Current Numbers on Plame Affair

CBS and Gallup have posted new numbers on America's feelings concerning the Iraq War, the Plame Affair, and it's importance to America. Some of these numbers are truly staggering:

OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE NATION

Plame leak (8/2005) 41%
Fundraising (3/1997) 40%
Whitewater (4/1994) 16%
Iran-Contra (5/1987) 42%
Watergate (5/1973)* 53%

THE PLAME INVESTIGATION

Americans are skeptical about the Bush administration’s behavior and public statements about the 2003 leak of the name of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame to reporters. Only 12 percent think the Bush administration is telling the entire truth about the matter; more than half –- 55 percent -- think the administration is mostly telling the truth but hiding something, and another 22 percent think it is lying.

REGARDING LEAK, BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS

Telling entire truth - All 12%
Hiding something - All 55%
Mostly lying - All 22%

Many Republicans doubt the administration is telling all it knows to the public. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans think the administration is hiding something or lying -- although 28 percent think it is telling the entire truth. Democrats are much more skeptical. [My emphasis- GS]

In previous polls, a majority of the public also felt the Bush administration was withholding information about the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and the Enron collapse.

As for responsibility for the leak, just over half of Americans think it was someone in the Bush administration. Twenty-one percent think it was not someone in the administration. However, about a quarter don’t know.

In total, 77% of Americans feel that the Administration is hiding something. 3 out of every 4 people you see walking down the street feel that The Administration is lying to them.

57% of Republicans feel that.

This is incredible. The Administration needs to own up. It needs to follow through with its stated ethical guidelines concerning the Plame Affair. And we Americans need to know what happened, and why it happened.