senate committee to renewhearings on plame-gate

although it is my opinion that
u.s. v. libby will end in
at least a few felony convictions,
even if it doesn't, m.s.m. sources
(from the solid-right) now agree that
the damningly-duplicitous grand jury
testimony of scooter libby, first
revealed at trial this past week,
is sharpening the focus on this
sordid campaign of potentially-
lethal partisan hackery. let's
look in on yesterday's online
edition of the wall street journal,
shall we? yes, let's:






No Verdict Reached in Libby Case
By Evan Perez and Jay Solomon

". . .Jurors deliberated a third day Friday
without reaching a verdict on whether former
White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
obstructed the investigation into who leaked
the identity of a CIA operative. . .

The trial, which focused on efforts to leak
classified information to the press,
comes amid revived debate over intelligence
in the newly Democratic Congress.

Already, the Senate Intelligence Committee
has requested documents and interview transcripts
from the Inspector General's office, while the
Senate Armed Services Committee seeks further
interviews with Mr. Libby, the former chief
of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney. . .

. . .Mr. Libby told the grand jury in the case
that he continued trying to leak selective portions
of intelligence reports to journalists. . . under
orders from Mr. Cheney. . .

[T]he trial has provided congressional intelligence
officials with extensive information on how the vice
president's office functioned semi-autonomously
in pushing foreign-policy initiatives. These officials
said the information could prove helpful in continuing
investigations into how public statements made by
the president and vice president differed from the
underlying intelligence provided by the
CIA and other intelligence agencies. . ."

now, once the trial is over, either way -- up
or down -- scooter will have a-far-more-limited
fifth amendment privilege to assert, as a shield,
before congress. his fifth amendment rights
will arguably attach only to statements that
might constitute evidence of new crimes,
crimes for which he hasn't yet been tried.

and that may prove very dicey for his old boss,
dick cheney -- either scooter will be a convicted
felon (and likely working his way through the
appellate process -- all while looking to cut deals
for favorable sentencing recommendations from the
the office of special counsel -- patrick fitzgerald),
or he'll be acquitted, and the special counsel
won't be able to re-try him, under the one of the
other main protective provisions of the fifth
amendment, the "double jeopardy" clause. . .

either way, he could face contempt of congress
charges, and ultimately, jail, if he doesn't
cooperate, at least as to unprivileged matters.

so, dick -- do the honorable thing, and resign,
before your spiro agnew moment arrives, front
and center, in the committee chambers of the
armed services committe of the united states
senate -- avoid a constitutional crisis:

resign.