Blog For Arizona

Fox News reveals Clarke to be unnamed source

Fox News revealed that Richard Clarke was their source for a 2002 background briefing outlining the Bush Administration's progress on terrorism. The substance of the briefing contradicts some of the allegations regarding Administration policy in Clarke's recent 9/11 commission testimony and his book.

It is highly unusual for a press source to reveal the identity of an official speaking on background, i.e. condition of anonymity, for obvious one obvious reason; they would lose the trust of officials and thus their access to information. But in this case, the White house quickly approved the release of Clarke's identity when Fox News asked.

It really makes one wonder why the White House couldn't so efficiently resolve the Plame affair by similarly granting Novak permission to release the indentities of those who outted a CIA agent while speaking to him on condition of anonymity? Makes one wonder, too, if there might be a some sort of political motivation for the different treatment of the two cases. Heh. No, I must just be imagining things, don't you think?

posted by Michael Bryan @ 3/26/2004 02:35:00 AM