Still, Cramer said, some members remain angry and frustrated, and he didn't know why the White House waited so long to inform Congress of its actions.
Ah, the Mediacrats see the writing on the wall. An orchestrated briefing allows a prominent Democrat to endorse what was legal and necessary while mini-slamming the national defense at the same time.
Brilliant.
Democrats lose again. Another one for Bush and Rove.
Did they? How many committee aides bolted right out of the hearing room to find a nice quiet place to call their pet "journalists" with all of the details that were revealed in this "classified" briefing? How much more damage will be done to the NSA's terrorist eavesdropping efforts as more details which will reveal names and methods are splashed all over the front pages of the Thursday morning editions?
I think you've got it just about right. The Dims were looking for a face-saving way to get on the right side of this issue, but they couldn't simply give in to Bush or any of the House or Senate leaders. A mostly unknown sub-chairman in the House qualifies for the role.
The only negative is that now we'll be seeing some more classified leaks as a result. Bush and Rove must've calculated that the trade-off is worth the cost.