The Mixed-Up Files of Mr. Bob Woodward

Bloggers are beside themselves over Bob Woodward's revelation that he was told by a “senior administration official” who Valerie Plame was nearly a month before Bob Novak first identified her in his column. There are many theories as to why Woodward would come forth with this information at this time. Kevin Drum theorizes that the blockbuster article comes only because the SAO tipped his hand to Patrick Fitzgerald: “Perhaps Mr. X is a cooperating witness, or perhaps he's someone who started to feel some heat and decided to come forward because he got scared.” We have another theory: Bob Woodward had not been on television in the last week or so.

On a related note: “Are you kidding?” is the new “double super-secret background”:

Woodward's statement said he testified: "I told Walter Pincus, a reporter at The Post, without naming my source, that I understood Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a WMD analyst.”

Pincus said he does not recall Woodward telling him that. In an interview, Pincus said he cannot imagine he would have forgotten such a conversation around the same time he was writing about Wilson.

“Are you kidding?” Pincus said. “I certainly would have remembered that.”

 Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago [WP]

 PLAME UPDATE [The Political Animal]