Near the end of Monday's CBS Early Show,
co-host Harry Smith interviewedactress Naomi
Watts about her latest role as former CIA agent
ValeriePlame in the movie 'Fair Game': "...
a ripped from the headlines truestory of
espionage and betrayal. Naomi Watts plays
former CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose
life was torn apart when her cover was
blown by the U.S. government."
After playing a clip from the new film, Smith
briefly summarized thecontroversy this way:
"Joe Wilson was sent by the CIA to Niger to
determine whether or not yellow-cake uranium
was being exported toIraq....when [he] said
no, the Bush administration said somebody's
gotto pay and that was Valerie Plame." Smith
went on to proclaim: "...it isnot only this very
public story but it is also sort of the private
anguish of this family....That is almost
torn asunder by this."
Smith failed to point out Plame's role in
personally selling herhusband for the
Niger trip in a February 12, 2002 internal
CIA memo,pushed forward by Sen. Kit
Bond in May of 2007: "My husband is
willingto help, if it makes sense, but no
problem if not. End of story....myhusband
has good relations with both the PM
[of Niger] and the formerminister of mines
, not to mention lots of French contacts,
both of whomcould possibly shed light on
this sort of activity. To be frank withyou,
I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's
sloppy work lastgo-round, and I am hesitant
to suggest anything again. However,
[myhusband] may be in a position to assist."
In addition, he failed to mention Plame's
spread in Vanity Fair shortly after her name
was made public or her $2.5 million book deal
which led to the movie deal.
Watts sympathized with Plame and Wilson:
you get to be inside theprivacy of their own
home and see how it affects them as – as,
you know,a couple....the mind-set of who she
was in dealing with this crisisand, as a
mother, a professional, a wife, you know,
all those things.The personal stuff." Smith
remarked that Plame was "almost like
a soccer mom who happens to be a
secret agent" and would be "very
relatable to a lot of people."
Near the end of the interview, Smith
eagerly wondered how Wattsconvinced
left-wing actor Sean Penn to play Joe
Wilson in theBush-bashing film. Watts
described contacting Penn, "Knowing
that thiscontent would really-" Smith
interjected: "Irresistible." Wattscontinued:
"Kind of be irresistible for him. And
Immediately I got amessage back
[from Penn] saying, 'great script, a
necessary story totell.'"
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-
drennen/2010/10/12/cbss-smith-valerie
-plame-movie-cia-agents-life-torn-apart
-bush-adminis
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