It looks like Republican leaders in the House and Senate are ready to investigate reports last week that the CIA was operating secret prisons in eastern Europe. Apparently the foremost question in their minds isn’t why the hell we’re operating secret prisons, but who squealed to the press :

A newspaper report that the Central Intelligence Agency had set up secret American prisons in Europe for the interrogation of terrorism suspects drew calls today for investigations into who leaked that information.

The C.I.A. itself asked the Justice Department to look into the matter, according to government officials familiar with the unfolding episode. And on Capitol Hill, Republican Congressional leaders called for lawmakers to investigate the affair.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Senate majority leader, and Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois wrote in a letter to intelligence committee chairmen that leaking such information “could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences” for the security of the United States.

Since Frist and Hastert want to go after those treasonous bastards who leaked classified information, maybe they should start asking questions around the water cooler (via tgnyc) :

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We actually have some new information, which is questions now being raised about whether a Republican senator, a Republican, not a Democrat, but a Republican, leaked this classified information. As you know, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist earlier today announcing they are launching a joint committee investigation between both chambers to get to the bottom of who leaked this classified information last week to “The Washington Post,” a story about these so-called secret prisons that are holding terror suspects.

As we reported earlier today, a senior Republican had told CNN that the belief here on the Hill was that perhaps current and former CIA officials had leaked it. But, just a few moments ago, Republican Senator Trent Lott told reporters he believes it was a Republican senator who leaked this information. Lott says the detail of these secret prisons were discussed at last Tuesday’s Republican-senators- only luncheon. That is a luncheon that happens every Tuesday behind closed doors here on the Hill.

And Vice President Cheney normally attends and was there last Tuesday. According to Lott, there was a lot of discussion about this amendment by Senator John McCain to tighten up anti-torture standards, to make sure the government is not torturing terror suspects. Trent Lott basically says that, after that meeting, where this was discussed — quote — “a lot of it” — in that “Washington Post” story — a lot of it came out of that room last Tuesday, pointing to the room in the Capitol where Republican senators met.

Then, Lott added — quote — “We can’t keep our mouths shut. We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us” — Lott saying that believes, as this investigation moves forward, it will wind up being an ethics investigation of a Republican senator or maybe a Republican staffer as well.

Anyone who wants to draw a parallel between this case and Plamegate needs to be reminded that there’s a big difference between a whistleblowing and a slander. Forget Judy Miller, even if it does end up protecting a GOP hack, it’s situations like this that show why we need a reporter shield law.