Ring-around-the-rosie: the NYT and Karl Rove

Did Karl Rove reveal the identity of a CIA agent to a reporter? Is reporter Judith Miller in jail for contempt because she would not reveal the identity of Karl Rove as her source? With its reporter in jail for refusing to reveal her source, is the New York Times doing its best to reveal that Rove was that source? Hmm. Federal law v. journalistic ethics. Nothing's clean about this case.

Rove purportedly "outed" the agent to discredit her husband, Joe Wilson, an administration critic. (Wilson, once a darling of the Left, has since himself been discredited). Although its reporter is in jail for refusing to "out" Rove, the NYT now seems to be breathlessly connecting the dots to "out" Rove -- because the NYT is an administration critic. All's fair in love and politics? Depends on whose ox is being gored.

In the case of Rove, it may be a federal crime to disclose the ID of a CIA agent. In the case of the NYT, it may be a violation of journalistic ethics (having a bit of a rough ride these days -- I'm gratified that journalists are now less trusted than lawyers). Ironic that its reporter is in jail for trying to uphold that old-fashioned concept.

Time will tell if Rove actually ID'd the agent, or confirmed what someone else already knew, or had anything nefarious to do in the whole affair. And if he were Judith Miller's source, where does that put the Times? Below its own reporter on the ethics totem pole?

The Left has busied itself finding Rove's sinister hand in Democrats' defeats since W became President. They are breathless now to bring him down.

It is hugely ironic that the heart of the story is the concept (both legal and ethical) that it is wrong to reveal someone's identity because they might be harmed.