It started as a small story, and now it’s ballooned into… something that is still very small. But there’s no room for it in the political pages, where the Story of the Day is Bush’s huge success in getting his treasured Medicare bill passed while downplaying the fact that his even-more-treasured energy bill died like the toxically stuffed Thanksgiving turkey that it was.

So there’s not much room to talk about what started last week, when Democratic senators started grousing that their files seemed to have been broken into, resulting in a confidential memo being leaked to the press. At the time (November 17th), singer/songwriter Orrin Hatch had this to say:

“”To have one or two of the Democrats start to scream that somebody stole them (the memos) … is how they try to get around the criticism,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, adding the materials may have come from a “conscience-stricken” Democratic staffer.

Oooh, that was a good one - not just a denial, but a sideswipe that reminded us that those Democrats generally lack consciences. They do things that they know are wrong, but one of ‘em saw the light and recanted…

Except, of course, for the shocking revelation that the conscience-struck Democratic staffer was in fact a conscience-less Republican cyber-burglar. Orrin? Orrin?

“I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred… I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch.”

Somebody nameless was suspended for this heinous and shocking crime, even though there were no apologies from upstanding Orrin about baselessly accusing his accusers and then being proven wrong. But Hatch and his fellow Republicans should be given a break - they have enough on their plate. After all, they have to contend with both a conscienceless opposition and an ever-growing number of nameless underlings who take it upon themselves to commit crimes that benefit their bosses. What’s a good guy to do?

Fortunately, this story will soon join the other intentionally prolonged leak investigations in the remainders bin of national news and won’t cause too much damage. In fact, this li’l item has a head start in its progress towards Somewhere Under The Radar - it’s already there.