Well, I guess there are always financial interests, and I'm sure the Russian ambassador came screaming that the Bush administration was defaming his motherland, so just to calm things down the Administration had to do something.
And really, it was not very bright of this guy to spill the beans. I can easily imagine his indignation, but this kind of move is best left to the SecState and President. You can't have aides thinking their personal feelings override their duties - and discretion is usually the first of the duties when you're kucky enough to work with the big boys.
No doubt. But the Administrations stance towards the whole thing seems odd. The State Dept. should have been in the lead in getting this sort of thing out in the open. Pronto.