[For excellent summary and analysis of the Comey Bombshell, please read Bob Fertik’s excellent post first.]

As of yesterday morning (May 17th) neither ABC Nor NBC had reported on either their evening or morning news broadcasts what NBC had proclaimed a "rare glimpse of a high-level, late-night power struggle" over the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic wiretapping.

Why so reluctant?

 NBC was referring to then acting Attorney General James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In it, Comey set the foundation for the march to presidential impeachment – a point the mainstream media has yet to admit – or perhaps realize.

Today co-host Meredith Vieira opened the show's May 17 broadcast by stating: "Slippery slope? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales under fire again after some bombshell testimony claiming he tried to make an end run to get the government's controversial eavesdropping program renewed.

And where does that ‘slippery slope’ lead – you guessed it – right to the top. Not surprisingly, this was an issue that President Bush chose to skirt. However, it seems the media’s bobbling of the issue was swiftly outdone by none other than Bush spokesperson, Tony Fratto:

At a press briefing this morning at the White House, reporters peppered Bush spokesman Tony Fratto with questions about the growing intrigue surrounding the attempt to get a hospitalized Attorney General John Ashcroft to sign off on domestic spying in xxx. President Bush deflected questions on the matter yesterday, refusing to confirm that he had dispatched two aides to the hospital or even that the incident too place. Fratto seemed to confirm that it happened today, correcting one reporter who said it happened in a "hotel room", saying it was actually a "hospital room."

Reporters also appeared to trap him when he re-stated the president's position that the White House will not comment on this because it involve a classified program, even though the hospital visit itself is not classified. A reporters replied: If it's so secrect and vital, why aren't you proposing that charges be brought against James Comey, the former #2 in the Justice Department, who revealed the details in congressonal testimony earlier this week?

They also jumped on his statement that the proper committees in Congress had been briefed on the allegedly illegal program, suggesting that they had approved it. Reporters asked if they indeed did approve it (which is unlikely)? Fratto dodged that one.

And, asked if there was anything factually incorrect about Comey's testimony, Fratto replied: "I'm not in a position to comment on reports of Comey's testimony."

So Fratto, in his inexperience just can’t help but let the truth slip out in teeny bits. Either way, the administration should thank the media for trying their darnedest to make this issue about the wrong man.

For example, the Washington Post as with most news outlets, misleads the public by shining the spotlight on Gonzales, "As if...Gonzales didn't have enough trouble, now comes word that, before coming to the Justice Department, Gonzales preyed on the infirm." Recounting Comey's description of the night's events, Milbank notes that "he got FBI Director Robert Mueller to tell his agents guarding Ashcroft not to let Card and Gonzales evict Comey from the room."

Hello? Let's recount the activities...

“The top law enforcement officer in the country - John Ashcroft - refused to sign off that the president's domestic spying program was legal. His people - the justice department's top lawyers - said it was illegal. And knowing that - knowing that spying on US citizens without warrants was criminal - the president ordered it continued.

So: the President of the United States knowingly broke the law, hundreds if not thousands of times, and over several years. He continues to this day."

This is not about Alberto. This is about George W. Bush. Setting up anyone else up as a scapegoat for President Bush is doing the American public and Democracy a grave disservice.