[You Dirty Rats]

The Wilfred Brimley character in "Absence of Malice" explained this clearly to Sally Field's attorney - "The privilege doesn't exist". I loved that character:

"A LEAK?? You call what's been going around here a LEAK? Boy, the last time there was a leak like this Noah built hisself a BOAT!"

"Come sundown there's going to be two things true that aren't true right now. One is that the United States Department of Justice is going to find out what in the Good Christ (excuse me) is going on here. And the second is I'm going to have somebody's ass in my briefcase!"

[Congressman Billybob]

Yep, I remember that scene well and fondly. And Brimley said, "I have some subpeeenees in my briefcase...."

Notice to all: there is an error in the column as it appears here. Joseph Wilson IV went to Niger, not Nigeria, and the proper capitol city is Niamey, not Lagos. This correction will be made in the official, published column.

I thank two eagle-eyed Freepers for noting this mistake of mine.

John / Billybob