NYT propagandizes to defend fired CIA honcho

Daffyd at Big Lizards pens a gem: Absolutely first-class analysis of the way a liberal paper spins a story to rehabilitate a treasonous, lawbreaking leaker of classified information.

To summarize our story so far: CIA honcho Mary McCarthy told WaPo reporter Dana Priest about a secret network of CIA prisons in Europe. The alleged reason for this was so suspected terrorists could be interrogated using methods barred by U.S. laws.

"60 Minutes" devoted a segment to the charges, and Priest just won a Pulitzer for it. Of course the story tarred the Bush Administration yet again, and generated more anti-American ink in Europe.

Now bloggers have discovered that McCarthy is a long-time max donor to Democrat candidates, and Dana Priest's husband heads a leftist anti-Iraq-war group. Thus both women clearly have an ideological ax to grind. But not only does the NYT not mention this angle, it slants its story to defend and rehabilitate McCarthy. Daffyd nails how they actually do it. Great work.