The Washington Post ran two stories the other day on the sentencing of a space scientist, Stewart Nozette, for espionage for turning over government secrets to someone he thought was working for Mossad. The first one hints at an ideological motivation:

A 54-year-old Maryland scientist said Wednesday that he regretted supplying classified information in exchange for cash to a person he believed was a member of Israeli intelligence but was really an undercover FBI agent.

The story, by Del Quentin Wilber, doesn’t say anything about Nozette’s motivation beyond greed. “Prosecutors say Nozette was motivated to become a traitor by greed.”

The second story on the Nozette case by Wilber and Kathrine Driessen also harps on the greed angle:

Federal prosecutors said Nozette’s motive was simple: greed. In court Wednesday, prosecutors played a video clip of the last meeting between Nozette and the undercover FBI agent in a Mayflower Hotel suite that they said demonstrated his determination to exchange secrets for cash.

Till this in the penultimate paragraph:

Instead of asking him questions, agents crafted an elaborate sting that also took advantage of Nozette’s sympathy for Israel. Nozette is Jewish and his father “fervently supported” the Jewish state, according to defense lawyers.

It’s the only reference to Jewishness or Zionism in the two stories. Crazy. Dual loyalty in action, and the Post buries it.

I must quote Joan Walsh of Salon, appearing on Hardball a few weeks ago, during the federal funding for abortions flap:

The choice issue is a very tough issue, especially for those of us raised Catholic.

Beautiful. A transparent statement about religious-political adhesions, on the part of an outspoken liberal. Chris Matthews is also transparent about his Catholic struggle re choice.

When can we have anything like this conversation about Jewishness and Zionism?

Thanks to Peter Voskamp.