Larry Johnson and Pat Lang felt discouraged Friday night.
The mainstream media had written scantily about the testimony by Johnson, the former CIA and State Dept. intelligence analyst, and his mentor Lang, a retired colonel and intelligence expert, before the “Hearing on Security Implications of Revealing Covert Agent’s Identity” (PDF format) on july 22, 2005.
The joint Senate/House informal hearing by Democrats remains the #1 requested video at C-SPAN. C-SPAN, in response to demand, reaired the testimony three times on Friday afternoon and evening.
On Saturday morning, Johnson was interviewed by CBS Evening News but his interview was axed from the report. In an e-mail to a CBS news producer, Johnson wrote:
Our testimony yesterday on this issue before a joint committee of Senate and House Democrats has been the most widely requested piece that C-Span has had in quite a while. Yet, most of the Main Stream Media seems to be cowering in fear at following this story. Pretty sad. Who is out there speaking on behalf of Valerie Plame? Only a few of us.
Pat Lang told me earlier today this is what would happen.
I won’t be available for CBS in the future. No need to waste my time with you folks because, whether I spend time with you or not, the story gets ignored.
Larry
Below:
- Johnson’s experience with CBS, told in e-mails between him and the producer
- How Johnson’s subsequent Saturday morning Democratic radio address got the mainstream media interested in his Friday testimony, and
- How the rightwing blogs have reacted to the Friday hearing
Below:
- Johnson’s experience with CBS, told in e-mails between him and the producer
- How Johnson’s subsequent Saturday morning Democratic radio address got the mainstream media interested in his Friday testimony, and
- How the rightwing blogs have reacted to the Friday hearing
Crooks & Liars has the series of e-mails between Johnson and CBS news producer Carrie Rabin:
From: Rabin, Carrie
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 12:38 PM
To: ‘LCJohnson@
Subject: GREETINGS FROM CBS NEWSHello there,
Hoping to reach you this fine Saturday. We’re doing a story for tonight’s Evening News on the latest developments in the Karl Rove/Valerie Plame case, and your testimony yesterday about what all this means for national security.
If you can give me a call back: 202-XXXXXX, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks so much,
Carrie Rabin
Producer
CBS News
Johnson comments, “I did and they came out for an interview. I spent about a half hour with them.” Afterwards, Johnson received this e-mail from Rabin:
From: “Rabin, Carrie”
Sent: Jul 23, 2005 6:05 PM
To: “‘lcj”
Subject: RE: GREETINGS FROM CBS NEWS
Thanks so much for speaking with us.Unfortunately, our piece was cut to just a minute, and we had to kill our sound bite with you. But we’ll save the interview for the numerous other broadcasts interested in the story.
Thanks again for your time…and hope to speak with you soon…
Carrie
A disgusted Johnson replied in that he would no longer accept interview requests from CBS News:
Our testimony yesterday on this issue before a joint committee of Senate and House Democrats has been the most widely requested piece that C-Span has had in quite a while. Yet, most of the Main Stream Media seems to be cowering in fear at following this story. Pretty sad. Who is out there speaking on behalf of Valerie Plame? Only a few of us.
Pat Lang told me earlier today this is what would happen.
I won’t be available for CBS in the future. No need to waste my time with you folks because, whether I spend time with you or not, the story gets ignored.
Larry
The mainstream media, however, began to pick up the story later on Saturday, after Johnson — a registered Republican — gave the Saturday morning Democratic radio address, which always follows President Bush’s regular Saturday morning radio talk.
It was a master stroke by the Democratic party. It gave “Oomph” to Friday’s testimony, and gave the media a political angle to the Friday testimony.
Now, a search of Google News shows close to 400 news stories on Friday’s hearing along with Johnson’s radio address.
On the car radio yesterday, I heard the top-of-the-hour radio news mention both Johnson’s radio address and the testimony. While visiting relatives, we turned on the news and noted that CNN carried the story on its bottom-of-the-screen ticker as well as reporting the story.
Friday night, I wrote a note of thanks to Larry Johnson, and mentioned that I wondered just how long it would take the rightwing blogs to start demonizing him and Pat Lang. It’d be easy for the rightwing bloggers to find their testimony, which both men have posted at Johnson’s blog, No Quarter.
