To his discredit, Armitage never owned up to the leak while Washington tore itself apart in 2004 and 2005 when the Plame investigation occupied the focus of Washington much the way special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe does today. And Democrats, or for that matter Plame herself, never showed interest in ruining Armitage the way they ruined Libby.

Libby ended up being convicted of obstructing justice and perjury. He was asked whether he discussed Plame with other journalists. Libby claimed he did not. Other journalists claimed he did.

Even this case is shakier than the partisans would have you believe. Libby’s defense was not allowed to bring in memory experts, who could explain why Libby and other journalists like the late Tim Russert would have conflicting accounts of a phone conversation.