Clearly there has been a concerted coverup among the media elite. Russert, Mitchell and Gregory at NBC; Pincus, Woodward and Downie at the Post. Miller, Kristoff and Sulzberger at the Times.

I now see why Fitzgerald reconvened a grand jury. Who else is going to testify? Kristoff, Mitchell. And what about the Wilsons? How many CIA people have been called to testify?

Ethically, Fitzgerald should probably drop the charges against Libby and change the scope of his investigation to find out why the CIA was engaged in an attempt to sabotage the administration's policies. He himself said that if he was charged with investigating a bank robbery and he came accross embezzlement he would be duty bound to prosecute the embezzlement.

This analogy seems to fit perfectly the present circumstances. He was originally charged with investigating an alledged leak of a CIA agent's name and now he has come accross gross misconduct and possible crimes at the CIA.

Mr. Fizgerald should request the DOJ to expand the scope of his investigation immediately and AG Gonzales should approve it.

If indeed the CIA is engaging in covert attacks of the administration's national security policies it is a very grave situation. Having a secret police agency is an anathema to a democracy. Having a secret police agency sabotaging national security is a dire threat to us all.

The Senate and House need to convene an investigation immediately.

I heard Tim the other morning on Imus basically refusing to answer the question posed to him by Imus as to whether Mitchell should be called to testify on this or not. His curt response was that she had said she had misspoken and that was all he was going to say on the matter.

Contrast that with this morning when on MTP his guest Judy Woodruff was joking that Scooter Libby might suggest that he had been confused whether he had heard about Plame from Russert or Woodward. Her cute little retort was that this was nonsense for anyone except those who thought "all middle aged white men look alike". Chuckles all around.

Now how is it less plausible that Libby might have been mistaken as to which reporter had mentioned Plame to him two years prior than Andrea Mitchell flat out saying that everyone knew who Plame was and now saying that she was just confused by the question?

This does not pass the smell test and she and her boss Mr. Russert need to go back before the grand jury. Good for the goose....

Look, its quite simple. Andrea Mitchell is another journalist protecting the White House. I mean, come on, Woodward? total Bush fan. I suspect that Mitchell also digs bush.

Journalists protecting the White House? I doubt logic will work in this case but poll after poll of journalists political preferences show massive majorities identify themselves as Democrats.

I guess any journalists that's not screaming that "Bush Lied" must be a schill for the White House.

Y'all following the Viveca Novak twist?

As usual, Firedoglake with Jane Hamsher and reddhedd are putting it in context.

Looks to me like Fitz is tugging it apart, one thread at a time. And it looks to me like Rove & Luskin got too clever in trying to game the system with public statements about the case.

This case is a long way from being over.

As usual, Firedoglake with Jane Hamsher and reddhedd are putting it in context.

Listing a few theories from the liberal blogosphere is 'putting it in context?' Come on, even your standards for sources should be higher than that.

The difference in our positions is that I believe that the evidence presented thus far is insufficient to make the repugnant accusations the left has made. But if a crime has been committed, I will applaud its prosecution.

You (and Josh Marshall), however, convicted the Bush administration the day the Plamegate story broke, and from your (and his) comments, revel in any indication that this will mean trouble for Bush and his. That's neither objective nor moral.

geoff,

Keep in mind that from the beginning there was the undisputed claim that two senior WH officials spilled what we now know to be classified information. In fact we now know that half a dozen reporters were contacted by senior WH officials with the leak, which means it was not random, accidental, or unplanned. The evidence strongly suggests a planned dissemination.

To keep saying *IF* a crime has been committed, as you do, is to parse the law almost beyond recognition.

To recognize that a crime was committed (as the evidence indicates) is not the same as convicting someone.

What adds to the fishy smell are the denials by McClellan and Bush, who claimed to know that Rove was not involved. Those denials are, uh, inoperative. Yet Bush appears unconcerned that he was lied to, or that he lied about his knowledge. Rove's security clearances have not been pulled, and there is no indication that Bush has pursued any further truths in private. Bush could, of course, fire Rove, regardless of any conviction or indictment, and that is essentially what he promised on involvement with the leak.

Why is that?

Fitz has to hold his cards close to do his duty. The evidence that has come to light is small compared to what he probably has. But the press conference and indictments are not indicators of someone flailing here. My take is that he's squeezing the little fish to get beyond the obstruction of justice.

The Luskin-Viveca Novak deal fits with that.

And why did Fitz pay a visit to Bush's lawyers?

That's just looking at smoke signals. But in denying evidence of a crime, you're trying to rewrite some evidence that has been out there for over 2 years.

If you have an alternative theory that accounts for the original Novak version (2 officials), the reporters, and conversations between Rove and Cooper etc.... in other words that accounts for the undisputed events, including Bush's statements and actions, I'd LOVE to hear it.

Yup, with no underlying crime, Fitz can tug at the threads for decades. Its pointless to even respond to some loser's complete disassociation from reality.

Basically, at the rate Fitz has gone, all the primary players allegedly involved in this monkey circus will be long dead before any convictions are reached, let alone further indictments are handed down.

However, I hope that this love of the CIA and their secrets will lead batshit, tin foil hat wearing Kos repeaters to put the same effort to get to the bottom of the CIA Black Prison Leak. Once the guy who leaked this info is outed and punished, then that time, the good guys will have won.