What CAN Be Said In 20 Seconds....

"Listen up, I've got less than thirty seconds here. You know Joe Wilson? He got the gig to Niger because of his wife, and guess what? She's really a secret agent for the CIA-- one 'Valerie Plame'.... Now, I have to insist on anonymity. You do NOT have permission to use my name in any article you write. I'm just a ghost giving you the heads up on what's really going on here...."

That's what could've been said in 20 seconds if Rove spoke really fast, without interruption. But Novak remembers the conversation differently...

Said Novak to Rove: "I understand that [Wilson's] wife works at the CIA and she initiated the mission."

Rove: "Oh, you know that, too."

Novak still refuses to reveal the identity of his primary source-- suffice to say, it was not Karl Rove.

So there you have it... That's what COULD'VE been said in 20 seconds. Yet wasn't.