Is Rovegate about to morph into worse for the White House?

Dan Froomkin tells us they are Getting Worried at the White House.

President Bush's lackluster refusal to comment yesterday on his political guru's involvement in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame did nothing to ease growing worries at the White House that trouble may be around the corner.

There were no words of support for Karl Rove. No expression of confidence that the White House will come through all this unscathed. Speaking with exceptional restraint about an incident that occurred fully two years ago involving his longtime friend and confidante, Bush said he "will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports."

Jim VandeHei and Carol Leonnig write in The Washington Post: "White House officials acknowledged privately that they are concerned that the investigation will lead to an indictment of someone in the administration later this year."

And there may be good reason.

"Several people familiar with the investigation said they expect [special prosecutor Patrick J.] Fitzgerald to indict, or at least force a plea agreement with, at least one individual for leaking Plame's name to conservative columnist Robert D. Novak in July 2003," VandeHei and Leonnig write.

"A number of legal experts, some of whom are involved in the case, said evidence that has emerged publicly suggests Rove or other administration officials face potential legal threats on at least three fronts.

"The first is the unmasking of CIA official Valerie Plame, the original focus of special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald's probe. But legal sources say there are indications the prosecutor is looking at two other areas related to the administration's handling of his investigation. One possible legal vulnerability is perjury, if officials did not testify truthfully to a federal grand jury, and another is obstructing justice, if they tried to coordinate cover stories to obscure facts."

There is some evidence that it may be Cheney and/or his staff that Fitzgerald may be after. From TalkLeft:

My instincts continue to tell me that it's Cheney and/or his staff, and possibly Rove, that Fitzgerald is after, and he thinks Ari Fleischer's statements can support his theory and that Judith Miller can deliver the goods.

I still think Bolton is somehow involved, is the guy still alive? Fitzgerald is a Republican and a conservative but also a dedicated American and not a Bush cultist. He will put his principals and the best interests of the country above politics. So what does Bush do? Fire Fittzgerald? That really didn't work out for Nixon did it? Turn the slime machine on him-- that may have already started. The situation in the congress is different than in the Nixon days--the congress wasn't loaded with Nixon cultists. We can't expect congress to do anything, it will all have to be done in the courts.

Update
Jack Grant has a lot to say.