Nov 18 2005
Did Woodward Come Out For Beers?
Updates at End
Time has the story on the events that brought Woodward forward and his source to Fitzgerald.
In his press conference announcing Libby’s indictment, Fitzgerald noted that, “Mr. Libby was the first official known to have told a reporter when he talked to Judith Miller in June of 2003 about Valerie Wilson.” Woodward realized, given that the indictment stated Libby disclosed the information to New York Times reporter Miller on June 23, that Libby was not the first official to talk about Wilson’s wife to a reporter. Woodward himself had received the information earlier.
According to Woodward, that triggered a call to his source. “I said it was clear to me that the source had told me [about Wilson’s wife] in mid-June,” says Woodward, “and this person could check his or her records and see that it was mid-June. My source said he or she had no alternative but to go to the prosecutor. I said, ‘If you do, am I released?'”, referring to the confidentiality agreement between the two. The source said yes, but only for purposes of discussing it with Fitzgerald, not for publication.
Which is nearly exactly what I guessed it was when I wrote this earlier today:
It appears Woodward’s source had told Woodward he was going to alert Fitzgerald, giving Woodward time to tell Downie before Fitzgerald was brought in. It is also interesting the Woodward was doing a story on the Plame Game – hopefully this story will still come out! And Fitzgerald has himself to blame for Woodward not seeing the import of his discussion with his source. Until Fitzgerald came out with his version of reality (verses the much better and detailed on that exist with bloggers like Tom Maguire), Woodward would not realize his discussion was possibly the first with a government source. I say “possibly†because Fitzgerald never looked into two other government sources: Valerie and Joe Wilson.
And no, I did not see the Time story first! One interesting tidbit:
Asked if this was the first time his source had spoken with Fitzgerald in the investigation, Woodward said “I’m not sure. It’s quite possibly not the first time.”
Well, can’t be someone in the news associated with Fitzgerald’s case. One of our readers (Maid Marion) thinks it’s Randy Beers. Here is a cached copy of a June 16, 2003 article in the Washington Post:
Five days before the war began in Iraq, as President Bush prepared to raise the terrorism threat level to orange, a top White House counterterrorism adviser unlocked the steel door to his office, an intelligence vault secured by an electronic keypad, a combination lock and an alarm. He sat down and turned to his inbox.
“Things were dicey,” said Rand Beers, recalling the stack of classified reports about plots to shoot, bomb, burn and poison Americans. He stared at the color-coded threats for five minutes. Then he called his wife: I’m quitting.
Beers’s resignation surprised Washington, but what he did next was even more astounding. Eight weeks after leaving the Bush White House, he volunteered as national security adviser for Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), a Democratic candidate for president, in a campaign to oust his former boss. All of which points to a question: What does this intelligence insider know?
Hmmm…. Why is this Beers article running at the same time Wilson is letting out his story??
“The administration wasn’t matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They’re making us less secure, not more secure,” said Beers, who until now has remained largely silent about leaving his National Security Council job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism.
The guy is a bit strange, as is the reporter who added this personal note
Beers, a lifelong bureaucrat, unassuming and tight-lipped until now. He is an unlikely insurgent. He served on the NSC under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and the current Bush. The oath of office hangs on the wall by his bed; he tears up when he watches “The West Wing.”
At least Beers didn’t try to pretend he was a Republican like Wilson did:
Although Beers has worked in three Republican administrations, he is a registered Democrat.
In his position at on the NSC Beer probably knew Valerie and Joe Wilson. The intel and state dept world is not very big. And then there is this:
The first thing Beers noticed when he walked into his new office was the pile of intelligence reports. The “threat stuff,” as Beers calls it, was 10 times thicker than it had been before the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings.
Which means he worked with Richard Clarke and Sandy Berger at one time. Yep, reading a little further that is confirmed big time:
Clarke, his old counterterrorism pal, took one look at the haggard man on his stoop and opened a bottle of Russian River Pinot Noir. Then he opened another bottle. Clarke toasted Beers, saying: You can still fight the fight.
The comment is on this post (yes, we are looking into permalinks to comments) and refers to Rand Beers -which if I had remembered correctly would have helped me miss the above article in the Post. So we have two Kerry people out in the news that month: Wilson and Beers. And Beers was in Vietnam – of course.
