Max Blumenthal - Is Michael Ledeen The Niger Forgery Author?

"Change -- above all violent change -- is the essence of human history."
--Michael Ledeen, "Machiavelli on Modern Leadership

As anyone who has been following the Plamegate investigation online probably knows, the lefty blogs and progressive/liberal electronic media have been scooping the hell out of the mainstream press. One site that deserves special recognition is Raw Story, for breaking the news that John Hannah and David Wurmser are cooperating with Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation. I recommend bookmarking Raw Story and continually hitting the refresh button until indictments are filed.

Until then, the rumor mill will be churning out names of shady figures we haven't heard since the run-up to invading Iraq. One I've been hearing a lot lately is Michael Ledeen, the Machiavellian Mussollini admirer, former Ollie North errand boy, and recent advisor to Karl Rove on Iran issues. The most salient fact about Ledeen -- a longtime associate of right-wing elements in the Italian intelligence service -- is that he was among a group of administration neocons who met with the Italian CIA in Rome just prior to the emergence of the Niger forgeries.