Now You Tell Us

The big story today is Bob Woodward's revelation that he learned that Joe Wilson's wife worked at the CIA from an administration official not named Rove or Libby (Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago, A1). Woodward, of course, told prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald who this was, but not the rest of the world. And Woodward says his source told him "he did not believe the information to be clasified or sensitive."

One of the odd things about the story is the sly way reporters Jim VandeHei and Carol Leonnig eventually get around to adding that Woodward says he told fellow Postie Walter Pincus about this, toward the end of the story: 

Downie said he could not explain why Woodward said he provided a tip about Wilson's wife to Walter Pincus, a Post reporter writing about the subject, but did not pursue the matter when the CIA leak investigation began. He said Woodward has often worked under ground rules while doing research for his books that prevent him from naming sources or even using the information they provide until much later.

Woodward's statement said he testified: "I told Walter Pincus, a reporter at The Post, without naming my source, that I understood Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a WMD analyst."  

Pincus said he does not recall Woodward telling him that. In an interview, Pincus said he cannot imagine he would have forgotten such a conversation around the same time he was writing about Wilson. 

"Are you kidding?" Pincus said. "I certainly would have remembered that."

If you say so. Pincus is referred to, not by name, at the end of the fourth graf (after the jump off A1):

...the only Post reporter whom Woodward said he remembers telling in the summer of 2003 does not recall the conversation taking place.

Well, it's not like VandeHei and Leonnig thought they were going to keep Pincus's identity a secret way back on A8. The defensive crouch is still amusing. More so in my house than at the Post I'm sure.

Tom Maguire is already on the case.

Woodward's statement to the public is here.