So, last night and this morning, I searched the major rightwing blogs. I began at Power Line, and used its right-column list of approved blogs to search more rightwing blogs:
Armavirumque
Austin Bay
Belmont Club
Chrenkoff
Claremont Institute
InstaPundit
Little Green Footballs
Lucianne
Michelle Malkin
No Left Turns
PoliPundit
Real Clear Politics
Right Wing News
Roger L. Simon
Scrappleface
Tim Blair
Some blogs had search engines. For those that didn’t, I used Google advanced Web site search.
None of the blogs has any record of Larry Johnson’s name or any mention of the testimony of the inteligence experts — or Col. Patrick Lang (Ret.) who, besides being an expert on intelligence, is a retired special forces officer, Dept. of Defense senior official and West Point professor.
Little Green Footballs, for instance, is still using the Newsweek/Koran “phony” story:
Apparently, Newsweek’s phony Koran-in-a-commode story is partly to blame for the London bombings: Militant longed for suicide mission.
Most of the blogs are posting about the “liberals” who blame Bush and Blair for the London and Egyptian bombings.
Perhaps solid intelligence credentials — and highly credible testimony — carry some weight with the rightwing bloggers?
Enough that they’ll shut up about Valerie Plame being a desk jockey at the CIA? We’ll wait and see. Probably, they’ll continue to label Plame and ignore intelligence experts’ testimony.
Fox News’s Web site carries a wire story on the hearing Friday, but no story of Johnson’s radio address on Saturday.
I haven’t watched Fox News TV today, so have no idea if its pundits have discussed the testimony. Hopefully, by tomorrow, Media Matters will have tracked any comments on Fox, as Media Matters has the comments of GOP Chair Ken Mehlman and WSJ’s John Fund.
See Also: Captain Future’s two-part diaries that comment in detail on the testimony Friday.
Update [2005-7-24 14:36:12 by susanhu]:
From today’s post by Larry Johnson at his blog, No Quarter:
INCOMPETENCE ON SENATE INTEL
by
Larry C. Johnson
I guess Senator Pat Roberts believes that if he repeats a lie long enough it eventually becomes true. While it is one thing for a political bag carrier like Ken Mehlman to be woefully ignorant about CIA practices and procedures, it is downright alarming that Senator Roberts can be so misinformed. Today, while appearing on CNN’s Late Edition, Roberts repeated the specious claim that Valerie Plame could not be undercover because she went to work everyday at CIA Headquarters.
Folks, there is no excuse for this level of incompetence. There are thousands of undercover CIA employees who drive through the three gates at CIA Headquarters in McLean, Virginia everyday. And this Senator from Kansas who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee has the audacity to blame CIA for intelligence failures? How can he recognize failures when he does not even understand the very simple basics about people who work undercover at CIA. He should spend more time reading up on the CIA and less time memorizing Ken Mehlman talking points.
Cross-posted at DailyKos.
Thanks, Susan, for further evidence of what we all know, that the MSM just doesn’t care.
We just have to keep pushing here and on the other lib-left blogs. No place else is going to do it.
Ok your comment is not really excellent it was OK but I am using it as a tip jar.
-redwagon
?
Ah man, pooe Larry. He is an upstanding, honest Republican, with nothing to gain other than to set the record straight. The frustration he must feel right now. I only hope he does not give up. I want to know what WE can do to help him get the air time he deserves. And by air time I mean GD PRIME time nightly news time. There has to be to call these idiots on their crap. We HAVE to do something and quick. Do larry and comapany need money or letters or petitions of support. What will it take? We cannot let the media get away with ignoring the GD FACTS! God, I am really po’d right now.
Well, there was some coverage on the Sunday shows. I watched ‘This Week’ and MTP and the subject was discussed.
George S. even needled McCain a bit…showed a clip of Larry Johnson calling out McCain. McCain had that deer-in-the-headlights look for a moment, then recited the GOP talking points.
The thing is, what can the right-wing bloggers say about the hearings? I don’t think they can go there.
Mostly the right wing blogs seem focused on proving that not only Wilson, but Plame and Larry J and Lang and the CIA itself are involved in a plot to bring down the Presidency (I wish). Oh, and that the entire Fitzgerald investigation is most likely really focused on indicting Plame and her husband.
Oh, and I almost forgot… surely there is evidence somewhere that Plame was responsible for the bombing of the Chinese Embassy?
