By the Numbers

July 25, 2005

This afternoon, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will unveil a clock which will highlight the number of days that have passed since the WhiteHouse leaked the identity of a CIA agent without the Republican-controlled Congress holding a single hearing on the issue.

In the meantime, these numbers, by way of Harry Reid’s office, tell a pretty compelling story.

Number of days after the article outing Ambassador Wilson’s wife appeared until the White House required its staff to turn over evidence relating to the leak: 85

Rough number of hours between when Alberto Gonzles gave Andy Card a heads-up about the investigation and when he formally told the staff to save their files: 12

Number of questions the Department of Justice asked the CIA to answer in detail before opening an investigation: 11

Number of D.C. Circuit Court judges who thought the issues involved in the Plame leak were serious enough to warrant jailing a reporter: 3

Number of D.C. Circuit Court Judges and Supreme Court Justices who disagreed: 0

Number of redacted pages in Judge Tatel’s opinion: 8

Minimum number of hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate accusations against President Clinton involving the “Whitewater� case: 20

Total hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate the leak of the covert identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson’s wife: 0

Total briefings requested by Senate Republicans on the damage assessment conducted by the CIA after the Plame leak: 0

Number of indictments: 0. So far.

  • Number of TV networks and newspapers who have dropped Robert “Traitor” Novak – 0

  • Good point, Andy. Novak not only outed an undercover agent after the CIA asked him not to, it seems as he also sang like a bird to the grand jury. Shouldn’t this give some pause to his employers? (cough, cough, CNN, cough)

  • Just to tag another “counter” on to this (from today’s chart):

    Number of days between invasion of Iraq and the “Mission Accomplished” photo-op: 42
    Number of US military deaths as of “Mission Accomplished”: 139

    Number of days between invasion of Iraq and today: 859
    Number of US military deaths as of today: 1,782

  • Actually, I believe Laurence O’Donnell was right in his assessment of Novak on “The Al Franken Show” last week. He stated that when the prosecutors convinced Novak that his “sources” had probably commited a federal crime, he turned them over immediately. O’Donnell stated that it might be considered commendable that Novak refused to uphold a confidentiality agreement for a criminal. A better question I think is, did Novak tell te grand jury the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

  • Minimum number of hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate accusations against President Clinton involving the “Whitewaterâ€? case: 20

    Total hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate the leak of the covert identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson’s wife: 0

    Total briefings requested by Senate Republicans on the damage assessment conducted by the CIA after the Plame leak: 0

    Now those are telling numbers. Why is the GOP still considered the party of national security? General Wes should add some decorated former CIA people to his roadshow in Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowa especially.

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