During the long and fascinating investigation into the shameful, politically-motivated leak of a CIA officer's name to the press, one blog made its reputation - FireDogLake. Because FDL did two things incredibly well - collating all the important links and posts, and doing its own analysis of documents - it became Plame Central online and its reputation and readership grew rapidly.
As the case finally hits the courtroom, FDL is throwing all its resources at the story, assigning its team to cover everything from jury selection to pre-trial motions. I'll admit that I'm not as obsessed with the case since the confession of former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage - it doesn't seem Watergate-big anymore - but I am still very much interested in how the Plame affair puts the actions of this government into perspective. And I do believe the trial will shine a light into the inner workings of the Bush Administration, especially into the Vice President's office.
Sadly, the lead voice of FDL won't be there to cover the start of the trial she helped make into a national cause - Jane Hamsher faces surgery in the third go-around of her battle against breast cancer. I've tangled with Jane a bit, and with some of the FDL regulars, as readers here know. She's tough, hard-headed, and knows how to deliver a beating in the hardscrabble back alley of blogging. But I wish her the very best, and I'm looking forward to FDL's ground-breaking flood-the-zone coverage. C'mon, and shine that light.
