4-word 20 seconds lasts 3 years

"Columnist Robert Novak said Wednesday that a conversation with White House aide Karl Rove that became an important part of the Valerie Plame affair lasted about 20 seconds."

"Regarding Wilson's CIA-sponsored trip, Novak said he told Rove, 'I understand that his wife works at the CIA and she initiated the mission.' The columnist said Rove replied, 'Oh, you know that, too.'

"'I took that as a confirmation that she worked with the CIA and initiated' her husband's mission to Africa, Novak said. 'I really distinctly remember him saying, "You know that, too."'"

"Novak's column on July 14, 2003, touched off a criminal investigation that has resulted in the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, who faces trial next year on charges of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI. He is accused of lying about how he found out about the CIA identity of Wilson's wife and what he told reporters about it."

Novak-Rove exchange lasted 20 seconds