by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
One of the great muckraking teases of the last three years has been Josh Marshall's reporting on the forged Niger uranium documents that lead to the "sixteen words" in Bush's 2003 State of the Union. For months, Marshall tantalized his readers with tidbits that suggested ... well, it's not clear, but it certainly sounded like something that could end up as the plot line behind a late summer action flick. Marshall suggested the story might appear 60 Minutes before the 2004 election, but in the wake of the Dan Rather/Bush National Guard/Electric Typewritter kerfuffle, CBS decided not to air it. Since then, the story behind the Niger documents has largely fallen from the public eye.
Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake spots former CIA analyst Ray McGovern suggesting ... well, I can't actually bring myself to say it, because to do so would bring voice to the idea that reality has plunged into some frightening chimera combining The Long Kiss Goodnight and Noam Chomsky's rantings. But it goes further than anything Marshall ever reported. Now, McGovern has been something of an anti-war gadfly since retirement, and he's not willing to reveal his evidence "yet", but perhaps there is something to look into here.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my tinfoil hat.
