Fixing Intelligence

Given the suspiciously inexplicable Downing Street Memo, do we think our fine candidate for the US rep to the United Nations (Bolton) might have a hand in fixing the intelligence around the supposedly high quality idea to invade Iraq?

Slice:

WASHINGTON, June 10 - Senate Democrats have prepared a list of approximately three dozen "names of concern" and are asking the Bush administration for assurances that John R. Bolton did not misuse his access to highly classified intelligence to seek information about them.

The request is outlined in a letter sent Thursday by Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, two of the leaders of the Democratic opposition to Mr. Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the United Nations. The letter was sent to the senior Republican and Democratic senators on the Intelligence Committee, who have also been involved in negotiations with the Bush administration over access to information about Mr. Bolton's actions when he was an official at the State Department.

The letter did not identify those on the list, but Democratic aides said they included intelligence officials and others with whom Mr. Bolton had clashed. They said the Senate Democrats would provide the list to John D. Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, if Mr. Negroponte made clear that he would provide appropriate information in response.

The proposal represents the latest effort by the Democrats to learn more about Mr. Bolton's handling of intelligence information during his four years as under secretary of state. The administration has acknowledged that Mr. Bolton used his authority to obtain the names of 19 American individuals and companies mentioned in communications intercepted by the National Security Agency, but it has refused to give the Senate details.