BY NOW it is no secret that the timing of James Risen’s December 16 bombshell concerning the NSA’s eavesdropping program coincided neatly with the publication of his new book, State of War: The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration. As a veteran reporter covering the U.S. intelligence community for the New York Times, Risen is uniquely positioned to spill at least some of the details of this secret history. But perhaps not in the manner he thinks.

Risen’s book-promoting tour made a stop on NBC’s Today Show with Katie Couric on January 3. Risen used the opportunity to testify to the veracity and nobility of his sources in the NSA eavesdropping matter. According to a summary of his appearance offered by ABC: