Kerry the hypocrite

[rubberneck]

I know that isn't exactly an earth shattering statement but in this case it is really annoying. He and his lackeys made a big deal over someone disclosing Valarie Plame (sp?) role with the CIA to Robert Novack.

During the Bolton hearings yesterday they grilled Bolton over pressuring a CIA analyst over his findings on Cuba. The CIA employee, to that point, was referred to as "Mr Smith" that was until Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar used his real name during public hearings.

While Lugar's gaffe is serious he isn't hypocritical because he didn't lead a witch hunt in the Plame case, Kerry on the other hand did. I wonder if the media will have the heart to take it to Kerry like they took it to the White House during the election. I think I already know the answer to that question.



Senators May Have Blown Cover of CIA Agent
Mr. Smith came to Washington again Monday, as an alias for a Central Intelligence Agency officer who works covertly. Senators, however, may have blown his cover.

During questioning on John R. Bolton's nomination to be President Bush's ambassador to the United Nations, Bolton and members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee referred to "Mr. Smith" as one official among several who were involved in a dispute over what Democrats asserted was Bolton's inappropriate treatment of an intelligence analyst who disagreed with him.

"We referred to this other analyst at the CIA, whom I'll try and call Mr. Smith here, I hope I can keep that straight," Bolton said at one point.

Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., both mentioned a name, Fulton Armstrong, that had not previously come up in public accounts of the intelligence flap.

It is not clear whether Armstrong is the undercover officer, but an exchange between Kerry and Bolton suggests that he may be.

In questioning Bolton, Kerry read from a transcript of closed-door interviews that committee staffers conducted with State Department officials prior to Monday's hearing.

"Did Otto Reich share his belief that Fulton Armstrong should be removed from his position? The answer is yes," Kerry said, characterizing one interview. "Did John Bolton share that view?" Kerry said, and then said the answer again was yes.

"As I said, I had lost confidence in Mr. Smith, and I conveyed that," Bolton replied evenly. "I thought that was the honest thing to do."