Higher level of judgment needed

   Robert Novak, conservative columnist and co-host of CNN’s Crossfire and The Capitol Gang, named a CIA analyst who is married to former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson in a mid-July column for the Washington Post.
   In past weeks, the White House has tried to downplay the possibility of an administration leak.
   The White House staff has been told by the Justice Department to preserve anything having to do with the investigation. White House counsel Alberto Gonzales ordered the staff to save any documents relevant to the investigation, in particular, contacts with Novak, Timothy Phelps of Newsday and Knut Royce, staff writer.
   FBI counterespionage lawyers are conducting an investigation into Wilson’s allegation that his wife’s name was leaked by the administration in order to retaliate against him.
   Wilson, a vocal opponent to the war in Iraq, claims intelligence was manipulated to exaggerate the threat from Iraq before the war and “highly dubious” information about Iraq trying to acquire uranium from Niger made its way into Bush’s State of the Union address.
   Novak, a seasoned journalist, began his career in 1948 as a reporter. He has worked for the Associated Press and several nationally known publications.
   When, in his long, illustrious career, did Mr. Novak get the idea it was okay to “out” a CIA agent?
   With basic understanding of how the world works, he would have realized using her name and occupation could have resulted in death sentences for her and her family.
   Novak claims the CIA did not specifically say using her name might endanger her or anybody else.
   Maybe if someone does not specifically say jumping off a bridge might endanger him or anybody else, Novak might do just that.
   Let’s face it, if an Al Qaeda analyst was discovered stationed in Langley, Va., he would have about one minute to analyze from which direction the bullets would start flying at his head.
   The Washington Post said White House officials contacted six Washington reporters to leak the agent’s name.
   Novak stated that no one in the Bush administration called him to leak the information and further explained he did not receive a planned leak. He stated further that he knew Wilson’s wife worked as a CIA analyst from past interviews with two senior administration officials.
   Even so, he should have used a higher level of judgment and not put her name in a column. Doing so put him on ethical thin ice.
   With national security at the forefront of everyone’s minds, investigation into the matter is absolutely necessary. An independent investigation, what Democrats are calling for, might be the lesser of two evils.
   Though it is clearly an error on Novak’s part for publishing the covert information, at least one other person is in error for giving him the information in the first place.
   Federal law prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of a covert agent’s name, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.