If Carter and Clinton Could Do It...

Power Line notes that President Carter and President Clinton engaged in wiretapping; The Drudge Report published the background info on this today.

Power Line rightly asks, why is Presidential wiretapping only a problem for the New York Times now?

Two obvious reasons: the first, of course, is that President Bush is a Republican; the second is that the Times' writer, James Risen, has a book due out in mid-January. The Los Angeles Times published a story today in which some sources suggested that the book was a factor in the Times going forward with the story.

Does anyone want to take bets as to whether or not Risen will appear on 60 MINUTES?

Meanwhile Newsweek's Jonathan Alter has gone off the deep end into conspiracy hysteria and was allowed to publish a commentary in which his own (negative) beliefs about President Bush's thoughts and motivations are stated as fact. Alter said that "Bush was desperate to keep the Times from running this important story...because he knew that it would reveal him as a law-breaker...It was for that reason—and less out of genuine concern about national security—that George W. Bush tried so hard to kill the New York Times story."

I've hung on to my Newsweek subscription against my better judgment for some time now, as I have a good rate and generally find enough of interest in the magazine to make it worth the price, despite the regular bias found in the political stories. But I now seriously question whether I want to keep funding the magazine when they allow a writer like Alter to make up stories out of whole cloth.

More analysis on Alter at News Busters.

Wednesday Update: Hugh Hewitt interviewed Jonathan Alter on his show Tuesday afternoon. Radio Blogger has the transcript.