Thursday, December 15, 2005
It's All Right, George, You're Only Bleeding
Anyone who's been over to FireDogLake lately knows that Jane and ReddHedd are leading a discussion of the possible meanings of Bob Novak's statement that Bush knows who the TreasonGate leaker is that outed Valerie Plame. Even the comments sections for other threads are filled will Rove/Novak TreasonGate speculation. I'd speculated earlier that Novak's knifing Bush would herald similar actions on Rove's part. But what never occurred to me was the idea that Novak knifed Bush as a favor to Rove. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Rover really doesn't want to be some smelly old biker's prison girlfriend. (Or, since he'll likely go to a white-collar-perp prison, some smelly old mobster's prison girlfriend.) So he's having Novak set out a means for Rove to save himself by hanging Bush out to dry. And Novak is going along with all of this because: a) he's such a good buddy of Rove's, or b) is more frightened of Rove than of Bush, or c) did something to screw up his original deal with Fitzgerald and thus needs to do something to protect his own ass. Or any of all of the above.) Whyever it happened, this bell can't be un-rung. The die is cast. Rove and Novak have sunk a shiv into Bush's back. The question is whether Bush or any of his staffers realize what Rove and Novak have done -- and, if they have, if they plan to respond to it. (And of course, some if not all of Bush's staffers may have decided to look the other way while they quietly make their own escape plans.) Will there be a long, drawn-out trench war between the Cheney and Rove factions? Or will Rove be sloughed off as easily as a snake's skin? The next few months will tell.
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