Jon Krampner

I'm a leftish independent. I've been burned too many times by the corporatism and Republican-enabling of the Democratic Party to consider myself a Democrat any longer, although I sometimes vote for individual Democrats when I feel it makes sense to do so.

I conducted two lengthy interviews with Joe Wilson, one by telephone, and one in person when he and his wife were in Southern California as part of a distinguished speakers series. I also swapped e-mails with him, Valerie Plame Wilson, and Marcy Wheeler, the author of "Anatomy of Deceit."

Originally, I had hoped to interview the Wilsons in New Mexico, but came down with the flu on the Amtrak to Albuquerque, and didn't want to share my germs with them.

I also read many of the key articles about Plamegate, as well as Joe Wilson's book "The Politics of Truth," Valerie Plame's "Fair Game," Marcy Wheeler's "Anatomy of Deceit," Murray Waas' "The United States v. I. Lewis Libby" and the Report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq.