I don't for a minute trust the Bush administration when they say they didn't spy on Amanpour, only because I no longer trust anything they say. But, I think Josh's analysis is spot-on. Namely, we all noticed some hedging going on in the administration's statement on this issue, broadcast on CNN Thursday night.
Josh dissects the parsing of words, and I think he's right.
Remember that what Andrea Mitchell said or asked in her interview of James Risen was this: "Do you have any information about reporters being swept up in this net? (italics added)"So if Amanpour was only "swept up" in the wiretapping, then what did they hear? Who was she speaking to? Did they get any calls her husband was making to John Kerry?
To be 'swept up' in a net isn't the same as being 'targetted' -- just ask dolphins. And toward the end of Ensor's piece on the CNN website, there's some hint that this distinction might be what we're talking about ...
