It Is Time to Investigate the White House's Betrayal of Trust

Our country has spent over four years attempting to unravel the story surrounding the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity by members of the Bush administration to a number of journalists. The leak jeopardized our national security and belies the administration's long standing claim that they and the Republican Party are best suited to keep America safe.

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was one of the key figures in the Bush administration's efforts to respond publicly to the investigation into the Plame leak. He spoke for the White House and he was the filter through which the public learned about which officials were and were not involved in the leak. Standing in front of the White House Seal, McClellan famously denied any White House involvement in the leak, "If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."

Yesterday we found out that this simple statement attesting to McClellan's faith in the Bush administration's lawful behavior appears to be patently untrue. McClellan tells us, "I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."

We need to launch an immediate investigation to determine the facts of this case, the extent of any cover up and determine what the President knew and when he knew it. If in fact the President of the United of States knowingly instructed his chief spokesman to mislead the American people, there can be no more fundamental betrayal of the public trust.

That any White House official, let alone the President and the Vice President of the United States, would instruct others to mislead the American people about revealing the identity of a covert CIA agent is beyond unconscionable. It is an action that makes us less safe and secure. Worse still, it undermines the ability of our intelligence community to act with the confidence that their work will not be jeopardized in order to advance the partisan interests of one political party.

The American public deserves to know the extent of President Bush's involvement in both the leak of Valerie Plame's identity and what efforts, if any, he made to direct a cover up. Scott McClellan has brought forward a new piece to this sordid puzzle - it is time, once and for all, for the public to know the full story behind the betrayal of Valerie Plame by the Bush administration.

Learn more about my candidacy for the Presidency at ChrisDodd.com.

Comments

[blankmw]

Mr. Dodd -
I will reserve judgment as to how indignant you are about the blatant abuse of power perpetrated by this administration until I see how strongly and vocally you support the bill introduced into the House by Dennis Kucinich to impeach, indict and convict GWBush, Dick Cheney, et all.
If you truly push for justice for their crimes against humanity, I'll consider a Biden/Dodd or Dodd/Biden ticket. Otherwise, Mr. Kucinich will have to get my vote.
He's the only one promoting universal, single-payer, non-insurance-company corrupted health-care, an immediate end to the Iraq fiasco, and impeachment for Cheney and Bush.
He's right now the only one I can count on to consistently and adamantly pursue the issues that I feel most strongly about in this campaign.

[leftLibertarian]

Mr Dodd:

It is past time that the Democratic Party stood up for principles and impeached the criminals Bush and Cheney.

[lgillooly]

DO IT.Support HR 333 and bring up the other Impeachable offenses.It is time to be a Statesman and stop wimping out to the political advisors.The American people should be your primary advisor.Period.

[Sundialsvc4]

All that the Founders of our country could do for their great-great-great-great grandsons was to write one helluva document and call it the Constitution. To set it up as the Supreme Law of the Land.

And then, to hope that we understood the value of their gift.

I think that We, the People, do.

Yes, we do.

"Houston, we have a serious rat-problem up here. The whole town's thick with 'em. It's gonna take some work to clean this place up again."

[itsnotmyfault]

I have a lot of respect for your reaffirming commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution. But let's just think for a minute. Do you really think that anyone believed that the Bush folks, from top to bottom, were not intimately involved in this criminal act of retribution against Wilson. Actually, this criminal and treasonous act against our Nation? Do you really think that anyone believed the Iraq war was not about oil? That it was really about WMDs or fostering Democracy? Do you think anyone believed that the Bush folks did not promote torture, illegal rendition, warrantless domestic spying? Do you believe that the electronic voting machines were not corrupted? How about Alberto. Do you believe he acted as a politics free AG promoting the rule of law?

You have to be an entirely vacuous vessel to not recognize the reality that is this reprehensible amoral administration. The illegal duplicitous activity of this group of reprobates that is the Bush administration are completely evident to even the most feeble minded among us. The press core, the Democrats, yes even you, the Republicans, who have blithely sat by placidly allowing this conduct to be unchallenged are as culpable as the miscreants of the Bush Whitehouse who perpetrated these acts.

