Via Josh Marshall, I see that the GOP is resorting to some of their classic “dirty tricks” :

senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Tuesday he had put one of his staffers on administrative leave for improperly obtaining data from the secure computer networks of two senate senators.

Hatch, R-Utah, said preliminary interviews suggested that a former Republican member of the committee staff may have also been involved in penetrating the senate computers.

“I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred,” Hatch said in a statement. “I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch.”

Hatch launched an investigation after Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., protested what they said was the theft of memos from their servers. The memos, concerning political strategy on blocking confirmation of several of President Bush’s judicial nominations, were obtained and reported on by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times.

Hmmm…this all sounds so familiar. Wasn’t there some other story a few years ago about Republicans breaking into a senate something or other? Remember what I’m talking about? It was something about the Republicans stealing something from the Democrats. Watergain? No….that’s not it….Washergate? Hmmm…no…don’t tell me…..

Oh well, I’m sure it’s no big deal.