As the allegations of intimidation-by-leaking -- "Intimigate" as some call it -- continue to unfold, the president's problems are multiplying. First, if press reports are accurate, he has a grave national security problem. Someone in the White House has made public the identity of a woman who may have been a "nonofficial cover" operative of the CIA, potentially causing multiple sources of intelligence to go cold. Second, he has a legal problem, for not only is a leak of this kind a breach of national security, it is also a grave criminal offense. Third, he has a political problem, as this story was brought to light by a senior administration official who apparently was so offended by efforts to discredit former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV that he or she exposed the White House's connection to the leak to The Post. Finally, given the failure of the White House so far to demonstrate any urgency in addressing this growing scandal, he faces a loss of public trust.
- - John Podesta.
But wait - now the Justice Department and White House have
Administration sources said they believe that the officials who discussed Plame were not trying to expose her, but were using the information as a tool to try to persuade reporters to ignore Wilson. The officials wanted to convince the reporters that he had benefited from nepotism in being chosen for the mission.
One reason investigators are looking back is that even before Novak's column appeared, government officials had been trying for more than a month to convince journalists that Wilson's mission was not as important as it was being portrayed. Wilson concluded during the 2002 mission that there was no solid evidence for the administration's assertion that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium in Niger to develop nuclear weapons, and he angered the White House when he became an outspoken critic of the war.
"So, yeah, heh heh, sorry, we just meant to impugn Wilson and make him look bad, that's all. Ummmm, and don't worry your little heads about how we found out his wife's name or anything. Or that Cheney's name is all over this thing..."
Dickheads.
More at Billmon's Whiskey Bar.
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