I just received an angry email saying, in effect, “So now Bush says he can de-classify anything he wants just like he says he can spy on anybody he wants, no laws apply to him, yada, yada, yada.”

How curious. If the President of the United States doesn’t have the power to declassify information — who does? The Pope? The ACLU? The Daily Kos?

As Andy has pointed out, there is nothing unusual about releasing the NIE — with some sections remaining classified to protect methods and sources. We have no reason to believe that anyone authorized Libby to leak any sections that would remain classified.

It also is standard practice for every administration to leak to select reporters in advance information that later will be released to the press corps as a whole.

Why? Because that ensures better coverage: When the New York Times gets it first and exclusively they are more likely to put it on the front page and run it big. And a second wave comes later because the other media have to play catch up.

Every reporter in Washington knows this is how it works. If they don’t reflect that in their stories, they are feigning ignorance – either to make a better story or to stick it to Bush; or both.