Novak -- the dupe?

Ambassador Wilson appeared on Meet the Press this past Sunday, where he stated that all the reporters who contacted him, to tell him top administrators were pushing the story that his wife was a CIA operative, had all done so after the Novak article.

However, the Sept 27 WAPost article quoted:

a senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife.

Mebbe. However, we have yet to hear of a single journalist who would state that they heard the statement prior to July 14 -- the date of Novak's article which revealed that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame is a CIA operative.

Now, Novak's been insisting in public that he is not a dupe. However, there is as yet no verifiable proof that anyone was told before Novak. As public knowledge stands now, it may be that Novak was the first leak; and that Rove took the opportunity of his publication to push the story -- which, by itself (just pushing the story, without materially confirming it) is not against the law.

Novak may be the dupe.