Waterlogged

News analysis | In the CIA/Scooter Libby scandal, when is a leak one leak too many? | Mindy Belz

In the soggy saga that led to Lewis "Scooter" Libby's indictment last week, just which leak was it that breached the once scandalproof hull of the White House ship? The public's mind lists at the inebriating effect of two years' worth of Wilson-Plame-Miller-Cooper-Novak-Libby-who-knows-who's-next revelations.

How ironic that leak-loving Washington reporters will be covering a federal trial growing out of a leading official's purported leak to reporters. After all, word of the indictment itself leaked to The New York Times hours before special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald announced it.

Mr. Libby, who until the Oct. 28 indictment was Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, is accused of serious crimes: one count obstruction of justice, three counts of giving false statements, and one count of perjury. The charges notably do not include disclosure of the identity of covert intelligence personnel, the original intent of the investigation ordered by the Justice Department two years ago. Specifically, did White House officials knowingly identify Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA officer? The charges against Mr. Libby arose instead from his conduct during the Fitzgerald investigation.