Bernstein suggested it's not leaking if you're a reluctant leaker (lol): "I think there's a lot more guidance than actually giving of information. I always stay away from the term 'leak' because usually it's held to get information out of anybody, including people who are inclined to be willing to give it to you, that usually you still have to do some real pulling and this was the case. He was a very reluctant giver of information...."
Imus followed up: "So he didn't look at what he was doing as being a violation of his oath of office in providing information that they were gathering as an official investigative arm of this investigation, the FBI, in providing the newspaper with this."
Woodward: "Well, it's got all of the ambiguity and the approach, avoidance of human nature. You know, I think he was distancing himself from, so he wouldn't be in a position of, you know, this came in from a specific FBI file, butâ€""
Bernstein: "The truth is we don't know, you know, all of his motivations, and during the period, he was really never asked. You know, I think there was enough trouble when Bob had these brief meetings and conversations to deal with whatever information we were trying to get without going into a question of what was motivating him. So it's only later, much later, that we could really speculate and never have got a complete answer to his motivation."
Is a "reluctant leaker" someone afflicted with a bashful bladder?
Just a little bit pregnant. Reminds me of this old joke: A rich man walks up to a pretty lady, and asks, "Will you go to bed with me for a million dollars?" Immediately, she answers. "Of course." Then the man asks the woman if she will go to bed with him for ten dollars. Indignantly, she responds. "Of course not. What kind of a woman do you think I am?" He answers, "We've already established that. Now we're haggling over the price."