Steyn on Plame

Mark Steyn's got an essay in The Spectator that covers the Le Affaire Plame. It's got some sensible conclusions on the problems with the US intelligence community (if you want to go so far as to call it a community; in words taken from Yes, Prime Minister, "it's more a collection of warring tribes").

But the best of the essay is of course stuff like this:

...The Independent summed up the angle most of the press seems to be interested in: ‘Disclosed CIA Officer Fears For Her Life’ — i.e., Ms Plame’s name was leaked in order to put her in danger. The implication seems to be that she’s on some top-secret mission but, like 007, travelling under her own name, perhaps as an innocuous businesswoman: ‘The name’s Plame. Valerie Plame. Universal Export.’

‘Very interesting, Ms Plame,’ replies Blofeld, stroking his cat, in whose litter tray lies the front page of that day’s Washington Post. ‘Any relation to the CIA agent of the same name?’