Thursday, October 06, 2005

IOKIYART

Here's a tale of treason that won't be told on the wingnut blogs:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A top Pentagon analyst with expertise in the Middle East pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.

Lawrence A. Franklin, 58, said during a plea hearing that he was frustrated with the government and that he had hoped the two members of the lobbying group could use their connections at the National Security Council to influence U.S. policy.

He also admitted giving classified information to a political official at the Israeli embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable than what he gave.

...

Franklin, who was one of the Pentagon's policy experts on Iran and the Middle East, was indicted in June on five charges.

...

According to the indictment, Franklin met periodically with Rosen and Weissman between 2002 and 2004 and discussed classified information, including information about potential attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq.

...

Franklin at one time worked for the Pentagon's No. 3 official, policy undersecretary Douglas Feith, on issues involving Iran and the Middle East.

The article speculates that Franklin will get a slap on the wrist. Maybe Doug Feith appear during the sentencing phase and tell the court to go easy because he "knows Franklin's heart."

I expect to see opinion columns this week from Dennis Prager and Richard Cohen positing that a disproportionate number of traitors are old white conservatives.

Update: In light of Franklin's plea, Michelle Malkin now supports the application of extra scrutiny to conservative white men and supporters of Israel working at the top levels of government and in the military. She says that the lives of American soliders were put at risk due in part to the blinders of political correctness and complancency, and the aggressive racial profiling of white men and conservatives is long overdue. (Sorry, no link to the bigot.)

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