the flame," as GEN Schwartzkopf put it. West Point, more than any other place or concept represents all that is great about our military. Not the Pentagon. Not even Annapolis. "West Point" would never speak out one way or the other in a political debate simply because it is far too good for that.
"West Point" speaks to Duty, Honor, and Country. "West Point" speaks to the high road which far too infrequently traveled by all of us. "West Point" speaks to the idea that one's life can be less important than an ideal one holds.
Please be careful how you use these words. Although private institutions and individuals will spend millions of dollars to protect their "brand" (e.g. Tom Cruise, Proctor and Gamble, et al.) West Point and the Army have spent zero dollars and will continue to spend, zero dollars. Some would consider this a shame, but again, West Point is better than that, and one would hope that its "brand name" has been, and will continue to be, far better preserved by those of the Long Grey Line who have passed before it.
in this story which relate to FNC programming and could be checked. Have they been?
That's a lot of appearances. Is McInerny saying that he himself heard Wilson boasting of his wife's role?
In the earlier story, Vallely says he spoke to Wilson in spring 2002, whereas Wilson says he didn't appear on Fox until July. That last statement should be able to be checked.