Tracking Down "Bad Things"
I have been overwhelmed with the exceptional commentray and analysis regarding this criminal investigation. I have not been able to read through all of the blogsites and online news sources I usually review each day. I hope this is an indication that this won't die down soon. If you have read my two last blogs, you will know that I've been very concerned that this allegation will amount to nothing if the pressure sloughs off the administration and justice department.
Joshua Micah Marshall revealed good news this afternoon. A poll taken by the Washington Post revealed today that not only do 69% of Americans support a criminal investigation by a special counsel, but 48% feel that this Wilson/Plame leak is a very serious matter; 34% feel is is somewhat serious. Read Marshall's thoughts here.
While reading Ruminate This, Lisa mentioned that Atrios (Eschaton) posted a link to an online petition from the People for the American Way that we could sign to request the Justice Department to appoint an Indepent Inquiry (Investigation). I signed the petition. This is my way of adding my voice to those who find this matter highly important and want to see it resolved.
On another note of interest, I thought Marshall gave us some nice questions to discuss amongst ourselves--chew on for the day and night. Here are the last three or four paragraphs of his post titled: More On The Classification Information Strategy.
I noted earlier that in his comments yesterday President Bush never referred to the issue of blowing a covert operative's cover, only to his opposition to "leaks of classified information."
Now, what is the whole question we're dealing with here? The Wilson/Plame matter is an outgrowth of the Niger/Uranium controversy. And that's just part of the larger debate about the intelligence wars leading up to the war, the whole matter of politicized intelligence.
One of the questions that's been churning through Washington of late is when some of those disgruntled folks at CIA are going to go to the press and start talking about all the stuff that happened in the lead-up to war. That might involve some 'leaks of classified information' or at least leaks that get close enough to it to make some career person over at Langley scared to talk.
I don't think this is all part of some plan -- at least not one quite fully developed. But just keep this angle in mind: the possibility that the administration is going to try use this controversy to go on the offensive against those who might reveal further uncomfortable truths about what happened in the lead-up to war. After all, what started this whole mess was their attempt to shut up people down in the national security bureaucracy who might already have come forward or might be thinking of doing so.
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