Niger-ian scam

I'm not sure what the National Journal is, so I'm not sure how credible a source they are, but they are reporting (here) that the CIA had expressly briefed VP Cheney and his then Chief of Staff Scooter Libby that the "uranium from Niger" story was not credible, about a month before they nevertheless chose to try to discredit Joe Wilson for releasing the same information.

Regardless of whether you believe Valerie Plame's name was released as retribution or simply to cast doubt on the source of the story, and whether you believe it was an illegal act of treason (revealing the name of a covert operative) or a completely legal telling of something that was already widely known, you have to admit it's a bit troublesome if it turns out that the Administration was willing to go to such lengths to cling to a story their own internal information already knew was bogus.

Liam.