One CQ reader, Maestro, wonders in another thread why I have not written very extensively about the Plame case over the past couple of weeks. My last post came on October 3rd, and I didn't bother even linking to the Judith Miller release and article last week. One reason for the lack of follow-up is simply practical; my schedule has grown increasingly difficult and my blogging time more limited. This past weekend went to Marriage Encounter, and work and family issues have created less of a window for blogging.

However, I have to say that apart from reading Tom Maguire's excellent coverage of the rampant speculation about the case, I find very little there there about the Plame case right now. Most of the data out in the open has been there for weeks and months, and the only real news has been how little real news has come out lately. I found even Miller's article (and the rest of the Times' coverage) unremarkable for any real revelations. That comes from the grand jury process; the testimony stays secret, and right now if anything is happening, it's happening in front of the grand jury.

The secrecy has generated lots of rumors, of course. The latest rumor has Dick Cheney resigning and being replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a rumor that has been recycled so often for so many reasons that it should have its own title for quick reference: The Old Man And The C. No one has even established that a crime got committed at all, and so far, the grand jury has yet to issue a single indictment -- and that supposedly extrapolates into a resignation from Cheney, an experienced and intelligent government leader for decades? When I see Cheney's name on an indictment, I'll consider believing it, but for now I'll put that notion in the same category I did at the GOP convention where I first heard it: wishful thinking, and not particularly helpful.

It's human nature to chew on the straw and speculate about the minutiae of behavior, but it helps when more data gets uncovered about a topic. So far, the only developments in this case appear more like tea leaves to me. When Fitzgerald closes down the grand jury and we see an indictment, then we'll know whether any evidence exists to support the notion of lawbreaking on behalf of Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, or anyone else. In the meantime, the nature of Wilson's credibility leads me to believe that neither Rove nor Libby will face much danger of having to spend much more time on this non-issue in the future.

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» Place your Bets on 'The Libby Rove' MSM Spin from All Things Beautiful
....tackling the subject after pioneers such as Tom Maguire, the most thorough on the subject and the best read, Ed Morrissey @ Captain's Quarters and John Hinderacker @ Powerline, two of the finest bloggers out there, who have been diligently on it fr... [Read More]

Tracked on October 19, 2005 12:26 AM

» Plame Game - While Speculation is Rampant from Macmind - Conservative Commentary and Common Sense
Speculation in the Plame Game is running wild (see Tom Mcguire) Heh, "bets" is it now? How about those "influenza shares" Tom? [Read More]

Tracked on October 19, 2005 6:25 AM

» Hyperventilating Ado from Hard Starboard
Regarding the whole Patrick Fitzgerald/Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson/Karl-Rove-and-Scooter-Libby-and-Dick-Cheney-in-handcuffs/Condi-for-Veep media circle-jerk, I can't add or subract a single jot or tittle from what Ed Morrissey posted last night. When... [Read More]

Tracked on October 19, 2005 12:47 PM