18th dayRioting? Plame-Romegate? Who can tell?

It’s hard to tell how many days of rioting have passed in France, since the US press has apparently decided that they’d rather not report much on that story -it was screwing up their “France is the Model for America” Template, too much. It does appear though, that the riots continue and that they are breeching the cities. How odd. We have a hurricane – a natural disaster – with some serious leadership problems (cough-cough Nagin! CoughBlanco) and the pictures go all over the world, for weeks. France has a home-brewed situation a-blazing, and…the stories are not to be found!

Come to think of it, you know another story you’re suddenly reading nothing about? Plamegate! No more Joe Wilson! He was all over the place, and now, suddenly – poof! He’s gone. I don’t mind, I frankly couldn’t bear to look at his smug countenance, but it must be noted: Ever since people began asking serious questions about the role of the CIA in the whole Wilson/Plame non-crime-non-scandal-non-lied-into-war-is-this-connected-to-Able-Danger Playlet, (as AJ Strata notes: “So many Niger CIA issues lead back to the CIA station in Rome, which leads to Valerie Wilson…”) and ever since some have suggested Joe Wilson was the initial and ultimate “leakee”, and ever since some started taking serious looks at whether Sandy Berger’s theft of Top Secret Documents might deserve a special investigation, and at exactly where Tim Russert stands in all of it, and what precisely Andrea Mitchell said, then didn’t say, then maybe said but out of context, and ever since someone leaked REAL National Security information about CIA “prisons,” suddenly, all the sound and fury about the “grave” crime of outing a non-covert CIA agent reveals itself to signify nothing. Except, of course, Scooter Libby may go to jail for 30 years, for – apparently – talking to the press.

Lots of questions not being answered, lots of stories going unreported. My rule of thumb is, always look at who is being very quiet…they’re usually trying to duck out of the way and wait for something to blow over. Vallely says Wilson leaked, Wilson suddenly goes quiet. And increasingly, all roads seem to lead to Rome…where Valerie used to be chief.

Mac on that 1.7 Tons of radioactive material and…some OKC musings?