The real scandal du jour

While the Bush Administration and the right-wing echo chamber hurl grenades at Newsweek for its Marion Barry-esque mistake (the b%*#h set Michael Isikoff up), a far more serious scandal was revealed in recent days that warrants a major investigation of the executive branch. According to notes taken by a British intelligence official at a White House meeting in July 2002, military action against Iraq was seen as "inevitable" fully seven months before the U.S. and a few brow-beaten allies invaded Iraq.

This revelation, which came out just days before the recent British election, has barely merited a peep here in the United States. In fact, The Washington Post covered it on page A18 of its Friday, May 13 edition, and hardly any other news outlet has covered it since. This is a scandal worthy of an impeachment trial. It makes the White House coffees, Travelgate shenanigans, and half-hearted fellatio of the Clinton years look like high school pranks.

Yet no one in Congress seems to care. The Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee won't even follow through on a commitment to investigate the Administration's decision to go to war. Instead, the subject has been changed to Newsweek's mistake. The abuse of power goes on....