Morning copy 7/21/2005: Brevity is the soul of sleeping in

Big news: "SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China scrapped the yuan's peg to the U.S. dollar Thursday and tied it to a basket of currencies, the central bank said, the first steps in highly anticipated reforms aimed at letting the currency float freely." Cnn/Reuters LINK. And Bloomberg.com account.

Go buy your Apex mini DVD players TODAY. They may be $5 or $10 more expensive next month.

Will that mean less credit debt, or more credit debt for Americans?

Bigger news:

Plame's Identity Marked As Secret
Memo Central to Probe Of Leak Was Written By State Dept. Analyst

By Walter Pincus and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, July 21, 2005; Page A01

A classified State Department memorandum central to a federal leak investigation contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret, a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials.

Note the plural:

Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said.

Ari, Ari, Ari:

Several other administration officials were on the trip to Africa, including senior adviser Dan Bartlett, then-White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and others. Bartlett's attorney has refused to discuss the case, citing requests by the special counsel. Fleischer could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Was the leak leaked and then leaked? Washington Post LINK.

USA Today with John G. Roberts, newscycle 2.5. Personal/Political views tough to determine. USA Today LINK. But, is he an ardent Catholic? Or an ardent U.S. Catholic? Moderate senators cast doubt on filibuster. CNN.com LINK.

British al Qaeda leader questioned in Pakistan. Times Online LINK. 228 suspects detained: AFP LINK.

Statement says that Iraqis not ready to fight for themselves. NY Times LINK.

I look forward to the report on whether sunshine in July is bright.