Reply #3: I think we need to ask deeper questions about this. How did those

[Peace Patriot]

16 words get into Bush's speech and why? Was it merely a lie, or did it have another purpose? Why did Cheney send Wilson to Niger to track down info on what Cheney almost surely already knew was a bogus claim of Iraq nukes? Why would the outing of Plame discredit Wilson in any way? (--she was a CIA WMD expert; wouldn't this tend to enhance rather than discredit Wilson?). Why would Cheney and assorted Bushites risk charges of treason for this purpose--political punishment of Wilson? Surely Rove has other tricks up his sleeve to ruin peoples' lives. Was the REAL purpose of the whole affair to out Plame and her extensive network of covert WMD contacts around the world? What were/are they hiding that they didn't/don't want CIA eyes and ears to pick up on? (Candidate answers: a plot to plant WMDs in Iraq--the thing they most needed in summer '03; Cheney covert arms profiteering.)

See this thread on Cheney arms dealing:

Plame...the tip of the iceberg... (Plame maybe investigating Cheney arms deals when they busted her CIA weapons op)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2178477#2180220

And this one on Plame/Judith Miller/David Kelley:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/3/17138/30618

(Kelly was the Brit chief weapons expert who was suicided in the same time period, summer '03. He was whistleblowing on "sexed up" Brit intel on WMDs. His last email was to...Judith Miller! And in it he warned of "dark actors playing games.")
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The answer to the stink in Washington DC is state/local election reform. We must restore our right to vote, by throwing Diebold, ES&S and brethren out of the election business NOW--or at the least achieve some measure of election transparency with paper ballot backups, no secret programming code and strict auditing. The only place where we can get that done is in state/local jurisdictions, where the authority over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some say. Don't let the powers-that-be silence our voices on election reform! See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203