Treason’s First Cousin

When a news story picks up a momentum of it’s own and gets increasing coverage and national exposure, it is said to ‘have legs’.

Well, last week’s leaked memo from the Senate Intelligence Committee seems to grown legs and just walked off. At least so it would seem in the mainstream media.

Articles in the mainstream media have emphasized the fact that this memo was leaked or obtained from a trash can (a “fact” since denied by everyone involved). Media articles state that the memo was written by a staffer and not a committee member (a “fact” that is almost certainly untrue). They talk about possible difficulties in obtaining documents as the reason for the memo (a “fact” that is discredited even in the memo itself!) They quote instead the strong anti-Bush rhetoric in the memo to get those statements out in front of the reading public over and over.

Well, they have not talked about the incredibly serious nature of the content of this document. First, I would urge you to read the memo in its’ entirety, available on the Fox News web site (thus far, I have not found it in its’ entirety on any other media site.) You will get a totally different picture than that being painted in the mainstream media, and it is not a very pretty picture.

This memorandum goes far beyond the typical partisan politics that we now accept in Washington. Reading it can only give you the realization that the author and co-conspirators are willing to subvert the integrity of the Senate Intelligence Committee for political advantage for the Democratic Party. They do, in fact, plan to pull the committee leadership along, then spring an ambush just in time for next years election season.

Retiring Democrat Senator Zell Miller, in a press release, stated, “If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin. The ones responsible - be they staff or elected or both should be dealt with quickly and severely sending a lesson to all that this kind of action will not be tolerated, ignored or excused. “

Well, if you think that Senator Miller overstated the case, you should consider the situation carefully.

For those who may have forgotten, the first responsibility of this (or any other) government is to protect its’ citizens. Our principles of free speech and open dissent may allow for frequent and vigorous dialogue and even a healthy dose of politics every few years, but the old saying “Politics ends at the waters edge” should predominate. Political advantage should not be taken at the expense of the safety of the people, especially in time of war.

So if we look at the effects of this Democrat plan to ambush the President in next year’s election, we need to take a hard look at what the impact has been and will be.

First, and foremost, the Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are now full aware of the lengths to which the Democrat members will go for political advantage. They know from this memo that regardless of how much they cooperate (and by all accounts there has been full, albeit naïve, cooperation to this point) the outcome will be the same. The Democrats will challenge the results and push for an independent investigation. This is ludicrous.

Put yourself on this Committee and ask yourself if you would trust the other party in future activities. Then stand back and ask yourself how such a committee, strategically critical to this country, can continue to function in an environment of mistrust and political motivation.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has long been considered to be one of the most, if not THE most, bipartisan committee in Washington. There was good reason for that, and the reason is national security. When that trust has been broken, where do we go now?

Over the coming weeks, you will hear a lot of back-pedaling and spin on this memo. You will hear that it was just a draft from a low level staffer or assistant, which is almost certainly untrue. You will hear that this is a big noise about nothing, and that is most certainly untrue. You will hear the inevitable ‘Everybody does it’ defense, which is beyond ridiculous in this occurrence.

This memo has caused some real damage to our country, and I am in complete agreement with Senator Miller, “if this is not treason, then it is its first cousin.”

My hat is off to you, Senator Zell Miller. I hope we have some more like you, Democrat or Republican, who will have the courage to follow up on this situation and get the Intelligence Committee back to a fully functioning unit.

I respectfully take exception to Senator Miller's evaluation of this memo as a "first cousin" to treason. That relationship is, simply and unfortunately, too distant. It is instead the delinquent younger brother of treason, lacking only the opportunity to mature into its senior transgression.

Fortunately, someone was able to discover this slime trail and expose it to the harsh light of public scrutiny, along with the vipers who hatched this plot. And now what must be done? Nothing less than apology and complete disavowal by every member of the committee, and removal of the memo author from whatever position he holds with the committee. Absent that, the committee republicans should conduct only short, pro forma meetings with no business conducted.

Whatever real business is required should be handled by a meeting of the republican members only. They should exclude all of the democrats from deliberations, as well as from access to any classified materials or briefings, and conduct the committee business as they see fit.

I've gotten no answer back from the letters I wrote to my government employees, Senator Baucus (D), Representative Rehberg (R), or the one to Senator Rockefeller (T). Probably won't either. They're going to sweep it under the carpet.

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