The "honour and dignity of the Bush White House"

According to a recent poll, Bush's approval ratings have fallen below 50 per cent for the first time since September 11,2001, as the American public has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his stewardship both of the economy and the war in Iraq. Now comes a scandal that seriously threatens the Bush administration's squeaky-clean image and in doing so may severely damage Bush's popularity. After all, with the economy in the doldrums and the Iraq situation heading towards quagmire, the last remaining asset of the Bush administration was the public perception of its integrity.

The present scandal began with an Op-Ed piece that Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a career diplomat with extensive experience in Africa, penned for the New York Times on July 6 of this year, discrediting the administration's claim that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase yellowcake uranium from the government of Niger.

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Retribution from the White House was swift. Two as yet unidentified senior administration officials contacted Washington Post columnist, Robert Novak, and leaked to him the information that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked as an undercover operative for the CIA. Novak promptly reported this information in his July 14 column. This revelation did not pass unnoticed. On July 16, David Corn penned a Nation column in which he pointed out that Novak's sources were clearly guilty of violating Federal law.

The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 clearly states that it's a felony, punishable by a maximum of 10 years in jail and a $50,000 fine, to reveal the name of an operative working undercover for the US government. Indeed, Novak's revelation compromised not only Ms. Plame's status as undercover CIA operative (working, as it happens, to prevent the proliferation and distribution of weapons of mass destruction), but every contact she had ever made in her long career as an undercover agent. The gravity of the crime cannot be overstated.

President Bush did not appear particularly keen to find out which two members of his administration had committed this serious felony and the docile mainstream media let the matter rest until September 26 when it was reported that the CIA has formally requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the matter. The DOJ has begun its investigation and both the public as well as prominent voices from both sides of the political aisle are now pressing for the naming of an Independent Counsel.

Bush has -- somewhat half-heartedly and certainly belatedly -- released a statement condemning the leak, but it will be difficult for him to deny that his administration has been caught red-handed smearing one of its critics -- actually the wife of one of its critics - in the most appalling fashion that not only has put her career in jeopardy but also violates Federal law. Perhaps the first President Bush said it best in a speech in 1999: "I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors."

Furthermore, the fact that Bush did not address the issue in July suggests that were it not for the DOJ investigation, he would not have pursued the matter further. The fact also remains that he himself has made no discernible effort to find out identity of the two leakers in his employment.

There have been unconfirmed reports that one of the leakers is none other than Karl Rove, the president's principal political adviser. If this is true and Rove is forced to resign and even stand trial it will be very bad news for Bush. Rove is widely credited with being the chief architect of Bush's political triumphs, and with the election in 2004 looming ever closer, President Bush needs Rove in his corner more than ever.

Even if Rove turns out to have had nothing to do with the leaks, however, Bush is still in trouble. Whoever the leakers are finally revealed to be -- and now it is almost inevitable that their identities will come out -- the dirty tricks of the Bush White House have been revealed for all to see. If this is restoring honor and integrity to the White House, I'd hate to see what Bush considers to be dishonourable.

Zafar Sobhan is an Assistant Editor of The Daily Star.