The Mystery Senior Administrstion Official?

From David Corn:

Last night, the White House released the transcript of a background interview conducted by reporters aboard Air Force Two with a "senior administration official" who was not identified. Under the guidelines of the interview, the journalists cannot identify the "senior administration official." This is how the transcript starts:

INTERVIEW OF A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL BY THE TRAVELING PRESS
Aboard Air Force Two
En Route Muscat, Oman
3:07 P.M. (Local)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  The reason the President wanted me to come, obviously, is because of the continuing threat that exists in this part of the world on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border -- a threat to Afghanistan, clearly, in our efforts there, the Taliban, cross-border operations; a threat to Musharraf and his government. There were something like seven or eight suicide bombings in the last week or two in Pakistan. And obviously also, the threat to the homeland from the standpoint of operations and activities of al Qaeda in this part of the world -- for example, you go back to the airliner plot last fall, second generation Pakistani militants living in the U.K., but with ties back in al Qaeda areas along the Pakistan-Afghan border. So we've all got an interest, obviously, in trying to address those issues.

Let me just make one editorial comment here. I've seen some press reporting says, "Cheney went in to beat up on them, threaten them." That's not the way I work. I don't know who writes that, or maybe somebody gets it from some source who doesn't know what I'm doing, or isn't involved in it. But the idea that I'd go in and threaten someone is an invalid misreading of the way I do business.

I would describe my sessions both in Pakistan and Afghanistan as very productive. We've had notable successes in both places. I've often said before and I believe it's still true that we've captured and killed more al Qaeda in Pakistan than anyplace else. And I think we're making progress in Afghanistan.

So who's the mystery man? Have enough clues? Air Force Two. The use of the "I" word and "me". The claim of progress in Afghanistan. It can only be Vice President Dick Cheney himself--giving a background briefing to reporters about his own actions and thoughts. Makes you wonder about the geniuses in the White House who refuse to identify this "senior administration official" and then put out this press release. What's happened to the secret-keepers of the Bush White House?