Lest the Valerie Plame issue get lost...

David Corn suggests that the Democrats are not doing all they could do to help their party's chances in the next election, but also less than they should be doing on behalf of the American public.

The post-Novak column activity--call it Phase II-- could involve more (and more senior) White House officials than the original leak. A Newsweek report suggested that White House aide Karl Rove might have participated in--or condoned--a post-leak campaign. And McClellan has tried hard to not answer questions about this part of the Wilson-leak affair.

Yet Phase II is not the main subject of the criminal inquiry underway. And that investigation is not geared toward uncovering what happened after the leak. This is more a matter for a congressional probe. But--no surprise--none has materialized, and the Democrats have not made a major push for such an investigation. This is a mistake on their part. Should the Justice Department investigation finish with no prosecutions, where will the Democrats be? At that point, they can try to revive their call for a special counsel. But that will look like desperation. And if they then start to holler about Phase II, they will be open to the charge they are beating a dead horse to make political hay.

In order to serve their political interests--as well as the public interest--the Democrats should now be demanding an investigation that covers Phase II. Such a probe could be conducted by either the congressional intelligence committees or the government affairs committees. With the Republicans in charge, the prospects for a bipartisan investigation are nil. But Democrats could lay down a marker and at least try to expand the boundaries of the Wilson-leak scandal. In the Senate intelligence committee, Jay Rockefeller, the ranking Democrat, does have the ability to initiate an inquiry if he can gather five signatures on a request. There are eight Democrats on the committee.

Rockefeller, though, has yet to show any interest in such an investigation. After the panel discussion with the three CIA alumni, I asked him whether the intelligence committee should examine Phase II of the Wilson leak. "How long do you want to do these things?" he replied. "We'd be here for three years." The Democrats clearly believe the Wilson-leak scandal can hurt Bush. But if they are relying on Attorney General John Ashcroft's Justice Department to score political points for them, they may end up disappointed. article

For more on the Wilson affair, click here.

....or do what you want....you will anyway.