At the core of the Robert Novak/Karl Rove/Matt Cooper/Judith Miller morass is a vacuum. It is the vacuum created by the steadfast refusal of Congress to enact a federal journalist-source privilege. Although forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have recognized some version of this privilege, Congress stands mute. Its failure to act has not only produced the quagmire of the Plame affair, but has also undermined our democratic system.
The logic behind the journalist-source privilege is inescapable. Throughout the...
]]>