Investigation Into Leak Exposing CIA Operative

Re “CIA Leak Is a Poor Excuse for a Scandal,” Commentary, Oct. 2: Max Boot compares White House leaks exposing (and possibly endangering) a CIA agent to Whitewater. Whitewater was a two-bit land deal in Arkansas, and the investigation that went on for years went pretty much nowhere. Whereas, here, we already know several disturbing facts. An administration official deliberately exposed an agent for naked political revenge -- and went so far, according to the Washington Post, as to shop the leak around to various news agencies.

At the very least it destroyed this agent’s career as a covert operative. At the worst it may get Americans and friendly foreign nationals killed. It’s also a felony. And the Justice Department, headed by Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, who has long political ties to political advisor Karl Rove, has assumed the probe, in obvious conflict of interest. Boot insinuates that all this is trivial. He sounds more like a Bush apologist whistling past the graveyard.

David Blum

Bakersfield

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Re “Bush Says Leak Probe Is Job for Justice Dept.,” Oct. 1: This un-credible administration opts for Ashcroft for an impartial investigation? In-credible!

Don Smith

La Mirada

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Re “Washington Abuzz Over a New Kind of Scandal,” Oct. 1: Clearly, our Iraq quagmire itself is a scandal. We should require that our nation’s commander in chief swear under penalty of perjury that he or she will tell Congress and the public the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth before putting our troops in harm’s way.

If such an oath is required even of a witness at a trial involving petty theft, surely we should impose this oath on a public servant whose misbehavior can be globally catastrophic.

We should support our troops by making their commander legally accountable.

Mark Davidson

Pasadena

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Bush wants money to establish a ZIP Code postal system in Iraq (Oct. 1)? Is this man insane?

Barbara D. Mehlman

Los Angeles