Quickies

"Let me just say something about leaks in Washington, there are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch, there's leaks in the legislative branch, there's just too many leaks. I want -- and if there's a leak out of the administration, I want to know who it is. And if a person has violated law, the person will be taken care of."
- Bush, 2003

A senior administration official, speaking on background because White House policy prohibits comment on an active investigation, said Bush sees a distinction between leaks and what he is alleged to have done. The official said Bush authorized the release of the classified information to assure the public of his rationale for war as it was coming under increasing scrutiny.
- Washington Post

More from the Washington Post:

Libby also testified that the vice president's legal counsel, David S. Addington, "opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to declassification of the document."

"Well, when the President does it, that means that it's not illegal."
- Richard Nixon to David Frost, 1977