Gallup Poll: Americans Suspicious of Bush's Role in Plamegate

Posted on April 11, 2006

A new Gallup poll reveals that the American public is not happy over President Bush's leaking of classified intelligence to punish the wife of a war critic. In fact, a majority believes Bush did something illegal or unethical. 63% of Americans now believe Bush did something either illegal (21%) or unethical, 28% (primarily Republicans) believe Bush did nothing wrong. The poll was conducted April 7-9, 2006.

Plamegate is an easier to follow scandal than most for the public. The White House was mad at Ambassador Wilson for refusing to lie and say that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger, so they outed his wife Valerie Plame as covert CIA agent. Her cover was blown, her career was over and -- naturally -- her husband was furious. So he penned that incendiary Op-Ed piece in the New York Times about what was done to his wife. The CIA gave him permission to write the Op-Ed and the word is that the covert division of the CIA is still livid that the White House would blow one of its operative's cover for political gain.

Aside from the obvious "treason in wartime" issue, it's a really bad idea to start blowing agents' covers just because you don't like their spouses. It has emerged that Valerie Plame was working on the Iran/nuclear weapons issue at the time her cover was blown. She had many years' experience, but she has now left the agency. Plame is a valuable asset who was wasted; she is yet another casualty of the lies and deception of the administration during the run-up to the Iraq War.