Last month, Clifford May puts it all together on NRO, analyzing the Plame Affair. He made a very strong case that the actual crime of outing Valerie Plame as a covert ops agent was copmmitted by Joe Wilson, in revealing to David Corn (of The Nation and Fox News) on deep background, that his wife was a real spook.

We still don't know who the targets are in the probe by prosucutor Peter Fitzgerald.

Using a journalist's perspective, May guides us through his reasoning process, as to what likely happened, given what is on the record. Readers are strongly urged to follow the link, simply to get this insider's guide to forensic journalism.

Keep in mind that from early on there were two possible but contradictory scenarios:

1) Members of the Bush administration intentionally exposed a covert CIA agent as a way to take revenge against her husband who had written a critical op—ed.

2) Members of the Bush administration were attempting to set the record straight by telling reporters that it was not Vice President Cheney who sent Wilson on the Africa assignment as Wilson claimed; rather Wilson's wife, a CIA employee, helped get him the assignment. (And that is indeed the conclusion of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee.)

Corn's article then goes on to provide specific details about Plame's undercover work, her 'dicey and difficult mission of tracking parties trying to buy or sell weapons of mass destruction or WMD material.' But how does Corn know about that? From what source could he have learned it?

There is a lot more fascinating reasoning on display here. May reminds us that invetsigators armed with the power to compel testimony are working on the case. The Plame Affair may not turn out to be a triumph for the left in scoring points on Karl Rove. To say the least.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky

Thomas Lifson   8 04 05