It's all about Cheney, continued

Reading between the lines one thing is becoming clear, the Fitzgerald investigation isn't about Rove or Libby, it's about Dick Cheney. Reuters reports today that Democrats, but more importantly Republicans, are telling George W. Bush that it's time to clean house and bring in some new blood.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, whose top adviser Karl Rove remains in jeopardy in a CIA-leak probe, needs to shake up his White House staff if he hopes to revive a presidency reeling from multiple setbacks, Republican and Democratic lawmakers said on Sunday.

The lawmakers also urged Bush to investigate the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, whose chief of staff, Lewis Libby, resigned on Friday and was indicted on perjury and other charges in connection with the probe. Bush should take Cheney "to the woodshed" if necessary, one lawmaker said.

The talk of house cleaning mostly revolve around Karl Rove but Cheney is also mentioned. I see the republicans coming to the conclusion that if Cheney isn't already radio active he will be very soon.

Over at the Sunday Times on Line Andrew Sullivan writes 'If I were Cheney I'd be sweating a little'. Sully gives a pretty good summary of the trials facing the Bush administration with a minimal amount of right wing hackery. Although he too spends most of his time on Karl Rove and problems with the radical Christians he does indicate that he thinks Cheney could well be in deep shit.

Libby will face a trial in which the vice-president may have to testify under oath. Political questions remain. The obvious question that still lingers is a simple one. Why did Libby lie? Why did such a smart and meticulous man put himself at risk of 30 years in jail if he had done nothing wrong in the first place?

We know from the indictment text that Libby got the classified information about Valerie Plame from Vice-President Dick Cheney, who got it from that part of the CIA that employs undercover agents. But Libby told the FBI and the grand jury that he got the information first from reporters. Why the discrepancy? If Libby had done nothing illegal why didn’t he just tell the truth?

It’s clear to me that Fitzgerald believes that there was a bigger reason for those little lies, a rationale for the coverup, a larger premise that makes sense of all of this.

Part of that premise has to involve the actions and motivations of Cheney. Fitzgerald and his team know this. They have not finished their inquiry and have an important potential source of new information facing a trial under a judge known for hefty sentences. Some kind of plea deal by Libby — a shorter sentence in return for naming names in the underlying case? — is not inconceivable.

If I were Cheney, I’d be sweating a little.

Will the Republicans be willing to sacrifice the Lord of Darkness himself to save George W. Bush and their own hides. It certainly looks like a possibility. I would guess that Rumsfeld is probably looking a retirement himself sooner than latter.