What to make of Bob Novak's latest on Armitage and what he says was Armitage's very deliberate role in telling him about Plame? I'll take a shot at it. Novak's message is that Armitage is a far more canny and calculating bureaucratic infighter who sought to curry favor with the Bush administration (by discrediting Wilson for talking on background with Kristof), even while not a true believer in the cause of the war intelligence or the war. Novak wants this exposed, to salvage his own reputation on the right, which wants to delegitimize the whole Fitzgerald investigation, prompted by his column. I do remember reading somewhere years ago that for a time Armitage hoped to be appointed the top dog at the Pentagon or CIA under Bush (maybe in James Mann's excellent Rise of the Vulcans). More from EmptyWheel.

Posted by Laura at September 13, 2006 04:42 PM