I should mention that I am getting all this information from “reasonable and grown up” conservatives at Red State. But they do also reference other ‘reasonable and grownup’ Republican blogs as well, that are basically saying the same things.
Obviously tin hats come in all sizes!
I noticed a new spin from the right-wingers this morning on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.” Several callers said Valerie Plame had “outed herself,” with one explaining further that she did all the damage by making the political contribution, complete with the name of her front company, and then “reporting it.” I can only assume this caller has never given any money to a political campaign or he’d know you have to give that info. In fact, I just saw an article about a Pearl Jam concert in Missoula to support Jon Tester’s bid for the Montana Senate. While waiting in line to buy tickets, people were handed a clipboard to fill out the required campaign contribution information.
Also, does anyone else think that “Washington Journal” has done an appallingly bad job of covering the Rove scandal? (Or a great job if their goal is to maintain the lid.) I have not seen a single segment actually devoted to discussing this. (I admit, living in Wyoming, I don’t usually tune in until an hour or so into the program.) Their open phone segments are often overwhelmed by this subject but, on their own, they seem to be totally ignoring it.
Maybe we need to begin demanding fair coverage with C-SPAN!
I ran across this one, and the point is not so much that you are required to give the information (which you are); but that the “employer” she listed was the consulting firm that was her cover. She id not “out” herself as a a CIA employee.
One minute, the party pulls off a great move like having Johnson give the Democratic address and the next they appear to be rolling over for Roberts.
This administration is weak, it’s time for a multi-front attack.
Not rolling over! No way!
Hang on. Schumer et al. will be tough. Schumer also said he’ll be fair, which I like…. e.g., he’ll provide his list of questions to Roberts. Schumer said he doesn’t plan on blindsiding Roberts. Which is good…. that kind of stunt is quite unappealing to watch.
As Kid Oakland said, we’re in this together. When you speak of the Democrats in third person, do you feel like you’re pulling away? Stay.
Susan, I know that you are right. I think that I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the impending trip to China to bring Andrew home.
I was feeling a little inspired after I read your response, so here is what I e-mailed to Senators Levin and Stabenow.
I am writing to you today to briefly discuss two very important issues: the Supreme Court nomination and the Plame investigation.
Because of so many examples, I simply do not trust this administration to not have a hidden agenda under any circumstance. This includes the current nominee for the Supreme Court, John Roberts. This is a young nominee who could be on the court for another 20 years and I fear that the Radical “religious” right feels that this choice is “their” man. By that, I mean that not only will Roe v Wade be turned back, but that many other women’s issues could be challenged in aggressive ways. The radical “religious” right does not intend to stop with a ban on abortion, but they have stated that they intend to go after all female contraception. Randall Terry has overtly stated this, I believe in Susan Falaudi’s book Backlash. This is also evident from the random cases around the country of pharmacists, acting on conscience, refusing to fill contraceptive prescriptions for women. We can see in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran what real theocrats do to women. The neo-theocrats in this country must be stopped, so I urge you to thoroughly examine John Robert’s background. Ask this gentleman hard questions and root out the hidden agenda that I am sure is there.
I am sure of a hidden agenda due to the timing of this nominee announcement. How convenient that the announcement happened just as the heat was being turned up on Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. The heat on these men must remain on high. They have attempted to undermine the First Amendment by outing an undercover CIA. Their motives were purely political and partisan. This is the type of dirty tactics that propelled this President into office. Rove is the man who masterminded the racist anti-McCain phone calls in South Carolina. He must be stopped in his divisive tracks. If he and Libby committed crimes, I beseech you to do all in your power to see that they pay for their crime. If no crime was committed, please do all that you can to help the citizens connect the dots on what type of people are running the executive branch of this country. I’d like to see them both “frog marched” out of the White House, but I would settle for a bright spotlight on their dirty tricks.
Thank you for your time
On a side note, I tried to cite my letter, and the post kept failing because of – No closing tag found for opening tag cite.
Terrific Susan! Another great reporting job. Thanks. I depend on you for most of my important news. . .haven’t found anyone yet more reliable and certainly none easier to read. You are darn good at what you do.
Thank you so much! This one took several hours, mostly because I had to visit all of those depressing ‘winger sites. Actually, they’re more sad than depressing… nitpicking while missing the big picture.