When Is a Leak Not a Leak?

When President Bush and the White House call it a "factual rebuttal"

President Bush has habitually complained about "too much leaking in Washington," but it turns out he used his declassification power to combat attacks on the Administration's case for invading Iraq. Democrats call it a leak. The White House calls it a factual rebuttal. After several days of neither confirming nor denying testimony by ex--White House aide I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, officials close to Vice President Cheney said the President indeed declassified part of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in 2003 but left the method of releasing it up to others. After a conversation with Cheney, Libby delivered the passages to Judith...

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