Plame Lawsuit Dismissed

Valerie Plame, whose name launched a federal investigation into who leaked her identity to the press and netted Scooter Libby in a tangled web of contradictions leading to his conviction of perjury and obstruction of justice charges (and commuted by President Bush after Libby was ordered to prison), had her lawsuit against members of the Bush Administration dismissed.

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration in the CIA leak scandal.

Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity in Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.

The fact is that Richard Armitage admitted to being the first person to leak the name to the media, and that no one in the Administration purposefully leaked her name or violated federal law in discussing Wilson's wife.

Expect the whining to begin from the Left and the spin from the Right.

UPDATE:
This story has more details:

Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity in 2003. Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments. Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove and former White House aide I. Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby.

Plame's attorneys had said the lawsuit would be an uphill battle. Public officials are normally immune from such lawsuits filed in connection with their jobs.

It would have been entertaining had this case actually gone forward as the discovery portion would have been a complete hoot, especially when the defense teams would have gotten their licks in on Joe Wilson and his wife, Valerie. I suspect that Wilson is secretly relieved that this matter has been dismissed because he can now claim that it was not only an uphill fight, but the cards were stacked against him, and the Libby conviction shows that he was in the right. Of course, the fact is that Libby was convicted on the basis of not being able to keep his story straight - the same problem that faced various other witnesses against him including Tim Russert. Only Libby was prosecuted, and that came after Fitzgerald knew that Armitage was the leaker. Fitzgerald was busy tying up loose ends in dealing with Libby.

So, once again, I'll trot out an old favorite because this is the one scene that the Left will not get to enjoy - No Fitzmas for you!



UPDATE:
Hot Air wonders whether anyone should be surprised that the AP screwed up its legal analysis of the rationale for the dismissal of the case. They completely ignored pages of the decision? When you have an actual case or document to work from, it's always a good idea to go back and actually read what it has to say. The AP screed ignores key evidence and legal reasoning behind the dismissal. Plame and Wilson failed to state a cause of action and the evidence was stacked against them, including the fact that the defendants were operating in official capacities at all times due to the nature of their jobs. The only thing this decision doesn't address is the actual leak itself - or its legality. It's characterized as unsavory, but that is when seen in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs.

Others blogging this circus: Macranger, Outside the Beltway, Tom Maguire, Michael van der Galien, Paul at Wizbang, Wake Up America, AJ Strata, and memeorandum is keeping tabs on the reactions.

Michelle Malkin wonders whether they'll now go away. Don't count on it one bit. They'll be making the talk show circuit this weekend and expect a movie deal before long too. The inconvenient fact is that the only person who actually leaked matters was Richard Armitage.