Scooter Skedaddles

As expected, Scooter Libby has been indicted on five charges, including obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in the investigation into the leak of a covert CIA agent’s name.

He's resigned his office.

Turdblossom has not been charged with anything, but is still under investigation. This is actually pretty interesting, because it may mean that Fitzgerald is going after bigger fish and thinks he can strongarm Karl into squealing like a pig in order to avoid becoming Billy Joe Bob's prison bitch.

Of course the Rove apologists will crow that a lack of an indictment of Bush's Brain means he has done nothing wrong, conveniently ignoring that a continued investigation is not good news. Indeed, no less a personage than the wingnut di tutti wingnuts, Ann "Adam's Apple" Coulter, calls this the worst possible scenario:

O’BRIEN: So there you have it, Karl Rove apparently escaping indictment, but that’s the good news. The bad news is, on goes the investigation. What are your thoughts on that one?

COULTER: That is like the worse possible outcome.

O’BRIEN: Oh, an indictment would be better?

COULTER: I think so. I mean, I don’t think indictments are particularly big deal politically. They’re a big deal for whoever gets indicted, but I don’t think it really matters to the White House. I’ve just been thinking, this is going to be lancing the boil. Let’s just get it done one way or the other this Friday. Either they get indicted and they leave, or they’re not indicted and it’s over. To stay under investigation — that is not the best possible outcome.

The indictment is posted at The Smoking Gun. It's worth reading the whole thing, because it's a meticulous timeline detailing the entire story of how an Administration official endangered national security for cheap, petty political revenge.

Useful information:

At all relevant times from January 1, 2002 through July 2003, Valerie Wilson was employed by the CIA, and her employment status was classified. Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson's affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community.

So much for "Everyone knew she worked for the CIA."

On or about June 14, 2003, LIBBY met with a CIA briefer. During their conversation he expressed displeasure that CIA officials were making comments to reporters critical of the Vice President's office, and discussed with the briefer, among other things, "Joe Wilson" and his wife "Valerie Wilson" in the context of Wilson's trip to Niger.

Here's where Kneepads comes in:

On or about the morning of July 8, 2003, LIBBY met with New York Times reporter Judith Miller. When the conversation turned to the subject of Joseph Wilson, Libby asked that the information LIBBY provided on the topic of Wilson be attributed to "a former Hill staffer", rather than to a "senior administration official", as had been the understanding with respect to other information that LIBBY provided to Miller during this meeting. LIBBY thereafter discussed with Miller Wilson's trip and criticized the CIA reports concerning Wilson's trip. During this discussion, LIBBY advised Miller of his belief that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.

If you read the entire document, it makes clear that high-level Administration officials, quite possibly with the knowledge and consent of the President and/or Vice President, who came to office on a promise to restore "honor and dignity", thought they were above the law.

So now we have a greedy, venal Vice President under a cloud because his chief aide is up on federal charges, a dry-drunk President with a chief adviser who's under an investigative cloud, a House Minority leader under indictment, and a Senate Majority leader under an SEC investigation.

And you know what? I'll just bet there's a blowjob in there too that we just haven't heard about yet.