Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

This morning's media reports were replete with details about a potential plea bargain as a means of resolving the current Plamegate imbroglio, with a prospective scenario of  Libby copping a plea on a charge that would probably not even bring jail time or, at worst, a few months of sharpening his golf game and accumulating a tan at a federal country club style correction facility.  At that point Cheney, Bush, McClellan and company would declare loftily that justice had been served.

This tragedy involves more than Libby and must be pursued well above him in the interest of justice, certainly not excluding his former boss Dick Cheney.  Considering the closeness of Karl Rove to George W. Bush and the stark reality that this is a White House steeped more narrowly into the partisan political realm than any within memory when it comes to making policy on the basis of prospective spin control, the odds proportionately increase of the involvement of high level officials.  This possibility certainly does not exclude the involvement of Bush.

As the Watergate investigation developed it sprouted wings extending well beyond the third rate burglary attempt that was the focus of the initial probe.  The knowledge that this same kind of devastating and ultimately fatal ripple effect that surrounded Watergate could occur in the case of Plamegate has precipitated collective White House jitters.

Any attempt to sweep Plamegate under the rug by pursuing a swift plea-bargain strategy should be thwarted by concerned Americans pursuing vigilance in the face of shameless opportunism.  We are dealing with individuals intoxicated by the lust of power who will do whatever is necessary to thwart a broad and extensive legal process.