Ian S. Thompson – 7/5/07

This page was last updated on July 9, 2007.

Another abuse of power; Ian S. Thompson; Beaver County Times; July 5, 2007.

As background, Mr. Thompson began writing letters as a Penn State student. His fields of study were English and international politics and he graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in International Politics. In letters to the Penn State Daily Collegian, Mr. Thompson identified himself as the political director of Allies, a PSU organization now known as SpeakOut. The mission statement of SpeakOut reads, “Works to organize the family, friends, supporters and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally (LGBTA) community at PSU and is committed to a safe and social network open to all students, political and social education, and to increasing visibility and fostering a positive climate for LGBTA students at PSU.” When he “signed” an anti-landmine “treaty” on the web, Mr. Thompson indicated he was a member of Amnesty International.

If you’ve read Mr. Thompson’s letters since at least mid-2004, you know he’s a full-blown socialist (“a proud progressive” in his own words from 2003) who tends to resort to name-calling and unsupported talking points. This letter is no exception.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Well, I wish I could say I’m surprised, but that would be a lie, although I’m sure the president would have my back, don’t you think?”

[RWC] Hmm, Mr. Thompson hasn’t let a lie get in his way in the past, or the present. You’ll see what I mean below.

“When justice finally came knocking on the door of what will likely go down in history as the worst presidency our country has ever known, the ‘decider’ slammed the door right in its face.

“I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby was about to have to pay his dues by serving some time for his role in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. (It is a safe bet the real creep behind this whole thing was our modern day Tricky Dick, but I guess that’s for another time).”

[RWC] Here’s Mr. Thompson’s current lie. Mr. Libby had no “role in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame” and it’s inconceivable Mr. Thompson doesn’t know this because it was extensively reported even by the mainstream media.

Let’s recap the affair, and please feel free to check my presentation of the facts.

In July 2003, columnist Bob Novak wrote a piece saying Joe Wilson’s wife, a CIA employee, recommended Mr. Wilson for a fact-finding mission to Niger. The CIA asked the Department of Justice to find out who told Mr. Novak that Mr. Wilson’s wife (Valerie Plame) worked for the CIA. During October 2003, then-Deputy Sec. of State Richard Armitage admitted to the FBI he was Novak’s source regarding Mrs. Wilson’s CIA employment.

Despite knowing who disclosed Mrs. Wilson’s CIA employment to Mr. Novak, the special counsel appointed in late-December 2003 conducted an investigation anyway. During this investigation, it was alleged Mr. Libby lied, asserting he learned about Mrs. Wilson’s employment from the news media and not via official channels. Remember, though, from the very beginning the special counsel already knew who told Mr. Novak about Mrs. Wilson and that it was not Mr. Libby or anyone else in the White House.

If you want to beat up on Mr. Libby for perjury, fine. A jury found him guilty of that charge. It’s incorrect, however, to beat up Mr. Libby for “leaking” Mrs. Wilson’s CIA employment because we know Mr. Armitage did.

You can find more details about this in my critique of “The Libby outrage.”

“Of all the individuals in this country, Bush could find none better than his own administration’s first, though hopefully far from last, convicted criminal to give a ‘get out of jail free’ card to.”

[RWC] Don’t you have to be charged with a crime before you can be convicted? To the best of my knowledge, no one else in the Bush administration has been charged with a crime. Notice Mr. Thompson doesn’t tell us who should be a “convicted criminal” and for what.

Regarding the “get out of jail free card,” not exactly. Mr. Libby still has to serve two years probation, pay a $250,000 fine, and he loses his law license. Unlike many in Washington with a law degree, Mr. Libby was a practicing attorney when he wasn’t in public service.

“I mean, I’m sure prison would not have been easy for a guy nick-named Scooter. I see a future as a Fox News commentator for this character.”

[RWC] And “Ian” is a tough guy name? Oops, aren’t guys on Mr. Thompson’s side of the aisle supposed to refer to Fox News as Faux News? Could a reprimand be in the offing? <g>

“In an administration whose principal accomplishment has been the manipulation and fabrication of intelligence used to justify the biggest foreign policy disaster since Vietnam, Scooter’s clemency is just the latest in six-year strong series of disgraceful abuses of power.”

[RWC] Note that Mr. Thompson provides nothing to support his assertion the Bush administration manipulated and fabricated intelligence. Perhaps that’s because every investigation conducted to date found no evidence to support this wishful thinking of the left.

Mr. Thompson also didn’t detail the “six-year strong series of disgraceful abuses of power.” Why not?

“Now, let’s sit back and watch those already staggeringly low approval ratings fall through the floor.”

[RWC] Yeah, sure. Many (most?) Republicans and conservatives believe the prosecution of Mr. Libby was bogus because it occurred as the result of an investigation into a non-crime, so they aren’t likely to jump ship over the commutation. Indeed, many of them believe President Bush should have pardoned Mr. Libby. Everyone else already disproves of Mr. Bush, so I don’t see any significant approval rating changes as a result of the commutation.

Oh, one last point. The approval rating of the liberal majority Congress is about half that of President Bush.