Blowing Smoke

Towards the end of last week, a memo was leaked to Fox News' Sean Hannity regarding the investigation of pre-war intelligence on Iraq. According to the GOP, the memo is an indication that Democrats are trying to exploit the investigation to gain political points. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is demanding that the author of the memo "identify himself or herself...disavow this partisan attack in its entirety" and issue "a personal apology" to the chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence. Frist went on to issue a veiled threat that the investigation will grind to a halt until the admission comes forth.

Talk about chutzpah! The memo is not nearly as nefarious as is being suggested (go ahead, read it), and the way it's being handled by GOP leadership is entirely hypocritical. Remember, this outrage is coming from the same party which has been doing its damnedest to sweep the Plame leak investigation under the rug.

Where's the demand that President Bush force whomever leaked Plame's role with the CIA to "identify himself or herself"? Or when will the President forcefully "disavow" that leak "in its entirety," rather than hiding behind Scott McClellan's obfuscations?

Josh Marshall explains what's going on here.