Oh, You Meant Those Nuclear Scientists in Syria ….

You have to wonder what Chris Hill thought this inspired move would accomplish, other than to put  intelligence sources and methods at risk: 

The U.S. in recent bilateral talks reportedly gave Pyongyang a list of North Korean officials involved in the supply of nuclear technology to Syria, a suspicion the North denies.

A high-level diplomatic source on Monday said that the U.S. obtained the list of officials including nuclear engineers, who were involved in the supply of nuclear technology to Syria, through various intelligence networks. This persuaded the U.S. that the North Korea-Syrian nuclear connection did exist.  [Chosun Ilbo]

So apparently, being even more busted would persuade the North Koreans, being fundamentally reasonable folk, to “come to Jesus.”

A  reader and friend on Capitol Hill e-mails in this morning  to wonder when State will get around to sharing the same information with Congress.  Five months  have passed since  Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Peter Hoekstra, the Ranking Members of the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, wrote a joint Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal complaining that State was keeping Congress in the dark about the Syria-North Korea connection:

If the Israeli airstrike last month is related to covert nuclear collaboration involving Syria and either North Korea, Iran or other rogue states, this may or may not be an issue that can be easily addressed by negotiations alone. It is certain, however, that such a serious international security issue will not stay secret forever.

Congress, therefore, needs to be fully briefed, not just on the details of the airstrike, but on how to address this matter and how, if press reports are true, rogue states will be held accountable for what could amount to a very serious case of WMD proliferation.

We regret that the administration has ignored numerous letters from Congress asking that all members be briefed on the Israeli airstrike. Failing to disclose the details of this incident to the legislative branch, preventing due diligence and oversight — but talking to the press about it — is not the way to win support for complex and difficult diplomatic efforts to combat proliferation by rogue nations.

Until Congress is fully briefed, it would be imprudent for the administration to move forward with agreements with state proliferators. Congress must be a full partner in this process and, from this point forward, must be kept dutifully and currently informed about this matter.  [Wall Street Journal]

Something  seems  very wrong with the idea  of  our State Department  sharing intelligence with North Korea that it  won’t share with Congress.  Since Ehud Olmert is now talking about what his air force bombed in Syria, perhaps he’ll show Congress the courtesy that our State Department won’t.