Farago, who once saw corrupt ATF street agents as the cause of Gunwalker, now finds greater exculpation for the higher ups: The Zetas made them do it.

"The Truth About Operation Fast and Furious."

All of which begs the question: why did the ATF allow the guns to walk? How could such an obviously dangerous program—a “sting” that violated Mexican sovereignty—ever have been implemented?

When Operation Fast and Furious broke cover, gun-bloggers “revealed” the ATF’s motives. The Bureau didn’t create the program to stem the supposed Iron River. They wanted to create an Iron River. Guns eTraced from the U.S. to Mexico would enhance the ATF’s power, prestige and budgetary allocation. At the same time, the ATF could use the stats generated by their anti-gun running gun running “sting” to attack the Second Amendment and, thus, usher in legislation to restrict Americans who wish to buy, sell or keep firearms.

From Project Gunrunner to Operation Fast and Furious, “never waste a good crisis” morphed into “never miss a chance to create a good crisis.” Allegedly.

The gun blogosphere’s belief that Operation Fast and Furious was born as an underhanded assault on American gun rights, the conventional wisdom that the ATF and its co-conspirators are guilty of nothing more than stupidity and gross incompetence, is wrong. To understand the truth about Operation Fast and Furious, you have to see the bigger picture . . .

Ah, ha. The bigger picture.

Yes, well.

At his invitation, I had a chat with Farago last night. We agreed that what we said would be off the record.

I do have some basic observations that I would make to anyone regarding this "bigger picture."

1. I have had experience back in the 90s with CIA and FBI disinformation. I have had even more experience with disinformation being "leaked" to me and others during this investigation. Sources must be evaluated and cross-checked. I do not know Farago's sources, but I would say that if he has actual whistleblowers from the CIA or other agencies then he should refer them to the Grassley and Issa folks for evaluation.

2. "A CIA-originated and orchestrated gun smuggling program makes perfect sense." Ah, no, it doesn't. First of all, today's CIA is so risk-averse it isn't funny. Under Leon Panetta, it was even more so. The CIA, like almost every other federal police agency, knew about Gunwalker and likely participated in some part of it, either gathering needed intelligence or looking the other way. However, the CIA, like the ATF, FBI, DEA, etc., didn't "originate" anything of this magnitude. The orders came -- had to have come -- from above, which means the NSC, which means the White House.

3. What is the main thrust of this theory? That "we didn't do it because we wanted to, we did it because the Zetas made us do it." It is, in the broad strokes then, exculpatory of the White House.

4. There is nothing to say that the evil bastards who thought Gunwalker up didn't have multiple goals, or that subordinate agencies (or factions within agencies) might not have taken advantage of a poorly thought-out directive for their own purposes. But the evidence that us poor, addled "bloggers" have collected so far -- and it is evidence, not speculation -- points to a White House conceived and directed plan to boost the numbers of civilian-market firearms in the hands of Mexican drug cartel murderers for political purposes here at home.

5. The best use of disinformation in peacetime for the guilty is to get your truth-seeking opponent to make easily-disprovable charges based upon it, to discredit the whole attack. This story could have been floated by the CIA to inoculate themselves, or by another agency seeking to deflect blame. Anything is possible.

6. Thus, I would suggest to Farago, if he is serious about his theory, to put his sources in touch with the Grassley and Issa folks at the soonest possible moment.