[reformedliberal]

IMO, that is credible. Staffers really run the government and they hear everything.

It may well be that Kerry THINKS his back door negotiations w/Syria will make him seem like an ace diplomat, but just as many will see it as treason or else just plain playing into the hands of the terrorists.

Could this be why all the flak catchers are in meltdown mode?

Be prepared for a big time trashing of WaTi/FNC/WSJ and the *right wing media*, in general. Legacy media will play this as Kerry the super diplomat and play up Indyk's State Department credentials while making his last post (Israel) somehow proof of the very opposite that it is.

Also, this is the sort of thing that will go right over the heads of the electorate, since it will be spun to a fair-thee-well by the NYT and the alphabets.

Of course, recall that this information has been on FR for awhile, now.

Hopefully there is some angle uncovered by WaTi that we are not aware of.

IMO, it may change some inside the Beltway votes, but I doubt it. AFAIK, there is a huge split in DC between the containment vs the pre-emption policies and it is complicated by clientitis. A former State Department staffer with whom I am not speaking until after the election (and perhaps not even then) has nevertheless been bombarding me with all sorts of contradictory *inside* info on our posture towards Iran, for a couple of months. I know the source of his info inside State and his motivation is to change my support from W to not voting, so I have just not responded. He is frantic today and has so far sent 3 separate articles accompanied by his interpretation. This crap varies from we are making accommodations w/Iran to Iran is going to nuke us and it is W's fault to Iran supports Bush as proof of our foreign policy being a tissue of lies.

While I think there is some panic on the left, I suspect the TPs are already printed and distributed and all the real players are already briefed.

[Seattle Conservative]

I've heard from time to time about the Clinton and/or lifetime people in State and other gov't agencies. I suspect it's these folks that do a lot of the 'leaking' to the MSM. Is there any way we can get them out of there; or, are we stuck w them because they are "sitting pretty" and can stay put because they are gov't employees?

[Becki]

It may well be that Kerry THINKS his back door negotiations w/Syria will make him seem like an ace diplomat, but just as many will see it as treason or else just plain playing into the hands of the terrorists.

What if he was aware of and/or helped arrange the "dissapearance" of the WMD into Syria? What better way to undermine the President?

They began very early to set up the "stock piles" bar as justification, even though that was one of several justifications. And they are very sure of themselves now when they say there are none in Iraq.

< /tinfoil hat off >

Becki