Scandalmongers Nitpicking Sought and Bought

This is an s. This is a b. They look different, yet critics of president Bush are alphabetically challenged – or are just plain nasty. You choose.

First, it was 16 words in Bush’s State of the Union address last January: “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

Then came syndicated columnist Robert Novak on July 14 who wrote:

“The CIA’s decision to send retired diplomat Joseph C. Wilson to Africa in February 2002 to investigate possible Iraqi purchases of Uranium was made routinely at a low level without Director George Tenet’s knowledge.

“Wilson’s mission was created after an early 2002 report by the Italian intelligence service about attempted uranium purchases by forged documents prepared by what the CIA calls a ‘con man.’

“The White House, State Department and Pentagon, and not just Vice-President Dick Cheney, asked the CIA to look into it.”

Wilson is a 15-year Foreign Service officer who served in Baghdad as Saddam’s army crumpled during the 1991Gulf War. President George H. Bush named him ambassador to Gabon, and President Bill Clinton put him in charge of African affairs at the National Security Council until his retirement in 1998.

Wrote Novak: “Wilson never worked for the CIA; but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson’s wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report.”

Whatever the reason, Wilson was sent to Niger. He said in an oral de-briefing that he spent eight days in the capital Niamey “sipping sweet mint tea with about a dozen Niger officials and could find no evidence the Iraq had bought uranium there.”

Note that Wilson’s mission was to determine if the Italian report was credible that Iraq had “sought” uranium – not if it had “bought” it. Nonetheless, the Niger claim of Iraq’s failure to buy undoubtedly was welcome if true.

Novak wrote that “CIA officials did not regard Wilson’s intelligence as definitive, being based primarily on what the Niger officials told him and probably would have claimed under any circumstances. The CIA report of Wilson’s briefing remains unclassified.”

Strangely, Wilson said nothing about Novak’s reference to Mrs. Wilson or her CIA affiliation until 11 weeks later. Then he accused Karl Rove, Bush’s domestic policy advisor, of trying to defame and endanger his wife.

Not so strange, perhaps, is that Wilson’s tardy umbrage coincided with a concerted Democrat attack on Bush’s request for an additional $87 billion to rebuild Iraq.

The point is that no one in the Bush administration “leaked” Mrs. Wilson’s identity. A leak, in beltway blabber, is something derogatory planted with a journalist in order to discredit someone.

It is now known that Mrs. Wilson’s name and CIA connection were well known to at least a half-dozen media types who thought it unimportant.

Novak says he mentioned the connection in passing during an interview he was conducting with “a senior administration official.” That source merely acknowledged what Novak said.

Novak says the official he talked with was “not anyone in the White House.” Wilson has apologized, sort of, to Rove but now hints darkly about State Department “senior officials in the Bush administration.”

Presumably Bush is personally responsible for all that is said and done by the 10,000 government department heads in Washington, D.C. The tar brushes of political partisans are broad, and too many journalists are common gossips circulating venom for the thrill.

Wrap yourself in the cloak of “confidential sources” if you will. However, the President of the United States -- Republican or Democrat -- deserves special consideration.

If the President or his White House staff and cabinet are not the source of contentious leaks, responsible journalists can say he is not the leaker without revealing the identity of who is.

Those -- in addition to Novak -- who know, have a patriotic obligation to clear an innocent President and Commander in Chief even while the self-appointed keepers of secrets toy with our minds.

PARTING SHOTS

French President Chirac kissed the hand of First Lady Laura Bush during her European goodwill tour last week. She pulled away her hand before he could bite off her fingers.

* * *

Wesley Clark, new frontrunner for Democrat presidential nomination, says he believes in the possibility of time travel. Beam me into the White House, Scotty.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist

Williams – leak

Sunday – oct. 5, 2003

6 col head and mug editorial column