Plame Redux

A lot of press ink lately has been given to the topic of Iran. One of the oddest issues of the whole discussion is the wildly different opinions of the various experts on how soon Iran can have a nuclear weapon. The Administration claims they might have one already or are on the verge of having one. Other experts report that they couldn't have a workable model for 8 to 10 years.

The fact is, no one knows. But we have learned recently (reported yesterday on Hardball with Chris Matthews and today on Countdown with Keith Olberman, both on MSNBC, among other places) one of the reasons our intelligence information on the topic is spotty, and it comes back to the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson.

You see, it turns out that Mrs. Wilson's undercover task at the time her cover was leaked to the press by the Administration was... gathering intelligence regarding Iran's WMD capabilities. Yep, that's right, the same Administration that decries leaks of classified information (especially when those leaks expose illegal or immoral behavior on the part OF the Administration) destroyed some of our best information gathering in the field. And they did it not for some noble purpose, but in a petty attempt to smear Joe Wilson for having the audacity to tell the American public information which has since turned out to be true (there was no credible evidence that Iraq attempted to buy uranium from Niger), and in fact more and more of the facts seem to point in the direction of the Administration knowing those claims were dubious at best when they made them.

Now, before someone tries to claim that I'm spinning Mrs. Wilson as some sort of super agent, remember that when she was outed, the CIA was forced not only to remove her from covert duty, but to roll up anything which her outing might have compromised, for example, “Brewster Jennings & Associates”, the CIA front company for Plame Wilson and any number of her colleagues.

So... vital intelligence on Iranian nuclear capabilities lost forever in order to discredit inconvenient (but true) information about Iraq and Saddam Hussein. A vindictive, spiteful act by an inept Presidential Administration, and now we don't know how much of a threat Iran really is.

And they say the leak of the illegal NSA wire tapping program is the one that hurt America.

Liam.