Remember Ambassador Joe Wilson going to Niger to check on the story and then stating that there was nothing to the story? It was all a fabrication, a big lie.
The lie caused a big enough stir that Bush and other high officials had to admit that the statement was not true.
But this was not the end of the story. Evidently a "top White House official" or a "senior administration official" leaked to Robert Novak of the Washington Post that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is an undercover agent for the CIA. Exposing an undercover agent is a crime deserving many years of jail time.
Wilson believes the leaker is Karl Rove. As to why the administration did this, Wilson states:
"It's pretty clear to me that, knowing that they could not shut me up because I had already told my story, the purpose of doing this was to intimidate others and keep others from stepping forward."
Now we hear that the matter was referred to the Justice Department to determine if it is worth running an investigation. Condoleezza Rice has been on TV making "no comment" statements and assuring us that the Justice Deparatment will find the leaking culprit.
If you want the full story, jump to Joshua Marshall's Talking Points Memo.
Lots of work is needed to cover a lie. Outlandish work is needed to cover a big lie.
