FT.com : White House calls for probe into ex-Treasury chief

"The Bush administration on Monday called for an investigation focused on Paul O'Neill (pictured) after apparently classified documents were aired in a television interview in which the former US Treasury secretary lambasted the leadership of George W. Bush.

The Treasury asked the Inspector-General's office to undertake an investigation into how government documents branded 'secret' came to be screened on CBS television as part of a 60 Minutes interview with Mr O'Neill on Sunday evening ."

Quite interesting that the Bubba administration calls immediately for an investigation into Paul O'Neill, whereas it still hasn't gotten its act together in the outing of Valery Plame. Understandable, perhaps, in practice since it was, according to the Washington Post reporter Robert Novak, a highly-placed administration official who outed Valery Plame. Bush is not going to demand an investigation into his own administration's illegal actions. This was excruciatingly clear as Ashcroft refused until just recently to recuse himself from the so-called investigation.

But the Valery Plame affair was the case of putting a CIA operative in mortal danger, something that Bush Senior descriped as the most heinous crime. In contrast, the O'Neill affair, if there is one, is that of showing to what extent that the administration has lied to Americans. No one is put into danger. The only real danger is that the truth may come out, something that this Bubba administration wants to avoid at all costs.