When Truth No Longer Matters

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In Balance of Power's tradition of bringing you the best of the blogosphere, we have a guest blogger, Jim of Jim-Rose.com. Great job on a great and timely topic.

The MSM and the Blogosphere continue to hyperventilate over the dumbest story of my generation: The Plame Affair. Never before have I seen a news story where truth has been a greater casulty.

We have an investigation into whether a CIA agent's cover was blown by someone from the Bush
administration leaking her name to the media. However, we have learned that she was not an "undercover" agent and regardless, you could find her name in Who's Who.

This was all frustrating enough, but now we have the New York Times and George Stephanopolous going crazy because Patrick Fitzgerald may not issue a final
report. There's just one problem with this: it's against the special prosecutor law for him to do so.
Discussion over, right? No. We're still inundated with lines like these from the New York Times (the paper that sets the media agenda):

"By signaling that he had no plans to issue the grand jury's findings in such detail, Mr. Fitzgerald
appeared to narrow his options either to indictments or closing his investigation with no public disclosure of his findings, a choice that would set off a political firestorm."

We are at war, but not with terrorism. We are at war with postmodernism, the school of philosophical thought (or no thought) that there is no right and wrong, there is no truth, it's all relative. I felt like maybe we were winning when George W. Bush was elected and he said things like "It is always and everywhere wrong to target and kill the innocent. It is always and everywhere wrong to be cruel and hateful, to enslave and oppress. It is always and everywhere right to be kind and just, to protect the lives of others, and to lay down your life for a friend." However, stories like the Plame Affair make me think that we're losing, and that time may be
running out before postmodern thought become so embedded in our culture we can't possibly hope to get it out.

Jim Rose of Jim-Rose.com



Many thanks to Jim for delivering a well-written article for BoP!

Yet, he and I take a decided difference in opinion over the Plame Affair. While he feels it is the "dumbest story of my generation" I feel that what happened with Valerie Plame was a travesty. Of course, the fact that the Republican's would prefer that this remain low key and not a huge topic of discussion and with no indictments issued does not seem to be much different then the response to Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon in the 60's either.

If Mr. Fitzgerald finds cause to issue indictments then let us hope that he does so with all due speed, because if the White House, its aides and/or its top personnel have become that sure of themselves that they believe they can lie, cheat, steal to get what they want...then its PAST time for such indictments to occur. (Some would say that it should have occurred in 2000 and again in 2004!)

"It is always and everywhere wrong to target and kill the innocent. It is always and everywhere wrong to be cruel and hateful, to enslave and oppress."

Interesting-- if that same quote is applied from a post-American occupation point of view in Iraq--then some would say that George's own words will come back to haunt him, that the quagmire of Iraq would neatly fit right in with things that should be looked upon as a very gray area and perhaps the motivations for the action should be looked at under the same such microscope.

Less than 40 years ago, this Nation learned to look beneath the surface of Washington's policies and affairs and what that "hippie generation" found was not pretty. It was lies, intrigues, machinations without mercy and moral platitudes spouted from the highest offices of the City of our forefathers while all the while bearing little morality or semblance to the country that they thought it was. It bears looking at again. May we never accept as "truth" what we are told on either side of the spectrum, without seeking fearlessly to discover what is the reality of Washington's affairs in the national and world arena.

The Plame affair may seem small and inconsequential to some--but it was her life's work, it was her life that was splayed out in the newspapers and she deserves to have her day in court and justice administered on her behalf if it was intentional. If it should bring down some Washington fat cats in the process, then so be it.

I agree that there is indeed a right and wrong that there is still always a truth out there. However, who may and should define those rights, wrongs and truths? I do not need Washington to legislate nor dictate my morality or my POV nor do I believe that they are in any way, shape or form up to the job.
Nariel of Ancient Eyes for Current Times


"Never before have I seen a news story where truth has been a greater casualty." Jim said it very well, and he's right. As of today, 10/25/05, let's look at what we KNOW will happen from Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the case.
First we know indictments are coming. No, wait. We only know the MSM and the Democrats are desperately hoping they are coming.

Well, we know that Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Karl Rove are the main people being looked at in this case. Oops, we don't know that from the Special Prosecutor. We know that from Matt Cooper and Judith Miller, two reporters who actually never even filed stories on the whole affair.

Well, we know that Joseph Wilson was an unimpeachably accurate source, with no axe to grind. Wrong again. In fact, the Senate report on Iraq makes it clear that Joseph Wilson is a liar, with his hands all over this case. Remember the famous Vanity Fair picture? Does this look like a couple trying to avoid the press?!?!? I don't think so.

Well, what do we know from Patrick Fitzgerald? Nothing. Not until he either issues indictments, or does nothing at all. Yet, to read the MSM, or watch your friendly neighborhood Democrat talking head, all you see is a mixture of speculation and premature Snoopy dances.

This story really is about Iraq, plain and simple. The Wall Street Journal made this very clear. With 79% of the population voting for a new Constitution, I think the Left can officially stop using the word "quagmire." It's making them look very foolish indeed, and politically motivated.

But then, that's exactly what the Plame Affair is, foolish, and politically motivated.


Mark White of Liberty Just In Case