White House actually being hammered by mainstream press?

Naaaah. It can't be. Is this the sign of the Apocalypse? When mainstream journalists actually get off their asses and ask probing, investigatory questions? Surely they've recieved their weekly sedatives and pay-off checks by now, right?

This from the White House press corp briefing today about Karl Rove and the Plame controversy. If you're unfamilar with the intricacies of this growing debate, click here for Salon's latest update:

QUESTION: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this"?

QUESTION: Do you stand by that statement?

MCCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that, as part of helping the investigators move forward on the investigation, we're not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time as well.

QUESTION: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk.

You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?

MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation...

QUESTION: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?

MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.

QUESTION: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything.

Mind you, it's not any sort of drubbing that'll get anyone anywhere. Slapping Scott McClellan around is small-time journalism and his squirmy replies will be barely noticed by most of the American people. What should be happening is that these same journalists should be fielding these same questions, speedball-style, at the Commander-In-Chief. But I'm not holding my breath that that'll happen anytime soon. If ever.

Y'know, looking at McClellan's responses, it's pretty clear that being the Press Secretary for this administration requires heretofore unseen verbal acrobatics and ninja-like ability to dodge a line of questioning. I honestly wonder if Scott's wife has to hose down his pants with a fire extinguisher before they're able to go to bed.

How he sleeps at night is probably a different issue altogether.

Now for some reason I smell a set-up with this Rove/Plame business. Mind you, I don't know what Fitzgerald knows and the man may have something in either knowing where the leak came from and/or who perjured themselves by disavowing knowledge about it. Regardless, the Left Blogosphere has been baited into this kind of bear trap before. The CBS 'memogate' fiasco comes immediately to mind (despite the mountain of additional evidence that still stands uncontested). And with all the admissions from Rove's lawyers that Turd Blossom didn't knowingly reveal Plame's identity, Fitzgerald might just have an easier time with a perjury charge than he would pinning Rove to a violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.

Doesn't make much difference to me. If Rove is connected, the sonuvabitch needs to be taken down. I'll be the first in line to bust out the champagne if he gets nailed for perjury. I'm just skeptical, with the wily dumb-luck nature of this presidency, that anything will truly stick. Or that anything will actually be pursued in this matter.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong.