The “real” reason Cheney overreached in the CIA leak scandal

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The Daily News publishes an article today detailing "the subtle but unmistakable erosion in the bond between President Bush and Vice President Cheney."

Feh.

It's the usual crap, whispered by unnamed sources, contradicted by other unnamed sources all with their own individual fish to fry.

But buried at the bottom of the article was this little nugget:

A highly placed source said the President believes Cheney "got too deeply concerned with being portrayed as the source of the Wilson trip."

Now, of all the reasons why the White House went after Joe Wilson and his wife, of all the speculation out there, have you ever, ever, ever read that Cheney was pissed that people would think HE sent Wilson to Niger? No, never.

If anything, Cheney was pissed at Wilson because he, Wilson, called bullshit on the administration's crackpot, mendacious insistence that Saddam was about to go nuclear.

I wouldn't be surprised if this "highly placed source" is Karl Rove. After all, it's the same right-wing talking point, i.e., that Wilson "lied" when he said he went to Niger on Cheney's orders. Of course Wilson never said any such thing. But Bush apologists push that point over and over and over again in a never-ending attempt to destroy Wilson's credibility and reputation.