Richard Cohen is a nitwit

Larry Johnson (former CIA operative) slams Cohen for yesterday's pathetic excuse for an op-ed:

The point that Cohen and the other White House hacks have missed is that protecting the identities of intelligence officers, whether they are working under official or non-official cover, is part of national defense. To compromise these identities is to commit an act of treason.

Patrick Fitzgerald understands that he must prosecute within the confines of the law. However, he also understands that what was done to the wife of Ambassador Joe Wilson was more than a rough game of inside the beltway hardball. Karl Rove told Chris Matthews that 'Wilson's wife is fair game'. Not only was she an unfair target, but in going after her the White House political crew unwittingly exposed several intelligence assets and caused the loss of intelligence assets overseas.

Richard Cohen is dead wrong to argue that the best thing Patrick Fitzgerald can do is leave town. To the contrary, the best thing Patrick Fitzgerald can do is a send a clear message to politicians in both parties that when it comes to political hardball intelligence assets must be kept out of the game. At the end of the day our nation's security is no game, it is a matter of life and death.

When I read that column yesterday, I was stunned. Cohen has been ripped to shreds in the blogosphere, and rightly so. Larry Johnson has the most compelling response of them all.

Of course a crime was committed. In this case, the cover-up is not worse than the actual crime (treason), although that is what many white House apologists would have you believe. However, the WH has not done itself any favors by continuing to obstruct justice. The administration should pay the penalty for that as well.