I confess I haven’t followed this all too closely, but there are plenty of links for readers who want to know more:

here is an email that mike mejia wrote to Risen at the NYT, re sibel:

Dear Mr. Risen,

Since 2002, the New York Times has written several articles on the case of former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds. The substance of nearly all these articles has concerned the U.S. Justice Department’s actions to keep Ms. Edmonds’ allegations about security breaches at the FBI completely classified and top secret. Few of these articles have asked the important question, “Why is the government taking such extreme measures to keep Ms. Edmonds silent?”

Thanks to an article by Vanity Fair in 2005, we know have a good idea that the information the U.S. government is trying to suppress is, at least in part, a political bombshell- namely that the second in line to the Presidency, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, has taken several bribes from Turkey, dating back to the late 90s, in exchange for political favors. Of course, the Vanity Fair story was completely anonymously sourced, and thus was not picked up by the Times.

Now, Sibel Edmonds has two former FBI agents willing to go on the record confirming these allegations against Hastert.

Considering how important the Speaker of the House is to the functioning of the American government, and considering how the current Administration has consistently asked that Americans make sacrifices on our civil liberties in the wake of 9/11, it seems this story that should only be covered by the “paper of record”. I cannot imagine any citizen, regardless of party affiliation, who does not deserve to have access to this very important information.

I think a journalist of your caliber is what is needed to expose this story properly and I urge you to give it your highest consideration.

Sincerely,

Mike Mejia

*crickets* - but a great letter nonetheless. if only i was so eloquent. copy/paste/amend s is your wont.

More. This is truly a fascinating post, and contains juicy oddities about Plame, Hastert and a host of others we like to talk about.

I’ll leave it to more informed readers, but I find it interesting, knowing as I do that the Kurds are pretty much a de facto independent state at this point, and I wonder if our morAnic Republicans in the White House and elsewhere are stupid/clever/uninformed enough to ply both sides of the coin. I doubt that anything good will come of this sort of shady dealing, that’s for sure.