Can You Say, "Chirac?"

Can You Say, "Chirac?"

The Washington Post reported today that the CIA has seized a huge cache of intelligence files, including the names of several high ranking politicians from countries outside the Middle East.

"The records would stretch 91/2 miles if laid end to end, the officials said. They contain not only the names of nearly every Iraqi intelligence officer, but also the names of their paid foreign agents, written agent reports, evaluations of agent credentials, and documentary evidence of payments made to buy influence in the Arab world and elsewhere, the officials said.

The officials declined to name individuals who they believe received funds or to name the home countries of the alleged recipients. One official said the recipients held high-ranking positions and worked both in Arab countries and in other regions. A second official said the payments were the subjects of "active investigations" by U.S. government agencies.

The recipients of the Iraqi funds were described by U.S. officials not as formal intelligence agents, but as prominent personalities and political figures who accepted money from Iraq as they defended Hussein publicly or pressed his causes."

I wonder which prominent personalities and politicians they might identify? Shall we play pin the tail on the weasel?