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My View

By John Zutz

There are good reasons to classify information. First, it keeps enemies from knowing what we know about their capabilities. Another good reason is that if enemies know that we possess certain information, they may be able to discern our intelligence methods—how we got the info.

There are also bad reasons to classify. One bad reason would be to conceal information to keep someone from looking bad. The "secret" bombing of Laos and Cambodia is an example of this. The North Vietnamese knew, so certainly the Russians and Chinese knew. The Laotians knew, the Cambodians knew, the plane drivers who dropped the bombs knew. The only ones in the dark were US citizens.

This is closely related to another bad reason to classify documents: to manipulate available information for political purposes. It looks like this is what happened in July 2003, except in this case it was declassification.

Just as the Veteran approached the deadline for the 2005 Memorial Day issue, the news broke, big time. I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby was instructed by President George W. Bush, through Vice President Dick Cheney, to leak classified intelligence documents related to Iraq.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald made the revelation in a court filing. He said the leak was the result of a "strong desire to repudiate claims" made by former ambassador Joseph Wilson in a July 2003 newspaper article. In the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, Wilson was hired by the CIA to evaluate whether Iraq sought to obtain nuclear material from Niger.

The yellowcake accusation was a pivotal point in the assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. That accusation proved to be based on what even newspaper reporters could recognize as a crudely forged document.

Wilson's article helped debunk the yellowcake accusation. In it, he stated, "Some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat."

This leaves a lot of questions to be answered. Over 2,300 dead boys and girls demand answers. A trillion dollars of debt demands answers. Both sides of the congressional aisle ought to be clamoring to hear the answers.

Was the intelligence "massaged" to reach a foregone conclusion? The Downing Street memo says yes. Why else would any administration believe a forged document from dubious sources over a trusted ambassador? And if the ambassador had no credibility, why attempt to discredit him?

And the big one: Why would anyone believe this leak has no connection to the other leak Fitzgerald is investigating, the leak that illegally exposed Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA agent?

Scooter was the source of both leaks. Bush and Cheney were the instigators of one. Does anyone believe Scooter acted alone on the other? Yes? I have a bridge I'll sell you cheap.