Indulge me as I put together several stories that may or may not be related.
- Let me stipulate that the latest Dana Priest story about American-run European gulags has hit the administration like a ton of bricks. The byline on this story is Wednesday, Nov. 2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
- Second, allow me to introduce the character of Trent Lott, who just claimed on CNN that the story was provided by none other then a Republican senator. Digby claims that the gulags were discussed by Mr. Cheney as part of his closed door "Torture Yes!" initiative. These meetings occur on Wednesdays, if I am not mistaken. So, that Cheney meeting was on November 2, and if Digby is right, the whistleblower would've immediately gone to Dana Priest that day. http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/
- Note that the activities described are currently illegal under the Geneva Convetion and U.S. law. So Cheney made a big gamble by telling his crew, er, colleagues, about the prisons. A gamble he appears to have lost.
- The desire for vengeance on the part of the neocons is strong, as evidenced by today's statements on the parts of Messrs Hastert and Frist. http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
- A strange incident occurred last week in DC. Emilia DiSanto, chief investigator for Finance Committee Chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, was accosted outside her home and beaten repeatedly with a baseball bat. This occurred on Wednesday evening, Nov. 2. http://www.hillnews.com/...
- The AP story describing the Cheney lobbying session did not appear until Friday Nov. 4th. It clearly references a meeting "this week." Which means that the senators stayed quiet about Cheney's efforts, as you'd expect. Until Friday. At which point, someone ratted Dick out - um - let his comments be known. Perhaps out of disgust at his unusual batting technique. http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/...
Now why did I include number five?
Surely people lobbying for the right to crucify and sodomize wouldn't resort to common Mafia tactics against a Senate staffer to intimidate her boss?
Of course not.
And Charles Grassley is decidedly not the man who gave Priest the info for the Wednesday scoop.
And John McCain, Trent Lott, and Chuck Hagel would never sell a wounded Dick Cheney down the river over a little thing like war crimes. Too much love in that big GOP tent.
*UPDATE:* This fits. It looks like CNN is confirming that [the gulag leak] may have been Republican Senator and *perhaps Republican staffers* as well...from firedoglake
