I'm not the one rolling in this non-story like a dog in a dead possum. Cripes, check out some of the leftist blogs, pundits, and the mainstream media.

And yes, everything will be all right. The Democrats are going to run into the wall face first on this attempt like they have on all the previous ones.

From Crossfire today:

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST: It's CROSSFIRE.

The "Question of the Day": Did someone in the Bush White House drop a dime on an undercover CIA employee, just to attack her husband? And, while we're asking questions, just where are those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, anyway? We will debate all of that a little bit.

But first, the best political briefing in television, our CROSSFIRE "Political Alert."

It is a felony for a government official to reveal the name of an undercover CIA operative. And yet, according to our own Bob Novak, that is precisely what the Bush administration has done.

Long before the State of the Union address, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson warned the Bush administration that its claim that Saddam Hussein tried buy uranium in Africa was false. Mr. Bush made the false claim anyway. After Ambassador Wilson blew the whistle, the Bushies allegedly told Mr. Novak that the ambassador's wife was secretly working for the CIA.

A Bush administration official tells "The Washington Post" that Mr. Bush's White House tried to peddle the story to six different reporters and that -- quote -- "It was meant purely and simply for revenge" -- unquote. The leak occurred 10 weeks ago. But "The Post" says neither President Bush, nor Attorney General John Ashcroft have even asked the first question about this alleged felony, thus prompting calls for an independent investigation into the incident. So much for restoring honor and integrity to the White House, I guess, Bob.

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST: Paul, I have been beleaguered by television networks around the world, but I am reserving my say for CROSSFIRE.

Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this.

In July, I was interviewing a senior administration official on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told me the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. Another senior official told me the same thing.

As a professional journalist with 46 years experience in Washington, I do not reveal confidential sources. When I called the CIA in July, they confirmed Mrs. Wilson's involvement in a mission for her husband on a secondary basis, who is -- he is a former Clinton administration official. They asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else.

According to a confidential source at the CIA, Mrs. Wilson was an analyst, not a spy, not a covert operative, and not in charge of undercover operatives. So what is the fuss about, pure Bush-bashing?

BEGALA: I don't think so on this one, Bob.

Now, people should know, the law explicitly protects reporters, but the same law makes it a felony for a government official to reveal the name of somebody who is undercover for the CIA. Now, I'm wondering -- 10 weeks ago -- your column ran July 14. It's been 10 weeks. And "The Post" today says that the Justice Department, under John Ashcroft, hasn't done a thing and that Bush hasn't even asked people. Why?

NOVAK: Because there's no great crime involved here, it doesn't seem.

What happens is that, under the law, the CIA must ask the Justice Department routinely to check into all leaks, unauthorized leaks, of any kind. It takes the bureaucracy a long time to work. That happens about one a week. There's about 50 of these a year. The fuss is made on this because it involves Bush.

BEGALA: I think you are being too humble. This is the leak of the year. And if the reports are true, your reporting, which I always do believe -- we disagree about politics, but if those reports are true, it is a serious crime. It's a felony.

We will debate this more, but I'm just curious. You have been doing this, you said, for 46 years. What's it like now to be in the middle of a story, instead of covering a story? How does that feel?

NOVAK: Well, it's not that much fun, believe it or not.

(LAUGHTER) NOVAK: But let tell you this. It's a very odd feeling, when everybody is saying, who are these sources that told me all that, that I happen to know who they were.

BEGALA: Well, I won't insult you by asking. But I do hope that, whoever it is, that we find it out and that that person does a long stretch in a federal prison.

NOVAK: Oh, that's ridiculous.

Read the whole thing. Worth the price of admission to see Begala squirming like a pinned bug until a quick change of subject. To give Begala credit, even after Novak says nobody in the Bush administration leaked this, he slogs on with his prepared presentations on the evils of outing CIA agents. What's really a hoot is watching Novak and these leftists talk about this. Novak KNOWS these guys are full of shit, because he knows the truth. They know he knows this, and yet they have to keep plugging away at it.

By the way, that "CROSSTALK," i.e. these guys jabbering over each other, is why I never watch this show.