Leaker in Chief Declassified

Leaker in Chief Declassified

A senior administration official confirmed for the
first time on Sunday that President Bush had ordered the declassification
of parts of a prewar intelligence report on Iraq in an effort to rebut critics
who said the administration had exaggerated the nuclear threat posed by Saddam
Hussein.

But the official said that Mr. Bush did not designate
Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., or anyone
else, to release the information to reporters.

The statement by the official came after the White
House had declined to confirm, for three days, Mr. Libby's grand jury testimony
that he had been told by Mr. Cheney that Mr. Bush had authorized the disclosure.
The official declined to be named, because of an administration policy of
not commenting on issues now in court. Confirmation that Mr. Bush ordered
the declassification was published late Saturday by The Associated Press,
which quoted “an attorney knowledgeable about the case.” Once it
appeared, the administration official was willing to confirm its details.

Bush
Ordered Declassification, Official Says

Now that we know for sure that George W. Bush is our Leaker in
Chief, Bill Kristol has come to a conclusion. Patrick Fitzgerald is out to destroy
the Bush administration.

Leap at will, oh, Weekly Standard man.

It's annoying to Kristol that since Libby testified Bush declassified
the NIE, then instructed Cheney to give Libby the goods, that Fitz hasn't closed
up shop and simply gone home. Bush declassified, he can, it was shared, all
is right with the world, move on.

It is completely lost on the Republicans that selectively leaking
classified information, which was basically declassified on the spot for political
reasons, is antithetical to protecting our national security interests. This
is especially true when Bush does it on the sly.

Imagine Rush and Sean if Bush were a Republican Democrat (oops – thanks, p.m., for the heads up.).

Besides, if President Bush wanted the info out, why not do it
openly? Why hide that you want to rebut the rebutter? Why hide that you think
your rebutter is wrong?

It smells of guilty knowledge and cya actions.

Now, Bill Kristol is trying to make Patrick Fitzgerald into Ken
Starr. Good luck.

President Bush got in trouble on his war story, got nervous, declassified
convenient parts of the NIE to reinforce the war rhetoric, while others went
a step further to make his CIA wife pay.

The Leaker in Chief got it started. He's responsible.