A leak of utility. Does it clear or burn Gonzales?

I'm fascinated by this very subtle, very strategic leak.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' assertion that he was not involved in identifying the eight U.S. attorneys who were asked to resign last year is at odds with a recently released internal Department of Justice e-mail, ABC News has learned.....

Gonzales has insisted he left those decisions to his staff, but ABC News has learned he was so concerned about U.S. attorney Carol Lam's lackluster record on immigration enforcement in San Diego that he supported firing her months before she was dismissed, according to a newly released e-mail from his former chief of staff.

The first part, the attention grabbing headline that Gonzales lied, gives credibility to the second and more important claim that Lam's firing was legit and all about immigration.

I see two ways to read this: 1) It offers a bit of support for Gonzales defenders, "Yes, maybe he lied, but there's no underlying transgression. This is all a Democratic witch hunt." -or-

2) It throws Gonzales under the bus gaining it credibility, but at the same time stops the truly damaging part of the investigation, political interference in prosecutions, clearing Rove and the White House of any wrong doing.

Thinking about it, I'm favoring number 2.

Now, about those emails Karl Rove deleted.....

(This is a very clever leak for the day before a hearing. I'm willing to bet they leaked it before they knew the hearings were delayed until Thursday.)

Later: Josh Marshall points out that despite this exculpatory email, nobody ever actually talked to Carol Lam about immigration.