Sand and Fog

Josh Marshall quotes extensively from the Nelson Report take on the Sandy Berger "scandal," weirdly taking classified documents and notes (also classified) from the National Archive while preparing for his 9-11 Commission testimony.

Curious timing, this leak that he was being investigated, since it's been on-going since October, apparently.

Definitely worth reading.

As in any leak, one must always ask who did it, and why. In leaks, the motives can be played either way...sometimes opponents of something think a leak will stop it; other times, proponents leak to discredit opponents, etc., etc. Since the circumstances of Berger's potential discomfiture have apparently been known to a variety of players for several months, we may never know why this story just surfaced now.

-- for what it's worth, the Justice Department denied any involvement in, or political motivation for leaking word of the probe, implying a pure coincidence that it comes days before the Democratic National Convention opens in Boston, and the further coincidence that the 9/11 Commission report is coming this week. (Democrats, of course, darkly hinted that Berger was being thrown out as a diversionary tactic from what is presumed to be an embarrassing report for the Republicans.)

It's going to be a heavy dose of this kind of stuff between now and November.