UPDATE:
Reader Mary Mapes, in the comments, reminds is Rand Beers not only worked with Wilson on the Kerry campaign – he too knew of Valerie’s CIA job (and more) – Jackpot! And from a source we linked to before regarding all the people who knew about Valerie!
Kerry’s advisers acknowledged yesterday that Wilson, who has also donated $2,000 to Kerry this year, told them about his allegations against the White House involving his wife before going public with them this summer. But Rand Beers, Kerry’s top adviser on foreign affairs, said the campaign has not played a role in coordinating Wilson’s charges.
That’s a two-fer!
Plus, as I predicted, Sandy Berger knew Beers too:
Berger, the former Clinton national security adviser, said one key to Beers’ success is that he doesn’t mind sharing credit.
“Randy’s someone who is high value, low maintenance,” said Berger. “I’ve discovered in Washington that when you’re prepared to give other people the credit, you can get an awful lot done.”
And this shocker, where Beers is involved with China money scandals and Clinton-Gore. This comes from a Washington Times review of Louis Freeh’s Book, ‘My FBI’
Worse was to come. In November 1997, Mr. Freeh sent Attorney General Janet Reno a 27-page memo about allegations of illicit fund-raising during the 1996 campaign. Much “soft money” came into the Clinton-Gore camp “from alarming sources, including the People’s Republic of China.” Miss Reno refused Mr. Freeh’s recommendation that an independent counsel run the case.
Then the president made a mistake. In an offhand remark to the press, he claimed that had the FBI briefed the White House, he would have ensured that there was no “undue influence” involved. But as Mr. Freeh writes, two FBI agents had briefed Rand Beers, a senior National Security Council staff member. To Mr. Freeh, it was “inconceivable” that such explosive material would not have reached the president. He writes, “It’s not in my character to lose my temper.” So he vented his anger by helping to “draft a press statement that said, in effect, the White House was lying.”
Wild. Anyway, Rand Beers is the kind of witness Fitzgerald might treat as a whistle blower. And he might be the source for more than Woodward (if he is the source of course). I do not see how will know for sure unless someone, ….yep, leaks.
UPDATE II:
Check out the people on this leftwing propoganda hit piece! Lots and lots of familiar names joined forces. Can we call it a vast leftwing conspiracy yet?
AJ
Just in case this passed through too…Beers pretty in the know of Wilson’ AND the Niger tip BEFORE anyone else (MAY)
“…Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who said a Bush aide disclosed that his wife is a CIA operative in retaliation for his criticism of the Iraq war, has worked since May (03) as an unpaid adviser to Senator John F. Kerry, offering foreign policy advice and speechwriting tips to the Democratic presidential candidate from Massachusetts…
…Kerry’s advisers acknowledged yesterday that Wilson, who has also donated $2,000 to Kerry this year, told them about his allegations against the White House involving his wife before going public with them this summer. But Rand Beers, Kerry’s top adviser on foreign affairs, said the campaign has not played a role in coordinating Wilson’s charges…
…Kerry spokeswoman Kelley Benander said yesterday that Wilson’s campaign portfolio includes such issues as Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, the Liberian conflict, and Africa. Beers said Wilson communicates with campaign advisers at least once a week. He is one of about 35 people contributing ideas to the campaign, Benander said…”
Beers was an interesting selection for NSC adviser on terrorism. His previous experience was almost entirely in illegal narcotics trafficking.
AJ/Mary Mapes,
And just to reiterate…Wilson himself tells us in the Vanity Fair article that he attended the Democrat Policy Committee conference which was held sometime between May 1-5. It was at this conference that he met Kristof. A day or two later Wilson, and I believe his wife, had breakfast with Kristof, and from the info he derived from this breakfast chat Kristof wrote his May 6, 2003 article…
Okay, but then isn’t Wilson completely insane for demanding an investigation into Woodward if it jepordizes Beers?
Or is that a stupid question?
