Looking for the new Deep Throat brings an old Insider forward

In a crazy, irony-laden throwback to the Watergate era, Bob Woodward testified Monday about his involvement in the Plamegate investigation. The WashingtonPost published a piece today from Woodward on his role, as well as a broader look into what he said he knew and did with that information. Included is a dispute over whether he passed it along to Walter Pincus (who denies hearing of Plame's identity from Woodward). Woodward supposedly received Plame's name from someone in the White House in mid-June - weeks before any of the other journalists involved have said they were sneakily leaked to. There's a fair amount of "he said, she said" in this. But the first thing that comes to mind for me is the insider status Woodward has enjoyed with this White House (look no farther than his book "Plan of Attack" for extensive evidence). Was he viewed as a "friendly" avenue to publication of what the Bushies wanted to get out there? Regardless, it appears that Fightin' Fitzy ain't cooling his jets just yet.

Loads of other ugly stories this morning circulating in the ether. Such as the facility in Iraq discovered to contain 173 severely tortured Sunnis that was being run by Shiite militia forces working under the auspices of the Interior Ministry. Reports of flesh torn from bodies and detainees in comas, presumably from their treatment therein. Sadly, the U.S. Military's boilerplate condemnation sounds so laughably hollow given the current attempts by the Bushies to fight McCain's anti-torture provision in the new Defense appropriations bill. We've so completely lost the high ground in such matters. Also, as American forces are continuing yet another offensive against insurgents in Western Iraq, 5 more Marines were reported killed and 11 wounded when a booby-trapped house led to an ambush. Whether or not you care to look to the horrible truth in the numbers, we're losing soldiers at a furious pace this month. This will only give more rhetorical protection to those in Congress pushing the Bushies for a better plan and more handoff to the Iraqis. Hopefully.

In my favorite absurd defense of the morning that's not somehow tied to the Bushies, Philadelphia Eagles ManChild Terrell Owens is being defended by none other than Ralph Nader. So now T.O. is REALLY screwed. But if this keeps up, T.O. might get on the ballot in New Mexico and Oregon. Stay tuned for updates.

We're back in SF after a handful of days of travel both near and far. Over the weekend we went to a friend's wedding in Carmel-by-the-Sea - a verdant, surfy, well-heeled wonder south of Santa Cruz. Too many golfers in that part of the world for my taste (the wedding itself was actually at a course in Pebble Beach). And trying to find a decent, un-froof-ified cafe to do some writing in Carmel is like searching for a kosher meal in the Salt Lake City airport. Damnably fun times were had, nonetheless. Thereafter we packed Maya into her shipping kennel and headed to DC. I didn't get to meet with Ahmed Chalabi or testify before the Grand Jury, but I did cruise extensively with Maya in tow. The Smithsonian's new Museum of the American Indian was one of our stops (great atrium, less-than-fully-realized exhibits in place thus far), along with the Air and Space Museum (fabulous for a Moon child like me and curious nerds of all ages), the Arts, Culture and Technology Museum (did you know that the pirate shirt from "Seinfeld" is now part of the collection there?), and all the along the Mall since we stayed in a hotel very much nearby. The news of the age seems much more obviously integral there and the plethora of sources at the ready are amazing. Case in point - our hotel had al Jazeera in its cable TV spectrum. But for Maya's sake, it's good to be back on the Left Coast. Hope your own daily search for good news bears fruit. Rock on.