Another day, another scandal...

The Associated Press is crying foul over the Justice Department's investigation of reporters' phone records in pursuit of a leak about a thwarted terrorist attack. The AP calls this an unprecedented intrusion, and they have no reason to be partisan about it. You can draw your own conclusions about everyone else. As Democrats have pointed out, Republicans were among those calling for the most thorough investigation of the leak at the time it was reported. Now, of course, they may be expected to join the general finger-wagging at the Obama administration. This latest incident fits their narrative of an administration inclined to persecute those who offend it. Democrats can counter that Republican administrations have bullied dissenters and leakers/whistleblowers similarly, the AP's special complaint notwithstanding. That inevitable "you're another" rhetoric doesn't help us figure out what to make of these stories. The ethical truth behind any of the current controversies should have nothing to do with what may hurt one party or benefit another. People determined to defend Obama at all costs aren't helping their real cause, whatever that might be for each person, but the truth of these matters is being amplified, also unhelpfully, by partisanship and headline seeking. We should be in no hurry either to join a Republican rush to judgment or to assume that the truth must be the opposite of whatever Republicans say. All of this month's embarrassments might serve as reasons for principled liberals and leftists to distance themselves from President Obama and the Democratic party. The best way not to be stuck defending them is to stand on our own two feet for once. The more the public comes to understand that liberalism and leftism means more than the Democratic party, the less scandals like these will benefit the other side.