Newscoma

Greg Sargent breaks down the anatomy of two types of political leaks.

There are strategic leaks, which are approved and designed for a particular purpose by Obama’s central command. Then there are the unplanned leaks, which often come from more marginal players — or even from people being considered for an Obama post — and are designed to push a particular individual’s agenda.

When news leaked late last night that Obama is “on track” to formally offer the Secretary of State gig, that had all the hallmarks of a planned leak. It was a shrewd and carefully crafted message. The “on track” language, which appeared in several news accounts, was deliberate: It doesn’t make the offer official, but it does throw the ball back into the Clintons’ court at a time when Hillary’s people are leaking the notion that she hasn’t made up her mind to take the gig.

The leaks that greeted the choice of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff, meanwhile, were unplanned and made a big sloppy mess. This sort of stuff tends to come from opponents of the appointment — others being considered for the gig, or people internally who oppose it.

The leak.

For the average person, it comes from a busted water pipe.

In politics, a totally different thang.