Elephant
Unless Wilson doesn’t know that Beers outed them. I suspect Beers would be keeping this quiet. Wilson is becoming more and more extreme and paranoid (this is just before the Woodward bombshell)
““Bob Novak, in my judgment, is a pawn in someone’s else game. He’s a tool…a despicable tool, you can be sure. It’s not likely he will break bread in my house. I think the chances are pretty good, almost certain, that the reason Novak doesn’t figure prominently in the indictment [of Cheney chief of staff “Scooter,†since resigned]… is that when he was sitting across the table from [Special Counsel] Pat Fitzgerald in that first interview, he probably sang like a canary. He told Fitzgerald everything he wanted to hear. Because if he had exerted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination…his testimony could have been compelled in exchange for immunity. Had he suggested that he, too, had a First Amendment Right to protect his source…chances are that he would have been in that litigation as well. It is generally believed that he…’wilted’ at his first contact with Pat Fitzgerald.”
“He was also incensed about what he labeled an “egregious†attack on his family by [Rep.] Peter T. King, a congressman from Long Island, NY. He said that King, “in his blind ambition to be named the next chair of the [House] Homeland Security Committee, had stepped out to say of my wife, ‘She got what she deserved!’â€
These guys are ‘Brownshirts’! This is essentially what we are talking about here. We are talking about a small group of people who masquerade as Republicans, but are not Republicans at all. They are radicals…â€
http://baltimorechronicle.com/ 20…605Hughes.shtml
Good catch Mapes, it seems Rand Beers did now!
AE,
Well, Beers may have had second thoughts. As the Boston article illustrates Beers is trying to distance himself from Wilson. Beers seems like too much a straight shooter to go in for the Wilson Gambit of lies and half truths. He is not VIPS material. He just bought into the doom and gloom about Iraq.
It does make it difficult for any theory were outing Valerie was planned. But then again, outing Valerie was latched onto by the press – not Wilson. It may have been Wilson blew it when he gave the press the diversionary story on his wife being harmed. That angle took over the intended message.
Maybe Wilson wants Beers in Fitzgerald’s cross-hairs to keep him of Wilson’s back?
Great question though.
These guys are ‘Brownshirts’! This is essentially what we are talking about here. We are talking about a small group of people who masquerade as Republicans, but are not Republicans at all. They are radicals…â€
Here’s a good example of one of those “Brownshirts” masquerading as a Republican. When I read this transcript, I almost fell off my chair in laughter.
Larry Johnson formerly of CIA on CIA-White House intelligence controversy CNBC News Transcripts July 11, 2003 Friday
CNBC News Transcripts
SHOW: The News with Brian Williams (7:00 PM ET) – CNBC
July 11, 2003 Friday
LENGTH: 1063 words
HEADLINE: Larry Johnson formerly of CIA on CIA-White House intelligence controversy
ANCHORS: LIZ CLAMAN
BODY:
LIZ CLAMAN, co-anchor:
We want to get more on this late-breaking development about George Tenet, the director of the CIA taking the blame. We’re joined by former CIA officer and State Department counterterrorism expert Larry Johnson. He’s joining us from Washington. Good to see you, Mr. Johnson.
Mr. LARRY JOHNSON (Former CIA Officer): Hi, Liz.
CLAMAN: Well, up until about 6 PM Eastern time the finger pointing really seemed to be escalating with high-level people like Condoleezza Rice pointing the finger at the CIA and George Tenet, but then all of a sudden George Tenet takes the blame late this evening. What do you make of all of this?
Mr. JOHNSON: Well, George Tenet took nuance blame. When you read it, it almost looks like a lawyer went through it to say, well, we accepted something that was technically correct, but should have been wrong. I mean, I think this means George Tenet loses his job. But what this ignores is that there were political operatives at the White House at senior levels that knew this information was wrong. Just to pass this off as if it was somehow misleading from CIA is wrong. We know that as early as April of 2002 somebody in Vice President Cheney’s office was briefed on this information, because Joe Wilson who did the study in Niger came back, submitted the information to the CIA operations side and that information was passed down to the White House. So this is a little bit, you know, they’re playing games here to try to make Tenet just the scapegoat.
CLAMAN: Larry, do you think that Vice President Dick Cheney knew that the uranium reference was just not valid?
Mr. JOHNSON: Yes, I do. I–I think he wanted to believe it was true, and he wanted to discount the information that was coming back from Ambassador Wilson. But at the end of the day, this highlights the problem that was in the administration’s case for war against Iraq. Instead of going with the legitimate, solid intelligence, the threat was hyped. And the hyping of the threat and the information was something that I was hearing from former colleagues that was just disgusting them instead of going with what the intelligence said, it was portraying it as an immediate, imminent threat. And now the roosters are coming home to roost.
