Do as I say, not as I do - well, actually, don't so as I say either

The Justice Department is asking White House staff to sign forms waiving confidentiality agreements they may have had with reporters over the Valerie Plame affair. The idea is that reporters would then be free to reveal the names of those who leaked the information without violating journalistic ethics.

(Sidebar: There are two questions related to that being debated among journalists - and I use the term deliberately to refer to those serious about the craft, as opposed to the numerous hacks who populate much of the ranks of national reporters these days. One of those questions is whether even with such a release, the reporters in question should still feel obligated to protect their sources in order to avoid a slippery slope where possible sources are increasingly pressured into such agreements, which would tend to undermine the whole concept of confidentiality. The other is whether or not the reporters should feel obligated to protect sources in a case such as this where those sources are using confidentiality to cover up their crimes.)

The Daily Misleader reminds us that when

it was first reported that a "senior Bush Administration official" had leaked the name of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, President Bush dutifully pledged his full cooperation and assistance with the investigation. He said, "I'd like to know who leaked, and if anybody has got any information inside our government or outside our government who leaked, you ought to take it to the Justice Department so we can find out the leaker. I have told my staff, I want full cooperation with the Justice Department."

Now, however,

the President appears unwilling to uphold that commitment. Specifically, the Washington Post now reports that the White House "declined to say Monday whether President Bush thinks his aides should sign the forms that would release reporters from any pledges of confidentiality." ...

When asked about the President's stonewalling, White House spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed any inquiries, saying, "That's asking a specific question about matters that should be directed to the career officials at the Department of Justice."

But of course, the question here isn't about what "career officials" at DOJ are doing, but what Bush is doing. So not only are they stonewalling, they're stonewalling about stonewalling.

Footnote: Josh Marshall, who's done yeoman service on this issue, may have been having a little joke or may have been dropping a hint of his own suspicions the other day when he used a pseudonym of "Hopper" to discuss a theoretical guilty party. Several comments noted that Lewis Libby, Dick Cheney's chief of staff, is nicknamed "Scooter." If Josh starts making any references to Phil Rizzuto, we'll know for sure.