So are we going to go through this again? A string of efforts by federal officials to try to get reporters to reveal their confidential sources? Remember years ago, in 2004, the likes of The New York Times' Judy Miller, Matt Cooper of Time, and others being threatened with jail if they did not disclose their sources.

Miller actually spent months behind bars before her source came forth.

That led to such a mess and backlash against the press that some still find sources reluctant to speak, even anonymously.

Well, get ready for more, perhaps. With word this week that New York Times reporter James Risen has been subpoenaed to reveal sources used in his 2006 book, “State of War: The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration.” It seems the atmosphere is growing for more.

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz today takes up the issue, noting: “The Justice Department's decision to subpoena a New York Times reporter this week has convinced some press advocates that President Obama's team is pursuing leaks with the same fervor as the Bush administration.”

So here we go again? If the Obama Administration plans to take on the press in the same way the Bush Administration did, be prepared for more wasted time spent going after reporters, most of whom will not give up sources. Others will only do so after their confidential counterparts agree to it.

It is a quick way for the federal government to blame the press if an investigation is not going well, and another way for anti-press sentiment to grow.