Mouthpiece of Crap

What do we make of this?

Matt Cooper's lawyer, referencing the statements of Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, in the Wall Street Journal:

And in there, right at the end of the article about this matter is the following statement: "Mr. Rove hasn't asked any reporter to treat him as a confidential source in the matter," Mr. Luskin said, who I understand is Mr. Rove's lawyer. "So if Matt Cooper is going to jail to protect a source, it's not Karl he's protecting."

Luskin to National Review:

"Look at the Cooper e-mail," Luskin continues. "Karl speaks to him on double super secret background...I don't think that you can read that e-mail and conclude that what Karl was trying to do was to get Cooper to publish the name of Wilson's wife."

Yes, I know the weasel-minded distinction that Luskin's trying to make. It won't fly.

A confidential source is someone who asks for confidentiality before providing -- becoming a source of -- information. Which is what Rove asked of Cooper. Whether Rove wanted, wished or even asked Cooper not to quote him anonymously, he was a confidential source of information, and he asked to be treated as such. Even more importantly, it's irrelevant to Rove's criminal culpability.