Letter to new editor of AA-S

Carl E. Schlaepfer
3902 Sidehill Path
Austin, TX 78731

June 2, 2008

Mr. Fred Zipp, Editor
Austin American-Statesman
P.O. Box 670
Austin, Texas 78767

Dear Mr. Zipp,

First, I wish to congratulate you to your promotion. Your new position of Editor must bring demanding new responsibilities, for which you have my best wishes.

I can imagine that one such responsibility could be to receive, contemplate and answer letters such as mine.

The purpose of my letter is to encourage you in what I consider a most challenging task, namely giving confidence to your readers to see your paper as a trustworthy source of information, without the perception of advocacy but with truthfulness, accuracy, balance and completeness.

I would imagine this to be a most challenging task, particularly with so many of us using the internet as an information source with its broad spectrum of views.

I am attaching an example of what I am talking about. It is the misperception advanced by the press regarding the “outing” of Valerie Plame. This surfaced again with the Scott McClellan’s recent book and a response by Robert Novak, which I summarize on the attached page.

Sincerely,
(signed)



Summarizing Novak’s article from Rasmussen reports:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_robert_d_novak/mcclellan_on_plame

1. Scott McClellan’s book gives the partisan Democratic version of the Valerie Plame affair.
2. That version, widely broadcast by the press, accuses Bush, Cheney and Rove of being involved in leaking Plame’s identity.
3. Actually, it was Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, who leaked Plame’s identity as a CIA employee.
4. Armitage first leaked this to Bob Woodward and then to Robert Novak.
5. Armitage turned himself in to the Justice Department before Patrick Fitzgerald became the prosecutor (of a non-crime)
6. Fitzpatrick’s investigation found no violation of the Identities Protection Act because Plame was not covered by it.

Let me add to the story:
*Because there was no violation, Armitage was not prosecuted.
*Scooter Libby was also not prosecuted for violating the Identities Protection Act but was convicted of perjury in Fitzpatrick’s perjury trap.
*The allegation that Bush, Cheney and Rove were somehow involved in a violation of this act is an effective Democratic talking point started in an open letter by Sen. Chuck Schumer and really should be exposed by the press.