A reader asks…could a high-profile U.N. official be looking to influence the American election?:

According to the LA Times account of the evolution of

the story, the “source” was working with CBS News for

a while, then switched to the NY Times (presumably because

it was a more prestigeous channel).

Since the Times’ ostensible news hook was the letter from

El Baradei to the Security Council, the only way a source

could have been working in advance with CBS and NYTimes was

if the source was very close to El Baradei, and able to

influence the timing of the release of the letter. Who

more likely than El Baradei himself, who apparently has

a grudge against Bush?