Despite Being Completely Wrong, We Were Right!
As near as I can tell from this convoluted explanation, that is what Truthout is trying to say about the Leopold articles.
The Rove indictment story is way beyond – in terms of complexity – any other story we have ever covered. In essence, we found out something we were not supposed to find out, and things exploded from there. We were not prepared for the backlash.
On Tuesday, June 13, when the mainstream media broke their stories that Karl Rove had been exonerated, there were frank discussions amongst our senior editors about retracting our stories outright. The problem we wrestled with was what exactly do we retract? Should we say that Rove had not in fact been indicted? Should we say that our sources provided us with false or misleading information? Had Truthout been used? Without a public statement from Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald we felt that it was premature to retract our report.
After spending the past month retracing our steps and confirming facts, we've come full circle. Our sources continue to maintain that a grand jury has in fact returned an indictment. Our sources said that parts of the indictment were read to Karl Rove and his attorney on Friday, May 12, 2006. Last week, we pointed to a sealed federal indictment, case number "06 cr 128," which is still sealed and we are still pointing to it. During lengthy conversations with our sources over the past month, they reiterated that the substance of our report on May 13, 2006, was correct, and immediately following our report, Karl Rove's status in the CIA leak probe changed. In summary, as we press our investigation we find indicators that more of our key facts are correct, not less.
That leaves the most important question: If our sources maintain that a grand jury has returned an indictment – and we have pointed to a criminal case number that we are told corresponds to it – then how is it possible that Patrick Fitzgerald is reported to have said that 'he does not anticipate seeking charges against Rove at this time?' That is a very troubling question, and the truth is, we do not yet have a definitive answer. We also continue to be very troubled that no one has seen the reported communication from Fitzgerald to Rove's attorney Robert Luskin, and more importantly, how so much public judgment could be based on a communication that Luskin will not put on the table. Before we can assess the glaring contradiction between what our sources say and what Luskin says Fitzgerald faxed to him, we need to be able to consider what was faxed – and in its entirety.
What appears to have happened is that – and this is where Truthout blundered – in our haste to report the indictment we never considered the possibility that Patrick Fitzgerald would not make an announcement. We simply assumed – and we should not have done so – that he would tell the press. He did not. Fitzgerald appears to have used the indictment, and more importantly, the fear that it would go public, to extract information about the Plame outing case from Rove.
You see, the more it's disproved, the more right they are. I suspect you've probably pretty well destroyed what credibility you had left with this little foxtrot. Or was it a mambo, I can't tell at this distance. I have it from reliable sources that my horse did too come in at the Kentucky Derby. It was just suppressed to keep me from buying that yacht I had my eye on.
I think you named the site pretty well, guys. Truth.
Out.
UPDATE: Very first comment on the Truthout post "I want some of that stuff you are smoking". As a public service, we here at Blue Crab Boulevard have obtained some of the magic "stuff". Here you go!
By diva, June 19, 2006 @ 11:41 pm
Brilliant analysis:) I think they all inhaled in that press situation room over at truthout! I am finally getting to the point at which I no longer have to read what a rabid Lefty has to say when he or she is proved wrong – I just go through the motions and repeat “It’s fake but accurate” I then laugh and go back to the business at task knowing that the rabid Lefties such as Leopold and the brain trust at truthout are following Murtha into the dark and murky world of insanity characterized by extreme BSD.