The implications for the Nation are devastating if Congress fails to pursue impeachment. The lesson of the last seven years is that you can break any law, ignore the obligation of the oath of office to the Constitution and operate the most corrupt incompetent administration with complete impunity. The no checks, no balances Congress have sat on their hands as the Country has gone straight to hell. I for one am sick of it.

Remember Chris, the Bush illegal conduct and total amoral self-service, with no adverse consequence, has permeated the rest of our society. One only need to look at the mortgage crisis forged on the backs of the poorest, most vulnerable among us.

[curmudgeon]

The only thing that surprises me about the latest revelation and all the comments about it is that so many seem to be surprised. Thinking citizens of all parties have "known" that Cheney pulls the puppet president's strings and that the Bush League are all involved in the Plame treason.

[bigfated]

Yo! Dragbunt:
His name was Claude Rains---not Reins.
I say impeach all of these stinking neocon warmongering, murderous thugs....and if Claude Rains gets in the way....impeach him too....even if you have to dig him up to do it!!!

[Bud]

My judgment is that Bush/Cheney's actions deserve impeachment.

BUT for once I am with the more cautious Democrats.

I approve of Dodd's position. Open hearings and then decide from legal jerkoff experts and political realities whether conviction is really possible.

Otherwise, why put the country through all that shit? Why be more divisive which will likely hasten the degeneracy of US culture?

[OleHippieChick]

Impeachment is the cure for cheney/bu$h's royalist behavior.

[Roafer]

How many more obvious actions that constitute high crimes and misdemeanors are we gonna hear about without some sort of reaction from Congress?

It is spelled out in clear and easily understood statements that the outing of Plame was a well thought out scheme by these administration officials including the President. This is just one of many troubling things from this administration, the list is getting quite long!

None of these members of the Bush administration have any credibility, and it would be easily argued that they're perhaps the worst tyrants in this nations short history. For them to remain in power is nothing more than a huge insult to the country, why is an effort to rid our government of this blatant tyranny not happening? Give these tyrants more time and they will further destroy the constitution with the phony "war on terror" excuse. Bush has made himself King and at this point it is very clear absolutely nothing is being done about it. I sincerely hope Senator Dodd and others in Congress that are sound patriots take the time to impeach these terrible treasonous thugs, otherwise you can forget about what was America.

[Maschine]

How many of you vote Aye to impeach

Respond with an




AYE.

[SamSeven]

Dear Senator Dodd,
Where were you for the past 6 years!! I mean the US is so close in becoming a fasicst country, it's not funny anymore.
Do your job and get the other Democrats to stop being the corporate/banker stooges and stand up for what you believe in -- do to the right thing.
Get up, Stand up for your Rights -- Bob Marley.

[Macready]

Dear Senator Dodd . . . the only way forward is impeachment . . . the evidence about this corrupt regime has steadily mounted . . . it's time the Dems got some backbone and did what they were elected to do . . . stop killing time waiting for time to run out . . . we all know that it will take more than an election for America to change direction . . . change has to start with impeachment . . . the checks and balances have to start operating . . .

Impeach impeach impeach

[dragbunt]

Senator Dodd I would agree with many here that you are a bit too Claude Reins in Casablanca. Shocked to discover that gambling was going on in this establishment.

It would appear that the posture of the democratic party does not represent the voters who put them in office. The party thinks its bad politics to go after Bush now, and the people think that wrongdoers (to put it kindly) should pay for their crimes. There is a disconnect here and it is not healthy.

In a sense the Republicans want a war abroad and we want a war at home. Clearly the war at home is not an easy sell to the american public or the media. It looks and sounds too much like Kucinich to have mass appeal.

Senator, if you could stand up and say that in all your years of service in the Senate, you have never seen a more willful disregard for constitutional law and you mean to see that those who perpetrated such things, pay for them, then you would have a bigger following.

[insanityfollows]

Please, please, please. Gather your colleagues that we gave the majority to last November, stiffen your collective resolve, convince Nancy that impeachment is absolutely ON the table, with or without her, and step forward and DO IT!!!! To hell with anyone's political "life". We need to protect our nation here, and anyone who might suffer the end of their political career should do so with pride, because they will have truly practiced democracy. I doubt seriously (given the magnitude of the crimes (and yes, I mean crimes committed by this president and this administration) that anything negative would happen to the people that put impeachment and judicial proceedings forward. Please, Senator Dodd, help us out and provide for the justice of We, the People.