Update: Mac Ranger has insights from his inside sources as to the implications of this:

To answer some emails, yes according to sources Mary will be prosecuted. I doubt that she will actually see trial as she will most likely squeal and squeal loudly.

Now for the fallout.

Her capture is key because of her connections to other key democrats. As Washington insiders know, no one ‘politics’ in a vaccuum, just as it was impossible that no one in Washington circles didn’t know of Valerie Plame’s job, so too Mary Loose Lips didn’t have to look too far for pass information to.

Mac then goes on to note, as I did, Mary is the 5th Clinton NSC staffer caught up in ‘the plan’ to scandalize the Bush administration.

Mary is only the beginning – the four from the NSC – only a small group of a total cabal of others still in operation. Mary’s discovery is a real setback and could spell doom not only for the careers of many still working in the NSC, FBI, CIA, but also in the Senate, House.

Read the whole thing. MAc also points to Andrew McCarthy, who too sees this as the tip of the iceberg.

“McCarthy’s situation cannot be considered in a vacuum. Even with McCarthy considered alone, we are not talking about a single leak – the reporting indicates that she may be a serial leaker, the black-sites story being only the most prominent instance. But the broader context here is an intelligence community that was, quite brazenly, leaking in a manner designed to topple a sitting president. A big question here — maybe not for purposes of guilt under the espionage act, but for the more important policy issue of a politicized CIA — is whether she was part of a campaign that was grossly inappropriate for the intelligence community to engage in.

An iceberg of Democrat dirty tricks on a level that will make Nixon look like a saint.

End Update

Looks like Mary McCarthy has been in a bit of a crime spree when it comes to leaking classified material. As I pointed out in one of my earlier posts, the standard for a whistleblower is to be correct on the facts and trying to stop something wrong from happening. The partisan hack buying some possible future position has a completely different MO. One that would include shot gun leaks on various subjects to various news outlets – shopping stories around.

CNN is reporting Mary McCarthy looks to be the partisan hack type leaker, and this investigation is not done making news:

A U.S. official told CNN on Monday that the CIA officer fired for leaking classified information was accused of a “pattern of behavior,” including multiple contacts with more than one reporter.

…

“It’s not just about one story, it’s a pattern of activity,” the official said.

Officials said the investigation into leaking to Dana Priest of The Washington Post, and other journalists, is ongoing. “It is not over yet,” said one.

The Democrats made a huge tactical error jumping out to defend these crimes and align themselves with a serial criminal. Now Kerry and Harmon will have to defend Mary not just on one leak, but many leaks. Want to bet the leaks all benefit Democrats? Well, time will tell. What we don’t need to see anymore (Mr. Pincus) is the word ‘alleged’ in the reporting:

McCarthy admitted to multiple unauthorized contacts with journalists after failing a polygraph test

How many times does the new media need to report this before the news media accepts it? What are we to conclude from a media that doesn’t seem to believe its own reporting?

And the whistleblower facade can end too. As someone commenting on Tom Maguire’s Just One Minute site noted, Mary McCarthy worked in the one area of the CIA steeped in the details of how to do a proper whistleblow. She has no excuse. And evidently she never tried to use the process:

Two congressional aides — one Democratic, one Republican — both told CNN they knew of no attempt by McCarthy to speak to intelligence committee members about any concerns about CIA activities.

At her level, McCarthy would get a hearing by Congress. Contrary to popular media-spin she was not a low level, helpless employee. This last line has to make you laugh:

Former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, a CNN contributor, has said any CIA employee who wants to raise complaints should address the agency inspector general or the appropriate intelligence committees, not the media.

That would be, of course, where McCarthy worked!