Treason Defined Downward

It's not surprising, but in a way, still shocking nonetheless...

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required, so no link) this morning is calling the entire Wilsongate scandal a "kerfuffle."

Here's a sample graph:

"This is the context in which Mr. Novak was told that Mr. Wilson had been hired at the recommendation of his wife, a CIA employee. This is hardly blowing a state secret but is something the public had a right to know. When an intelligence operative essentially claims that a U.S. President sent American soldiers off to die for a lie, certainly that operative's own motives and history ought to be on the table. In any event, Mrs. Wilson was not an agent in the field but is ensconced at Langley headquarters. It remains far from clear that any law was violated.

See how the Bush apologists are just not interested, or try to deflect attention away from the real crime. No, to these guys, it's the bigger shame that someone who didn't toe the BushCo. line was used to dig around in this story. If only they had used someone more "dependable," friendlier to the administration...

And of course if she were "ensconced at Langley," then Wilson's wife couldn't possible have been doing anything important or actually running an operation with operatives in the field. The Rethugs are pounding the "she was just an analyst" angle with this.

What I'd like to see in the Justice Department's investigation would be the number of field operatives or important contacts who were compromised with this leak and how many of them were jailed or killed because of it. Unfortunately I think that someone a little more independent of BushCo will be needed to find that. Can you say special prosecutor?

Oh, and one more interesting quote that shows that there may be just a tinge of panic setting in:

"At least we can be thankful that Democrats buried the independent counsel statute during the Clinton years. "Leak" investigations are notoriously fruitless in any case and typically a waste of Justice Department resources. It's especially amusing to see the media whose lifeblood is leaks feigning outrage. "

But the interest is there in the press at long last. I wonder just how long the White House spinmeisters can keep the lid on this one.