contrapositive

PLAME WATCH Andrew Sullivan notices this paragraph from today's Rove story in Time:

White House political advisor Karl Rove told the special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame spy case that he heard about Valerie Plame's identity from a reporter--or perhaps from someone else in the administration who said he got it from a reporter--Rove just couldn't be certain or remember which one, a source who has been briefed on his account tells TIME. (Emphasis added.)

So now, three days after the original White House talking points have been shelved, and after a weekend full of GOP efforts to diminish Rove's role while acknowledging his involvement--the information was passed to Rove by a reporter in the first place, we were assured--we get a new story.

Or at least a story broadened, conveniently, to be more difficult to falsify.

If Time's reporting is accurate, it further damages the credibility of Rove and his handlers--if that's even possible.

It also contradicts the New York Times' reporting on the issue. Remember, The Times told us on Friday--in an A1 scoop sourced to a single Rove supporter, no less--that Rove testified that he first learned about Plame from "journalists." Period. Full stop.

Think the editors at The Times wish they could have that one back?

This story is starting to get interesting.