You could go blind looking for the bright side of the Plame investigation, and by that we are not referring to whatever it is you're doing with your fantasies about Judy Miller in jail. The dim ray of hope is the possibility of a federal shield law for journalists, about which there were Senate hearings yesterday. Among those testifying? Norm "Not Above the Law" Pearlstine, who expressed concern that "the pursuit of reporters' notes by federal investigators has had a 'chilling effect' on journalism." True enough, though we must add that it's not until the notes get handed over that the chill is actually felt.

Journalists Push for Shield Law [WP]