A second strike after yesterday’s preemptive nuking. His musings about her political future come near the end; hit play, give it a few seconds to buffer all the way up, then skip to 2:55. After burying the story the day before, the NYT’s now in full propaganda mode on her behalf, laughing off the very idea that something like this might sink her. Gingrich is dead on, though: It’s no longer about what she was told at the September 2002 briefing (okay, it’s partly about that) but rather her willingness to use the Speaker’s platform to impugn the CIA as serial liars. If she has evidence, let’s see it. If not, she’s an even more disgraceful liar than we thought. Hand the gavel to Hoyer.

This was taped before last night’s excruciating “blame Bush” climbdown, so how that affects Newt’s calculus about her staying on we’ll have to wait to see. Meanwhile, a thorny question for Republicans: How hard should the right push for her to go? Steve King’s already called on her to step down, but the more we beat up on her, the more the left will feel obliged to circle the wagons instead of hanging her out to dry. What’s our next move?

Update: Here’s Rove on “Fox & Friends” this morning scoffing at her “blame Bush” nonsense. He doesn’t think the Democrats will boot her but he’s right that she’s damaged goods. Note his vivid description of her performance this week at the very end.