The American Spectator

p> WHO’S TO PLAME? br> Re: George Neumayr’s Three Weeks of the Con Man : /p>

Plamegate is beyond the pale of human comprehension. Isn’t the CIA supposed to be above the petty political bickering that takes place in Washington, D.C.? The CIA’s name is popping up way too much as of late in connection with Capitol Hill shenanigans. The public at large assumes that when a fellow American becomes a “spook” that all political affiliation is left at the front door of the CIA’s headquarters at Langley, Virginia, and this political affiliation is replaced by the absolute protection of the country no matter what.

How can the CIA operate in an environment of anonymity when it has operatives running around, sending husbands on political missions in an attempt to discredit a sitting president insofar as the information is then provided by the mainstream media. Not to be outdone, Senator John Kerry blabs a CIA agent’s name during a congressional hearing. The CIA is supposed to covertly or overtly influence the governments of our enemies and acquire intelligence about them, not influence the very government the CIA has pledged to protect.

p>Maybe the CIA should change its name from the Central Intelligence Agency to the Central Buffoon Agency to reflect the current climate. br> — Melvin L. Leppla br> Jacksonville, North Carolina /p>

My compliments to Mr. Neumayr in his attempt to maintain a sense of decorum while opining on the antics a world class political hack and a media that has jettisoned all semblance of rationality. Let’s begin with the observation that there would not have been a week-long media bloodlust if Rove himself had not released Cooper from his pledge of confidentiality. Not once have I heard any recognition of this fact by the MSM, except for Fred Barnes on Fox. Where are all the kudos from the MSM as to what a stand-up guy Rove is by keeping one of their own out of the slammer? (Or am I being a bit too Pollyanna-ish?) Why is a NYT reporter still in jail? What source has not released her from her pledge? I don’t buy her nonsense that the release obtained by the feds is somewhat tainted and therefore invalid. Why no MSM demand that Miller give up her source, as they demanded from Novak?

The editors of the WSJ chastised their out-of-control colleagues in their failure to acknowledge that Rove was attempting to keep Cooper from making a bigger fool of himself by sidling up to the proven prevaricator Joe Wilson. Rove has found out that no good deed goes unpunished. Why he just didn’t let Cooper twist in the wind is beyond me. Does any rational person doubt that the media is doing just that to Rove? As to his alleged illegality, Rove’s email provides his exculpation. Do a simple side-by-side comparison of the requisite elements of the federal statute to Rove’s words and the hysteria is over. Couple that with the revelation that it was the MEDIA that outed Plame, and what you end up with is a sense that the inmates are indeed running the asylum. Yet knowing all this, the MSM are intellectually and morally unable to control themselves. In an Orwellian demonstration of journalistic gymnastics, the story subtlety morphs day to day as the media make it up on the fly. Tim Russert is incapable of accurately repeating the President’s words after just playing them for his audience and blithely plods along without missing a beat.