The Parnell Affair Read Online Free PDF Page A

restarted his nuclear program is nothing new,” Jim said.  “But we'd been told about actual evidence of his trying to buy uranium.”
    “Shit,” Tobias said.
    “That's about the size of it, yeah,” Jim said, thinking himself witty again.
    “Come again?” Tobias said.
    “It's shit, or at least it looks that way,” Jim said.  “No one has seen this rumored evidence.  But what's more—and this is the off-the-record part, okay?—the Administration sent someone to look into the possibility of Saddam having tried to buy uranium.  There are only a few places you can try it.  The Amb—uh, oh well—the Ambassador came back and reported that there is no way in hell that Saddam could have purchased uranium from Niger and that there was no evidence he'd tried,” Jim said, chopping the air with his free hand.
    “Niger, huh?” Tobias said.  “Ambassador?  Parnell?  No one knows Africa like Parnell.  And he has a hell of an Iraq story, too.”
    “You didn't hear it from me,” Jim said.  “And I don't know where you'll find someone to go on the record about it—his white paper on Niger throws a major hitch in the Administration's march toward war.  Why they're even bothering—” Jim began but cut himself short with a shake of his head.
    “How many people saw this white paper?” Tobias asked, wondering if the distribution was wide enough to reach someone more daring than Jim.
    “Only the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,” Jim said.  “Maybe Energy.  Most staff haven't seen it, though.  They don't need to.  The Committee members' actions are enough to tip off the rest of the Senate.  Joe has a good reputation,” Jim said, then looked over quick, thinking he'd said too much and wondering why he was so unprofessional with Tobias.
    Tobias waved his hand negligently, to say don't worry about it.
     
    After leaving Jim, Tobias dodged cars crossing Constitution Ave on his way back to his bike.  If the Administration's case for war rested heavily enough on the Niger connection that Jim's Senator thought it safe to spend his time elsewhere after the connection was thrown into doubt, Tobias felt both the theory and whatever the white paper said to refute it were worth looking into.  Congress has yet to stand up to President Howland, Tobias thought, this could mark a shift away from the post-9/11 unity that so much has been made of.  First, however, he'd have to find out what the SSCI had been told about Niger; for that he needed to talk with Joe Parnell.
    Before unlocking his bike, Tobias called a guy he knew at State, Steve Nuttly, a young man on the rise who had quickly impressed the Secretary of State, Nathaniel “Nate” McLean.  Hectic as always, Tobias simply asked Steve what Joe Parnell was doing these days and where he could be reached.  Parnell had apparently set up a policy group a few years ago, Steve said, though he didn't have any contact info on hand.  Tobias thanked him and then called The Washington Observer and had one of the interns find the policy group's phone numbers.  Tobias then biked east.  Jim had it wrong: McGee's coffee was terrible.  Tobias went to a café near his building, taking his intern's return call along the way.  While trying not to look at the pastry case, waiting for his coffee and whole wheat toast, Tobias called Parnell's policy group.
    “Yes, hello, this is Tobias Hallström of The Washington Observer ,” he said when he reached Parnell's secretary.  “I called last week wanting to speak with the Ambassador but was told he was in Niger.  Has he returned to the office yet?”
    “I'm sorry, Mr.—Hallström, was it?—I don't seem to have a record of your call,” a woman's voice said coolly.  It was the kind of voice Tobias imagined might warm up under the right circumstances but wouldn't stand for any nonsense.  “Who told you Mr. Parnell was overseas?”
    “Whoever answered the phone,” Tobias said apologetically.  “I don't