Wilson vs. Taricani

For us separation-of-powers enthusiasts, there is an important distinction between the Plame-Wilson case and the Taricani case. In the Plame-Wilson affair, journalists are being asked to tell what they know about the violation of an actual law. It is illegal -- according to a law passed by Congress, signed by the President -- to leak the identity of a covert operative.

In the Taricani case, on the other hand, there was no law broken. There is only a violation of an ad-hoc rule created by a judge.