A Starr is Reborn

Some brief time ago, a certain conservative introduced the concept of “treason,” into our partisanized political debate.

I’m second to no one on my hawkish belief that treason is the greatest of all offenses to our country. Let me be clear: Anyone who betrays the safety of America, especially during a time of war, should be held accountable.

But today, I find myself in an increasingly awkward position. It appears that there may be a traitor among the present Administration’s legions of stalwart frontline defenders of America.

In fact, the treason may, and I stress may at this point, even reach as high as Karl Rove. If it turns out that Rove, or others high up in the White House, have, and this is just a technicality mind you, actually committed real treason, then a true American disgrace has been born.

I am not talking the “devil with a stained blue dress” kind of tasteless, disgraceful behavior here. Or the lying about sex sort of treason. That was bad enough.

I am talking the real, old-fashioned Benedict Arnold sort. The type where you give classified information to the enemy and they kill people who are working for you undercover. The treason that they actually punish by shooting you. Namely, outing a CIA undercover agent, whose contacts, now exposed, may well have already been scooped up by enemies of this country and tortured, imprisoned or put to death.

One hopes that Rove knew nothing about these treasonous acts. One hopes that he steps up to the plate and puts the full weight of his influence behind an investigation. Already, the White House has commanded its employees to cooperate fully in the investigation.

As of today, the Justice Department will conduct this as an in-house investigation. I am much relieved. And we can be assured that John Ashcroft has the power to get what he needs, thanks to the new powers granted by the Patriot Act. This Act will allow him to retrieve, from every corner of the White House, all the necessary documents, e-mail and phone logs. He will be free to take anyone, and I mean ANYONE, into custody for any length of time, without their getting lawyered up, until they tell him what they knew and when they knew it.

Ashcroft now has the power to get hold of everything that might shed light on the treasonous acts of political operatives determined to undermine the CIA during our time of war. Fortunately, neither court-approved search warrants, nor writs of habeas corpus will be needed, thanks to the aforementioned Act.

If the treasonous leakers are not found, however, then what? Is the Nation, so weary of independent prosecutors, again to be saddled with one? Senator Joe Lieberman, eager to establish himself as a true hawk, wants one. To put it plainly: Will Ashcroft act swiftly and thoroughly enough to satisfy the American public and Lieberman and his colleagues?

We can only hope and pray that he does. And that we get lucky as a Nation; that it will turn out the guilty parties are a couple of minor players. That this one time the corruption does not flow to the very top.

But if things get bogged down in this “Spygate” affair (I will resist for the moment referring to it as a quagmire), then what? Inevitably, pressure from the “minority opposition” (and the 50 percent of American voters that elected them), will lead us into Independent Council hell again.

Moving swiftly ahead to what is probably already inevitable: When such an external probe takes place, who should lead it? At all costs we must avoid partisanship. So an obvious opposition fave and experienced prosecutor, Janet Reno (my pick for the sure-fired irony and entertainment of it), is out.

That leaves the one that, I expect, the White House must turn to. Someone above reproach (at least to the Republican majority) thorough to a fault, and experienced.

That’s right. Let me be the first to urge that we bring back Ken Starr! He will guarantee that no stone is left unturned. No one can disagree with that...neither Republican nor Democrat.

More importantly, the $70 million or so he spent on the Clinton scandals is certainly looking like a bargain now, in light of the sort of price tags on present-day government spending programs. ¶ 10:40 AM