The recently revealed letter that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby sent to jailed-for-contempt reporter Judith Miller raises more questions than it answers. In something reminiscent of a spy novel, it even appears in sections that Libby is sending Miller a coded message.
The current criminal inquiry is looking into which persons leaked undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to the public. Based on what is of public record, it appears Karl Rove leaked her identity to reporter Matt Cooper and others. Based on Miller’s recent testimony, it appears Libby was her source. It also remains to be seen whether Rove or Libby, or others, lied to investigators and thereby committed additional crimes.
But Libby’s letter is interesting. His closing paragraph reads as follows:
You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover–Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work—and life. Until then, you will remain in my thoughts and prayers.
