Lassoing A Whale Of A Story

While the issues may not have changed much in 24 hours, the political climate has gotten hotter. The Senate debate over homeland security funding should get underway in earnest today. [On C-SPAN now] … the London attacks have raised the stakes and given Democrats, who have long called for increased rail and port security funding, an issue to use against Republicans, who earlier called for $50 million in cuts to such funding. …

But Democrats are going for a double play on both homeland and national security, two issues on which they’re typically at a disadvantage. … Karl Rove’s role in the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s name just might give them an opening to hit Republicans on national security in a way that will resonate beyond the Beltway. Or, it might remain a classic inside-the-Beltway story. … [T]he table of contents for the transcript of yesterday’s White House press briefing read, “Case of leak of name of CIA agent: 2-14.” Meaning that 12 straight pages … [out] of 17 were devoted to reporters’ inquiries, and Scott McClellan’s awkward stonewalling, about Rove’s role in the leak and what Bush will do about it. After the briefing, Democrats began piling on.