CLAMAN: Yeah, we should–we should let people know how this would have ever worked, how–how unrealistic and unlikely it would have been that Saddam could get his hands on this uranium, because as I understand it, maybe you can clarify this, there are one or two uranium plants in Niger, and they are run by sort of a consortium of Japan, some other countries, you know, Spain is in there. This is not something where you just walk in and try and deal with some–some rogue element of African leaders.
Mr. JOHNSON: No, you’re absolutely right. You don’t pass somebody, you know, 10,000, $50,000 under the table…
CLAMAN: Right, right, right.
Mr. JOHNSON: …and they give you a bag to carry back to Iraq.
CLAMAN: So then how did it get this far, to the point where it was in an October 7th speech for the president and then George Tenet told Mr. Hadley of the State Department to get it out, but it still remained in there for the State of the Union?
Mr. JOHNSON: Well, If you go back and look at some of the earliest documents that emerged after 9/11, and Bob Woodward has a book that details this, there was a decision made over at the Pentagon by people like Paul Wolfowitz and Don Rumsfeld that they thought that this made the case for taking the war to Iraq. That had nothing to do with the war on terrorism, but in their mind they thought if you took out Saddam, you would eliminate the terrorist threat. And so there was a steady drum beat of building up information. And yet when they tried to run this one to ground on the Niger information, they found out that, in fact, it was not reliable. And instead of accepting the fact that it was not reliable, it was allowed to be kept in there and to the point of having it technically correct that the British believe, but, you know, they themselves knew in their heart of hearts that this was not reliable information.
CLAMAN: Let’s bring it back to George Tenet, the CIA director. Bring us through the process. What have the past 24 hours been like for him?
Mr. JOHNSON: He is not having a good day or a good week. And, you know, he’s been–part of the problem in being the director, when you are dealing with these hot political issues, is if you go and make the honest call, you are going to make the people downtown unhappy. George Tenet is not the first director who is faced with pressures from the White House that asked you to be a team player. It’s happened under Democrats, it’s happened under Republicans. So he’s now got to try to find a way to slice the onion. But at the end of the day, I think he’s going to have to resign. He’s–he’s going to be the sacrificial lamb and the Republicans are going to hope that this goes away.
But I–and again, I speak–I speak of this as a registered Republican: What has happened here is egregious. It is wrong. And it has been an abuse of the intelligence process. And for some Republicans to go out and claim that this was just a throw-away line in a speech or one line in a speech, we’re not talking about whether Saddam Hussein had acne, we’re talking about whether Saddam Hussein had uranium to build nuclear weapons. Big difference.
CLAMAN: Hmm. Mr. Johnson, we appreciate you clarifying some of these very emotional points that I’m sure will be vetted out in the next coming hours and days. Thanks so much.
Mr. JOHNSON: Thanks, Liz.
CLAMAN: Larry Johnson, former CIA officer and State Department counterterrorism expert.
This is the same Larry Johnson who threatened a blogger on Free Republic.
From an email Larry Johnson sent to a Free Republic Blogger.
Quote:
‘Hey you coward. You want to try to put a noose around our necks? We tell the truth and you threaten violence? Send your address and we will be happy to visit. You should be aware that one of our group helped track down and kill Pablo Escobar and other middle eastern terrorists. How dare you challenge our patriotism? We will be happy to meet you anytime, anywhere. Name the place.’
You can read the entire exchange on Free Republic. Being the bright Freepers they are, it was quickly verified that lcjohnso@ix.netcom.com is indeed Johnson’s email address, as listed in the Administrative Contact for the website registration of his company, Berg Associates.
SBD
AJ
Lucky Bogey has a very intriguing commnet on you previous Woodward post (I thought)
More Rand Beers
This one reminded me of your post of Joe’s Epic speech, where you theorized Joe was gunning for an appointment
“Other key appointments would most likely be filled by the advisers who have surrounded Kerry since he launched his bid for the nomination. Rand Beers is often touted as a Democratic successor to Condoleezza Rice;”
Keyword Search
And GUESS what Appointment he was gunning for!!!!
