Oh yeah, by all means keep this one going, lefties, it just keeps paying dividends...

Do you suppose it was mere coincidence that Novak knee-capped 'em just yesteday?

Can these people, buy a clue, the Middle East is about to go up in one of their usual bonfires;
oil's trending toward $80!! a barrel, and the're
doing navelgazing exercises$

Considering the Congressional report branded Wilson's testimony about his wife's involvement in getting him the Niger gig as inaccurate at best, and the fact that Novak pointed to Joe's "Who's Who" bio entry -- published during the Clinton years -- as his source of confirmation about Val's line of work, it's stunning that they would want to go forward with this. The suit may keep the case in the news and give the media a chance to run a bunch of stories about Cheney, Rove, et al going before lawyers again, but Joe's reputation is going to suffer some big time collateral damage in the process.

Of course, given how much some people crave the soft glow of the spotlight of media florifcation and partisan Democratic love once they are at the center of some press firestorm, the Wilsons may not be thinking that far down the line, or may really believe what their backers have been spinning about having a lock solid case against the administration (Val and Joe will simply be following in the footsteps of Cindy Sheehan or the Dixie Chicks in thinking because they were lauded by the right kind of people for their initial statments, they have Carte Blanche to do anything and still come out smelling like roses).

This should be great for those who want Wilson/Plame to get their comeupance. Imagine the torture that they will be subjected to during the discovery that will be pursued against them.

I expect the outcome will include perjury indictments for the Wilsons as their act won't play as well in a courtroom as it does on the permanent-campaign trail.

The media must be even dumber than usual - there will be depositions taken from every reporter we have already heard about, plus lots of new faces, including Mandy Grunwald, David Corn, Jill Abramson, Gail Collins, probably George Tenet, Nicholas Kristof, the ambassador to Niger, and probably British, Italian, and French intelligence officials. Perhaps even Pinch will be questioned. It will be a circus, and the Plames will not like the way the ride ends.

Neither will all of Joe's 'friends' from the CIA and the State Dept. (his fellow travellers on the anti-Bush express), because all of them are going to be deposed, too. People like the woman fired by the CIA a couple of months ago.

Someone from Court TV should offer to televise the depositions.

It looks like Plame is soliciting legal fees via www.wilsonsupport.org, aka "The Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust".

The DNS record shows that the web site was created on June 15, two days after Rove was exonerated by Fitzgerald. This is probably when they began work on the lawsuit.

I took a Polling Point survey which was originally sent out on 7/2.

They wanted to know if I paid attention to Plame. In the comments I told them it seemed they were focusing on non-important issues/old news.

You guys are delusional. Just like Senator Kerry's 1971 lies about the situation in Vietnam, nothing the public is aware of will come from this. The GOP stalwarts will, as always, fail to have the killer instinct to take advantage of this. The suit will fail, but no one on the plaintiff side will pay much (if any) price for it. On the contrary, with the book deal and what not, I expect the Wilsons and their fellow travelers to end up doing better than the Cheney gang.

AOG is probably right - - the suit seems a great way to raise funds for the Wilson legal defense, but if they have any working neurons at all, they will fold before much discovery has taken place. It also keeps their name in the spotlight, enhances their credibility with the left, etc.

Isn't the first tactic of a legal defense to file a countersuit?

Usually, I'm with AOG in thinking that all this stuff we pay so much attention to just floats over the head of the public at large. Here, I'm less sure.

First, the Plame case has been -- other than for Scooter Libby -- a nice little plus for the Republicans. Among other things, it lets us rattle the cage on leaks by quoting the New York Times, which is fun, if nothing else.

Second, for those who are following politics obsessively, this is just plain fun.

Third, the Flames are starting to wear out their welcome even on the left. Lawrence O'Donnell and Mara Liason have already poo-poohed the suit. I don't know that they're going to get the same sort of adoring coverage that they're used to.

Bruce: If I were the defendants' lawyer, I'd be thinking seriously of arguing that the case is a SLAPP suit -- a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. After all, whatever the arguments about disclosing classified information, that clearly isn't for the Flames' to enforce. Instead, they're trying to punish citizens for making true statements on a political matter of great public interest.

David -

Thanks for the (professional) insight!

Mr. Cohen;

In the big, tides of history level picture, this is one more wave on the sand castles of the left, but the Wilsons will have escaped with the loot before it's an issue for them.

But let's all meet back here in a year and see.