Indeed, it’s quite possible that these “leaks” are part of an authorized psychological warfare campaign aimed at bolstering diplomatic efforts and/or strengthening the resolve of anti-regime players in Iran.

In the six days since we first contacted the CIA and the White House, at no time did they indicate that broadcasting this report would jeopardize lives or operations on the ground. ABC News management gave them the repeated opportunity to make whatever objection they wanted to regarding our report. They chose not to.

Almost like they wanted it leaked? Drum thinks so.

Well, so much for 'secret' and 'black op.' Now who do we investigate, censure, impeach or indict for screwing up that one?

Meanwhile, in other non-surprising news, I'm having a martini.

You're not on their e-mail list?

If that’s not the case, however, and these are rogue agents going to the press over internal policy disputes, they should be rooted out and put in jail for a very long time. We simply can not have people entrusted with classified mission going to the press when they don’t like their orders.

I think the concepts of national security and executive privelege are voided by manifest incompetence. When you can't do anything right you don't get to keep secrets from your bosses (i.e. us) about what you are working on for our supposed benefit.

From that perspective I think the whole government has a duty to blow the whistle on *everything* the bush administration is doing. They simply do not deserve one atom of trust anymore.

It looks like overt military action is off the table - for now:
The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence co...

Once Bush and Cheney were forced to decide that attacking Iran was off the table, the logical next step was to wonder whether Iran might not be encouraged to attack us.

(Cf. the famous "Ems dispatch" whereby Bismarck goaded France into declaring war -- that's too classically neat to work today, but it's the gold standard by which similar plans are judged.)

The hysterics on the part of a good bit of the right blogosphere is not unexpected, however, I'm finding the reaction of the left blogosphere puzzling: it's universally negative ranging from charges of war mongering to charges of fascism.

My own reaction is closest to Dan's but I also think that the alternatives are quite limited:

1) One can support the present Iranian regime (all that is necessary for the triumph of evil, etc.);

2) One can support non-military measures to get rid of the present Iranian regime;

3) One can support military measures to get rid of the present Iranian regime.

Since I think the cost of alternative 3 is likely to be unsupportably high, I don't think that Door #2 looks that bad.

Could this make life more diffuclt for Haleh Esfandiari?