Pirate's Cove

Joe Wilson on Thursday:

Wilson also said "my wife was not a clandestine officer the day that Bob Novak blew her identity."

On Friday, it was "oh, shit, did I f*ck up."

In an interview Friday, Wilson said his comment was meant to reflect that his wife lost her ability to be a covert agent because of the leak, not that she had stopped working for the CIA beforehand.

His wife’s "ability to do the job she’s been doing for close to 20 years ceased from the minute Novak’s article appeared; she ceased being a clandestine officer," he said.

Followed by:

Federal law prohibits government officials from divulging the identity of an undercover intelligence officer. But in order to bring charges, prosecutors must prove the official knew the officer was covert and nonetheless knowingly outed his or her identity.

I supposed that CNN forgot to tell the AP writer that they were going to give all the relevant information on "What Federal Law is at Issue?" (go to this page, click on the link) As a sidebar, if you look at all the articles by AP writers, they all forget to mention the full law involved, as well as saying that Wilson did not lie, which, as we all in the real "reality based community" know, the yellow cake issue was proven to be true. For posterity, here is what CNN says, before the remove it:

What federal law is at issue?
The "Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982" went into effect in June 1982 (Public Law No. 97-200). Today it can be found in Title 50, Sections 421-426 of the United States Code.

What criteria determine violations?
Several criteria must be met before someone can be found in violation of this law:

• The disclosure must reveal the identity of a covert agent.
• The disclosure must be intentional.
• The person disclosing the information must have "authorized access" to classified information.
• The person disclosing the information must be aware that the information disclosed will reveal the identity of the covert agent.
• The person disclosing the information must know that the U.S. government was taking active steps to protect the identity of the covert agent.

What is the definition of a ‘covert agent?’

• A current or retired member of an intelligence agency or of the U.S. Armed Forces or any U.S. citizen assigned to duty with an intelligence agency.
• An agent whose identity is classified. An agent who has served outside the United States within the past five years.
• A non-U.S. citizen whose past or present intelligence relationship to the United States is classified and who is either an agent or source to a U.S. intelligence agency.

As stated before, and by some many of the other right of center pundits, unlike the lefties with their heads up their asses, Plame does not meet the criteria of a covert agent what-so-ever. Case closed. In a week or 2, 3 tops, the Left will move on to some other cause, just like with previous ones. Ohio, Gannon, the DSM, WMD, Bush AOL, yada yada yada.