United Nations Ambassador: Joe Wilson (?-DC)
A once-Republican renegade of Valerie Plame notoriety who has endorsed John Kerry and has the right qualifications. He is featured near the top of Kerry’s list of endorsers on his campaign website.
Link
AND BINGO
“Dan Feldman, who was tasked early this year with assembling a foreign policy team for Kerry.”
Who is Dan Feldman?
“John Kerry’s team consists of: Dan Feldman – member of the National Security Council under Clinton, William Perry – secretary of defense under Clinton, and Joe Wilson – member of the National Security Council under Clinton, among others.
Sorry for so many post AJ
Wilson recently revised a previous statement…he said when he first heard the State of the Union speech he contaced a FRIEND at the STATE DEPARTMENT and DEMOCRAT SENATORS
I just realized at that time RAND BEERS was still at State.
Elephant,
See my post over in the thread “Plaming Woodward”.
While I think Beers was probably Woodward’s source in question here, the more relevant nugget to focus upon is that Beers was most likely Seymour Hersh’s source too…
Woodward is a distraction in the micro sense (i.e., it only helps as pertains to Libby’s legal jeopardy). The light really should be shining on Hersh…and getting to the bottom of the question of who his “former senior-level CIA official” was who told him that disgruntled CIA retirees forged the Niger documents…
Maid Marion
This senior CIA official…do you view as friendly to the Admin?
Otherwise do you think Admiral Stansfield Turner, former director of the CIA could be the source?
He just wrote a provocative anti Cheney Bush torture article.
Also I found this by Harlow
“Bill Harlow, former CIA spokesman who resigned with former director George Tenet, acknowledged that recent CIA leaks had been made from within the agency to undermine the Bush administration with a battery of damaging leaks and briefings about Iraq. “The intelligence community has been made the scapegoat for all the failings of Iraq. It deserves some of the blame, but not all of it. People are chafing at that.” Source: “The CIA ‘Old Guard’ Goes to War with Bush,” The Telegraph/UK, Oct. 11, 2004
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1011-21.htm
AJ
The close collaborator with Richard Clarke — going back to Bush I at NSC was Rand Beers — who quit last summer in disgust, and walked down the street and volunteered his services to Kerry, where he has been ever since. Beers eventually drew Joe Wilson into the Kerry camp.
AJ, I just stumbled onto this and I may be a day late and a dollar short on this one, but it really hit me in the belt.
I started researching the names tied with Rand Beers and came up with this:
Bill Christison – VIP; Patrick Eddington, VIP; David C. MacMichael, VIP; Ray McGovern, VIP; David Corn, The Nation; Karen Kwiatkowski, USAF, Lt. Col. (ret); Graham Fuller, ex-CIA and now works for Rand Corporation; Peter Zimmerman, physicist and was cheif scientist for the U.S. Arms Control at the State Department under Clinton.
What do all these people have in common: a movie.
Uncovered – the Whole Truth about the Iraw War
made in 2003, and distributed by MoveOn.org.
http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.529971/qx/details.htm
Now who wears the big hat at MoveOn.org? George Soros who wants social change in the United States and controls everything that MoveOn.org does.
Am I seeing something here or am I just buying into “conspiracy theories”?
AJ, one other thing; Joseph Wilson is also in this movie.
Retire05 – I saw the same thing (last update). And no, when they conspire together and make a movie it sort of takes the mystery away.
This quote is from the transcript of “Cries of Protest Across Middle East After Targeted Killing by Israel CNN March 22, 2004 Monday”
Guests: Yonah Alexander, Robert Boorstin, Barbara Comstock
Section:Richard Clarke slams Bush administration in new book
O’BRIEN: Final thought, then we’re out of time.
COMSTOCK: OK. Well Bob [refering to Robert Boorstin] is part of a group, the American Center for Progress (sic), that George Soros, a virulent opponent of the president is funding. And this is all part of a big coordinated, partisan attack. You saw them come out with — the center came out with a big attack against the president. They’re doing it every day. This is part of the Democratic machine. And Dick Clarke is also very friendly in teaching a class at Harvard with Rand Beers who’s a Kerry adviser.
