Post frogmarch era: Is this White House out of the woods?

[Stevendsmith]

Does the administration face any political/legal threat to the completion of its second term?

I'm not seeing it.

At least when there was a possibility of a Rove indictment, I thought the house of cards might come crashing down, but I no longer see any serious possibility of that happening. I fear that Bush will go out with a whimper, rather than in a Watergate-style explosion of scandal and disgrace.

[LSparkle]

1. The Libby trial alone is going to be a huge distraction

Will DeadEye Dick have to testify? What about Roverat? Who else? It won't start until after the '06 elections, but it's going to be front-page news for MONTHS. Japanese water torture for those guys, endless waiting for the next shoe to drop.

[Stevendsmith]

4. Will it?

I thought about that, too. And I hope you're right. But I fear that an administration-friendly media (to put it lightly) and a largely apathetic public will combine to make the Libby trial an annoyance at most for the White House.

[LSparkle]

5. We may have taken Fitz off his pedestal around here

but he's still got an excellent track record, and I'm sure he's got some ... interesting ... things up his sleeve for Libby and co. I really don't think Roverat is completely in the clear -- if he went to the G.J. five times, it may be hard for him not to contradict that testimony when he's on the stand ... I trust Fitz to make this trial well worth the wait.

[Stevendsmith]

8. I have no beef with Fitz. He just didn't have the slam dunk goods on Rove

[MissWaverly]

9. I thought the rw pundits are trying to get Libby pardoned now

so there will be no trial.

[BillZBubb]

2. I think they've gotten away with everything

I don't see that changing either.

[dennis4868]

3. I think Bush.....

could take a girl scout to the front lawn of the White House on national TV, shoot her and get away with it. The media/repubs will say he did us a favor because he was fighting terror. There would be a long investigation, and the special counsel would not find enough evidence to indict.

As long as the prez is not dem and is not have illicit relations, he/she can do whatever they want and get away with it. This is a fact in our sorry times.

[Botany]

6. Yes

The Veep shot someone in the face after drinking, they have stolen 2 elections,
and Rove's act of treason now has the washington post kissing his ass and not
a God Damn thing happen to any of them.

The press, the courts, the judiciary system, the dept of justice, the congress,
and 30% of the American people are walking lockstep as we descend into
God knows what kind of country. And years from now if we are still alive
the Sealed v Sealed indictment of Rove, Ohio's 04 election, and the knowledge
that the fossil fuel industry ran this country might come out.

fun fact Exxon is spending 6% of all of the money they make to fight the "idea"
that Global warming caused by the burning of fossil carbon fuels is killing the planet.

[unpossibles]

7. hard to say. If Bush pardons Libby, will it preempt a trial

in other words, if he pardons, it's pretty much been a waste of time, as justice will not have been served. Then again, can he pardon someone for a crime originating in his own office?

[Bake]

13. Pardon means no trial

No more pre-trial discovery requests for embarassing documents from the WH. No trial with Cheney testifying.

That's why I think it's a lock to happen.

Bake

[H2O Man]

14. Almost zero chance ....

There is almost no chance of a pardon. If Bush were inclined to pardon Libby, he would have.

[Igel]

10. You can never tell.

But I can make pointless predictions. 95% no, nothing important.

90% chance that the Libby trial is a blip, over in a month.

[ThomWV]

11. Cheney's At The Top Of The Corruption - And He's Still Out There

I think there may be one more indictment, one much bigger than Rove. Cheney/

[Stevendsmith]

12. From your lips.... (n/t)