Before we all knew that the Plame leaker was powerbroker Karl Rove, Dick Armey said we should find out who did the leak and, basically, “Hang the bastard” or words to the same political effect.

See how much more generous he is, now that we know who the leaker was? Armey is full of defenses and justifications now.

Daily Kos: Republican “Consistency”

Dick Armey, circa Oct. 2003:

Now, there was no reason to tell the world about the ambassador’s wife. It was just a short-sighted, self-centered, simple-minded cowardly act of revenge, and who’s paying the cost? The Bush White House… If they ever find [the leakers], they ought to just — they ought to just kick them out of the White House and prosecute them, because…the greater the pretension, the greater the hypocrisy. [CNN, 10/19/03]

Dick Armey now:

We’ve got Karl Rove, who is under this constant attack of political malarkey, who has probably the most documented case of his evidence of anyone in the the whole story. So quite frankly, I think the American people are seeing it for what it is right now. More than anything else it’s a political farce not a matter of national security interests. [Fox News, 7/14/05]