NATIONAL SECURITY
The End Of The Beginning FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW
To believe that "Scooter" Libby's indictment marked the apex of the CIA leak
scandal, "you'd have to believe that the Nixon-Agnew scandals peaked when G.
Gordon Liddy and his bumbling band were nailed for the Watergate break-in,"
columnist Frank Rich writes. "But Watergate played out for nearly two years
after the gang that burglarized Democratic headquarters was indicted by a
federal grand jury; it even dragged on for more than a year after Nixon took
'responsibility' for the scandal, sacrificed his two top aides and weathered the
indictments of two first-term cabinet members." Signs do suggest the White House
could be in for more legal trouble. This morning's Washington Post reports that
Karl Rove "has told friends it is possible he still will be indicted for
providing false statements to the grand jury," and quotes a source close to Rove
saying, "Everyone thinks it is over for Karl and they are wrong." Yet there is a
benefit to President Bush that this scandal struck so early in this second term:
there is still time for him to shift away from the course that has produced so
many of these problems. Unfortunately, as the New York Times notes this morning,
"With more than three years to go in this term, the bottom line is becoming
inescapable. Mr. Bush does not want to change, and perhaps is not capable of
changing."
TOP OFFICIALS CIRCLE THE WAGONS INSTEAD OF CLEANING HOUSE: The indictment
Patrick Fitzgerald issued on Friday mentions only Libby by name, but contains a
"treasure trove of hints about potentially serious ethical missteps by all sorts
of senior Bush officials." This has prompted numerous calls for President Bush
to shake up administration personnel, including from White House allies like
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS). Yet "Bush ignored reporters' questions" on the matter
yesterday, even as the process of circling the wagons hit full stride in Vice
President Dick Cheney's office. As expected, Cheney appointed longtime aides
David Addington and John Hannah to share the responsibilities previously held by
Libby. Both are Cheney loyalists, and both were involved in the leak scandal. As
on commentator noted, "What does it say about Bush's commitment to separating
himself from this mess if he didn't stop Cheney from immersing himself even
further into the morass of what he'll be forced to testify upon at Libby's
trial?"
WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES TO SPIN AND STONEWALL: During yesterday's White House
press briefing, spokesman Scott McClellan again resorted to stonewalling on
substantive matters regarding the leak scandal, this time citing advice from the
White House Counsel's Office (i.e., Harriet Miers). Yet he wasn't completely
silent about the matter. McClellan said yesterday, "The president directed
everybody in the White House to cooperate fully with the special counsel. ...
The White House has been cooperating fully with the special counsel, and we will
continue to do so." Despite McClellan's claims to the contrary, this is an
explicit comment on the investigation. Remember that Scooter Libby is now
charged with obstructing the federal investigation into the CIA leak scandal. As
Patrick Fitzgerald said during Friday's press conference, "[I]n trying to drill
down and find out exactly what we got here [regarding the outing of Valerie
Plame], if we received false information, that process is frustrated." McClellan
is now arguing that everyone is cooperating, including Libby. In other words,
according to McClellan, despite the mountain of evidence showing Libby
fabricated a complex story to mislead the FBI and a federal grand jury, Patrick
Fitzgerald's indictment is not well-founded. In a telling sign, NBC's David
Gregory yesterday told McClellan that his credibility "may very well be on trial
with the American public" and asked, "Don't you agree?" McClellan answered "No."
ADMINISTRATION WILL AVOID BEING CANDID ON IRAQ: Libby's trial, to begin with his
arraignment on Thursday, will put the spotlight not only on Libby's alleged
deception, but on the administration's role in selling the Iraq war. According
to John Fortier of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, "you'll see a
lot come out" about the lead-up to the Iraq invasion -- at least if the White
House can't stop it. Said Fortier, the Bush administration is "particularly
jealous" about keeping administration documents and decision-making from public
view. "He predicted that Cheney, who fought and won the right to keep the work
of the energy task force secret, may well try to exert executive privilege if he
is called to testify." But according to presidential scholar William
Leuchtenberg, "Cheney probably cannot stay completely out of Libby's legal
proceedings," noting that at least two sitting presidents have been ordered to
testify. |
