To the editor:

In fairness, I’d like to make a couple points in response to Cal Thomas’ latest rant on the New York Times (“Bush should shut out Times”).

First, shouldn’t Cal save some of his righteous indignation for the two high-ranking Bush administration officials who gave away the identity of the U.S. undercover agent Valerie Plame? She was working as a trailing spouse, attached to her husband who was a respected U.S. diplomat who could be sent to any foreign capital on official business. Even well-informed conservatives might grant that they were a valuable asset in the war on terror. And was fellow Republican apologist Robert Novak not also guilty of, to borrow a phrase from the president, a disgraceful act that does great harm to the United States of America?

And finally, shooting these latest “leakers” as traitors seems a little harsh since, like all public officials, they swore an oath to defend the Constitution, not the current occupants of the White House.

Tim Hamill,

Lawrence