The Onion weighs in on Valerie Plame

What’s scary about this Onion story is that it’s not much of a tweak from a real news story. The highlights: A White House administration official who can be blamed for leaking the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to the press remains at large, White House officials announced Monday. “We are doing everything in ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

What's scary about this Onion story is that it's not much of a tweak from a real news story. The highlights:

What’s scary about this Onion story is that it’s not much of a tweak from a real news story. The highlights:

A White House administration official who can be blamed for leaking the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to the press remains at large, White House officials announced Monday. “We are doing everything in our power to see that the scapegoat is found and held accountable,” President Bush said. “We will not stop until he—or she—is located. Believe me, nobody wants to see the blame placed squarely on the shoulders of a single person, and photos of that individual in every newspaper in the country, more than I do.” As the White House’s search for the scapegoat continues, the Justice Department’s investigative team is also working around the clock to find the ostensibly guilty party. “We’re doing everything we can,” Attorney General John Ashcroft said. “I have assured the president that I will let him know the second we find either the leak or a decent scapegoat. It will happen. He’s out there somewhere.”

UPDATE: The Wahington Post has a real update on the Plame investigation (link via Josh Marshall)

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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