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November 17, 2005

Who was Woodward's source? (How could he not mention his involvement?)

Sand in the umpire's eyes?

E&P comes right out with the headline, 'NY Times' Wonders If Cheney Is Key Woodward Source but the NYT story they cite is more restrained in its shout-out: New Disclosure Could Prolong Inquiry on Leak.

Times reporter Todd Purdom is pointedly eliminating suspects:

A senior administration official said that neither President Bush himself, nor his chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., nor his counselor, Dan Bartlett, was Mr. Woodward's source. So did spokesmen for former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; the former director of central intelligence, George J. Tenet; and his deputy, John E. McLaughlin.
A lawyer for Karl Rove, the deputy White House chief of staff who has acknowledged conversations with reporters about the case and remains under investigation, said Mr. Rove was not Mr. Woodward's source.

Mr. Cheney did not join the parade of denials. A spokeswoman said he would have no comment on a continuing investigation. Several other officials could not be reached for comment.

The other favorite of the chattering class: National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley -- which doesn't make for as juicy a story.

Anyone who watched Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's only public announcement knows better than to put money on any of the lips flapping today.

Sidebar: Woodward Faces Questions on Multiple Roles, in the Times:

...In this case, Mr. Woodward appeared on television discussing the C.I.A. leak investigation -- and minimizing its importance -- without his editors, his readers or his television viewers knowing he was privy to information for which other reporters had been subpoenaed.

Even as the role of reporters, including Judith Miller of The New York Times, became central to the case, Mr. Woodward concealed his own involvement, hindering his paper's ability to report fully on the leak investigation...

Yup, it's the Post newsroom's turn for hand-wringing, and the Times reports it.

Posted by Sheila Lennon at 3:00 AM | Permalink