SBD
Mary Mapes,
Hersh’s “former senior CIA official” I view as NOT being friendly to the Bush Admin. In my mind, Novak’s article was not a planned outcome of the anti-Bush crowd…it just happened. And it “derailed” the Niger doc story which started to be cooked in March 2003, and which lifeless story Wilson lit a new fire under with Kristof’s June 13, 2003 piece, and Wilson’s own July 6, 2003 coming out Op-Ed. The end goal of this Niger Doc disinformation campaign was a hoped for victory for Kerry.
But Novak changed that political calculus. All of a sudden the Dems/Kerry take political advantage of Novak’s outing of Plame…and call for an investigation (i.e., narrowly focused on the Plame leak) which they hoped would conclude right before the Nov 2004 election. David Corn interviewed Wilson just after Novak’s article, and Wilson gave a tortured explanation of what the law was concerning covert CIA employees…and what would happen to the leaker “IF” his wife was working covertly. He knew all along she wasn’t covert…that really wasn’t the point. The goal of this exercise was simply to cause enough ruckus to get an indictment of a Bush official just prior to the Nov 2004 elections. The indictment would tip the scales in favor of Kerry. They goal wasn’t a conviction…
And the effort almost did work, except for the blocking being performed by Judith Miller. And for good measure, since Hillary didn’t want Fitz to indict anyone pre-Nov 2004, Mandy Grunewald’s husband Matt Cooper also decided to stonewall.
But Hersh went on to write an explosive article posted October 20, 2003, which points the finger at disgruntled retired CIA guys as the forgers of the Niger docs…but his New Yorker article gets absolutely NO reaction at the time. Even today…with the renewed interest in the Niger docs, the MSM does not bring up Hersh’s interesting info. This is such a curiosity to me…
Presumably Hersh wasn’t making this up himself, and in reading his March article and then the October 2003 article, I don’t get the impression his source was a Bush supporter…just the opposite. Cannistraro, another source for the March article, even appears to be used by Hersh to corroborate the senior-level source.
So, PlameGate ends and Libby’s indicted. Seems to me Libby’s lawyers will be calling Hersh as a witness, to find out more about the disgruntled, retired CIA employees who forged the Niger docs…
If Hersh’s senior-level CIA source was telling the truth, then did those forgers commited a crime…i.e., the crime of intentionally misleading U.S. intelligence agencies in order to effect a desired outcome in U.S. foreign policy? If so, they are now quaking in their boots because Kerry lost the campaign and thus cannot pardon them.
So NOW what does Hersh’s source do? He starts talking to Fitz. And, since I think he was also Woodward’s source, he had to notify Woodward that he was coming forward to the SP.
I think Beers is the source and he knows just how good Libby plays hardball.
Within Larry Johnson’s interview is this rather Freudian slip:
“submitted the information to the CIA operations side and that information was passed down to the White House”
The CIA passes information DOWN TO the White House!
Is he telling us the CIA was/is supposed to be running the
country?
Maid Marion
Thanks for the detailed response. It occurred to me later that I had something confused…the source that told Hersh “that someone deliberately let some thing bad get in there” (paraphrasing) with the one your are referring to…nevermind,, I was wrong.
Do you think that Libby’s defense have a chance of calling Hersh?
Mary Mapes,
No, no, you weren’t wrong…this is the same person I’m talking about. And I think it was Beers. I think the purpose this former senior-level CIA official was talking to Hersh was to help give impetus to the Niger doc story. Don’t forget that the docs’ “forgery” had only hit the public press about March 8.
On March 14, 2003, Senator Rockefeller formally requests the FBI to investigate the forged documents: “There is a possibility that the fabrication of these documents may be part of a larger deception campaign aimed at manipulating public opinion and foreign policy regarding Iraq.â€
On March 24, 2003, Hersh comes out with his article where he cites the former senior-level CIA official as well as Vincent Cannistraro. The unnamed source does not appear to me to be supportive of the Bush Administration. And if Beers was actually a CIA detailee to all those other government agencies during his career, as I mentioned in a previous post, then he becomes a strong candidate.
I really have no idea whether Libby’s lawyers have a chance of calling Hersh. But in light of the fact that the Dems have, since Fitz’s Oct 28, 2005 indictment, reverted right back to their initial “forged Niger docs” meme (which had been placed on the back burner by the “CIA Leak” opportunity which Novak unwittingly dropped in their laps), then I sure hope so.