July 20, 2004
Take-Out Berger
Sandy Berger places an order to go...
In a story with actions so implausibly stupid we have to keep re-reading them to believe them, former Clinton NSA Sandy Berger absconded with materials from the National Archives related to the 9/11 Commission's investigation, and is currently under investigation for said theft by the DoJ.
Claiming that removing classified material was "incidental" and the result of "sloppiness", justification and prevarication began cascading from defensive Kerry campaign staff and former associates of Berger. Lanny Davis is especially hysterical, offering up his phony indignation to question the scurrilous character of whoever would intone that Berger took classified materials in his socks - in his shorts, jacket, pants, sure, but to suggest a man would steal things in his socks is apparently beneath the pale...
This is utterly preposterous. While the facts are not all in, it appears that he has admitted to removing documents - mind you, this isn't leaving a pair of nailclippers in your carry-on that you take through the baggage screening area, this is actively taking material and placing it on your person - a deliberate act that is not done for any other reason. Who would not notice walking around with half of a filing cabinet in your shorts? Would you not notice it in the car, when you got home, would you not immediately turn around and return said information?
This was a deliberate taking of information, either for purposes of discovery or obfuscation. He's admitted to "inadvertantly" losing some of what he "accidentally" took - like he took the bank teller's pen home. One can only imagine the consternation of the media if it was Condoleeza Rice taking documents - much less shoving them up her jumper and losing them.
You are left with either of two conclusions - one, that Sandy Berger, former National Security Advisor to the President, is a fool of comic proportions. Or two, that he acted with intent to take materials for reasons unknown. The former is too unbelievable. The latter creates more questions than answers - why take them, to what end, and who knew? And it gives every Vince Foster conspiracy navel-gazer a whole new breath of life...
This may be the biggest news story of the year. It appears The Plumbers may have returned...
Posted by MEC2 at July 20, 2004 10:26 PM