In the run-up to the Valerie Plame appearance before a Congressional Committee today, MSNBC has been hyping their coverage.

		However, the promo has a factual error.  It says that Scooter Libby was convicted for outing Plame.  He wasn’t.  He was convicted for lying to a Grand Jury and law enforcement during the investigation of the outing.

Technically, it’s a minor point.  Libby and his bosses were trying to harm Plame and her husband Joe Wilson after Wilson’s report of no yellow cake from Niger, which made Swiss cheese of the President’s effort to bomb Iraq.  Still, the promo smacks of Democratic cronyism; Fox News Channel and the GOP will jump all over this as the main story.

Hopefully, today’s testimony will clarify some of the confusing facts of this case.  The GOP and conservative critics continue to say that Wilson lied about his trip.  They contend that Wilson said he was sent by the Vice President’s office.  But Wilson claims he wasn’t sent directly by the Vice President; he was sent because the Vice President’s staff had questions about the story in Niger.  The question still remains, though, who sent him?

One thing is clear: Valerie Plame has lost the covert and classified job she was doing for our government.  Despite this Administration’s claims that they care about our troops and all men and women in service, this story shows a shameful side of a politically motivated White House.  The two leaders of our country will go to any length – including leaking or declassifying secret information – for their own political gains without regard for others safety.  It borders on treason.