Watching Congressman Westmoreland on CSPAN during the Valerie Plame Wilson hearing was surreal. First the Congressman remarked how there was more press present than at the baseball hearings. He evidently doesn’t appreciate that Mrs. Wilson worked on grave issues of national security concerning nuclear nonproliferation in Iraq and Iran.

Mr. Westmoreland further trivialized the hearings by trying to identify Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s political affiliations. I thought I was watching the McCarthy hearings.

General Hayden, a Bush appointee and head of the CIA, signed off on the statement that Mrs. Wilson was indeed a covert agent. It is a serious day when Congress explores why she was outed, an honorable American and a 20-year veteran.

Once she was outed, the CIA said there’s been a gigantic ripple affect, devastating to our national security.

Mr. Westmoreland needs to stop his partisan snipping and get serious on the issues. It was a sad day for the 3rd District watching him during the hearings.

Katherine Hohn

Newnan, Ga.