Enemy Within

This, of course, needs to be noted. From the AP:

A top Pentagon analyst with expertise in the Middle East pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro- Israel lobbying group.

Lawrence A. Franklin, 58, said during a plea hearing that he was frustrated with the government and that he had hoped the two members of the lobbying group could use their connections at the National Security Council to influence U.S. policy.

He also admitted giving classified information to a political official at the Israeli embassy, but said the information he received from the official was far more valuable than what he gave.

"I knew in my heart that his government had this information," Franklin said. "He gave me far more information than I gave him."

Franklin, of Kearneysville, W.Va., pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts and a charge of unlawful retention of national defense information.

So according to the report, apparently what we have here is an intelligence analyst who was "frustrated" with the government and decided to take matters into his own hands to influence an important part of U.S. policy---and in the process essentially flipping the bird to you, me and the law. Pretty effing incredible, isn't it? And how about the cop-out that Israel already had the information, and it wasn't that important anyway?

What's also amazing is the conspicuous lack of outrage from the Right on this. When Sandy Berger had his ethical Waterloo recently, the Right was outraged and justifiably so. I certainly was. But on Franklin? Nothing that I've seen, with one exception. Here's Michelle Malkin after Franklin's arrest:

So far, the commentariat and blogosphere (both left and right sides) have been curiously quiet about the news that Pentagon official Larry Franklin was arrested for improperly passing classified information to AIPAC. Last summer, you may recall, there was quite a bit of analysis--from colleagues I respect and admire--downplaying the case. Despite the arrest and the gravity of the charges, the NY Sun is continuing to pooh-pooh Franklin's alleged actions. There is, as they say, a war on. Franklin's alleged actions are scandalous. The apologists and apathetic are troubling.

And this:

If these charges hold up, I hope fellow conservatives will be as tough--if not tougher--on Franklin as they were on Sandy Berger. This looks bad. Very bad.

And where's Michael "Do you have your gas mask yet?" Ledeen today? Here's what he wrote when the story about Franklin first surfaced:

Plus, they promised their media agents — I mean the journalists — that there would be arrests, and pronto. Nobody's been arrested, and some of the latest stories even quote the 'sources' as saying that the Pentagon target — my pal Larry Franklin — may well be exonerated.

I haven't checked to see if Michael wrote anything about "his pal" today.

Do I need to?