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Edited on Thu Sep-22-05 08:50 PM by LastDemocratInSC
If Fitzgerald succeeded in getting someone to talk then the investigation might run to the very end of the available time because that person would provide an avalanche of new information, which in turn leads to even more new information. The danger, if this is true, is that there's insufficient time to build solid cases based on the new information and Fitzgerald is denied an extension. I don't think he'd indict anyone without a solid case against that person. I think a special counsel, in a time crunch, can summarize his findings to date and pass them on to the judge who empaneled the grand jury hoping that the judge would appoint a new grand jury and counsel to continue the investigation. I don't think Fitzgerald would indict underlings when there are really big fish to fry but no time to do so.
This case goes to the top of the government and everyone know is. Did Bush ever ask Rove about his role in the outing of Valerie Plame? If not, he's incompetent but that's not a criminal act. If Bush did ask, and Rove lied, then surely Bush knows by now the things about Rove's involvement that we all know. This means that Bush has kept within his inner circle, for almost 2 years, a person who was likely involved in a serious crime of national security. This is also incompetent and may be a criminal act as well. If Bush did ask, and Rove didn't lie but revealed the gist of what we all now know about his involvement, then the same is true, except that Bush isn't just incompetent and criminally culpable - he's stupid as well.
This is a watershed moment in American history. The question is not just "what did the President know and when did he know it?" but "when the President finally understood what was going on, what did he do about it?"
This case could go anywhere. I won't be surprised to see Bush directly indicted. No "un-indicted co-conspirator" stuff this time, thanks to the Clinton-era court findings that a sitting President can be indicted. Bush could end up being charged with direct involvement in the crime, or aiding and abetting (he's stupid enough to do it) for not revealing what he knew of the crime when he learned what was going on. If Bush gets indicted then so do others, up and down the line. It's also possible that those close to Bush, such as Rove and Libby, may be indicted in such a way that indirectly implicates Bush. The wording of the indictments might indicate the degree of protection given to Bush by those around him but leave enough information for Joe Sixpack to connect the dots.
My gut feeling is that we ain't seen nothing yet. Katrina and Rita, as bad as they've been, aren't going to shake things up like Patrick Fitzgerald will in the coming weeks. A real October Surprise is just over the horizon, folks.
Please don't get choked on your popcorn.
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