Hopefully, this is more than just an end of the year bone being thrown.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak of classified information about President Bush’s secret domestic spying program.

The inquiry focuses on disclosures to The New York Times about warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said.

The Times revealed the existence of the program two weeks ago in a front-page story that acknowledged the news had been withheld from publication for a year, partly at the request of the administration and partly because the newspaper wanted more time to confirm various aspects of the program.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Justice undertook the action on its own, and the president was informed of it on Friday.

And then Duffy serves up the ultimate weapon – logic.

“The leaking of classified information is a serious issue. The fact is that al-Qaida’s playbook is not printed on Page One and when America’s is, it has serious ramifications.”

This is the most important point that’s been missing from the debate, until now. In this post 9/11 world, why would anyone want to publicize national security secrets and procedures? Why would anyone want to give our plans and defense mechanisms to our enemies? Why would anyone want to endanger the lives of their fellow Americans?

It’s because they hate Bush and everything he stands for.

Additionally, they hold a leftist political agenda and an ideology that we deserved what happened on 9/11. There are those who believe we were attacked because the US mistreated Muslims. If we just “understand” their needs and sacrifice a little of what we have then they’ll be happy and we will be safe. The manifestation of this mindset births leakers who expose our secret prisons, bang drums of investigation over whether the US tortures prisoners, and work to strip our president of the very powers given him to protect the nation he leads.

Will it stop with this investigation by the Justice Department? I’d hope so, but I’m afraid it won’t. Unfortunately, I think none of this will change until we experience another attack on American soil. That’s the real tragedy.