I’m not paying too much attention to this whole “CIA Leak” story, as I think that the media is playing it up for more than it is.
First off, I don’t really think that someone like Novak would deliberately release the name of a current covert operative. After all his years in Washington, one would think he’d know better.
Second, why is this story just breaking now? The piece by Novak ran back in JULY. That’s 2.5 months ago! A bit slow on the pickup?
I don’t feel like blogging much about it, since others have covered it much more throughly. RWN has info on it (first and second posts)
The folks at the Corner have been all over it too (sorry, there are too many links to provide specific ones)
Instapundit has a few links: On sources, on tasking Wilson, the press.
My desire is for the media to move on from this; and to report other news (and by “other news” I mean things not involving the Laci Peterson case, the Kobi case, etc.)
update: I came across this transcript with Fmr. CIA director James Woolsey on CNN (link from Druge), some important quotes:
BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, “CROSSFIRE”: They asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else. According to a confidential source at the CIA, Mrs. Wilson was an analyst, not a spy, not a covert operative. And not in charge of undercover operatives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: What does it mean if she’s an analyst or operative and not a spy? Is that less serious? Is that the suggestion?
WOOLSEY: Well, most of the time in the business, people don’t really use the word “operative.” Analyst would normally mean — if that’s true — that she worked usually in Washington, that she would be able to admit to people that she worked at the CIA. And it would not be nearly so serious a thing.
WOOLSEY: Well, most of the time in the business, people don’t really use the word “operative.” Analyst would normally mean — if that’s true — that she worked usually in Washington, that she would be able to admit to people that she worked at the CIA. And it would not be nearly so serious a thing.