SQUEEZE PLAY. If it's true Fitzgerald refused Libby plea he's after Rove.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

If Fitzgerald wants Libby to SWEAT it's not about his own personal feeling the charge merits prison time, it's about SQUEEZING him to get to his real targets. Rove and Cheney.

[roguevalley]

1. he's already done that with Miller. Rove thinks he plays better

chess but I think he's met his master in Fitz.

[cliss]

5. you could be right.

Why do I have this feeling Fitz is much smarter than Bush and Rove? Maybe he's got a game plan. He might see that the S.S. Bush is taking on water. No need to attack them head-on. Just drill some holes in the bottom.....

And you've got the Titanic.

There's an old saying: Choose your battles.

[kywildcat]

18. more so than smart Fitz is honest

honesty trumps smarts any day of the week. Add the two together = Mr. Fitzgerald.

[bklyncowgirl]

22. Honest men and women will be this administration's downfall

The CIA sent an honest man to Niger. The administration ignored his findings. This honest man wouldn't be silenced so they destroyed his wife's career, ruined her life's work and jeopardized national security.

The Justice Department--to its credit--chose an honest man to investigate this crime. Hopefully the truth exposed will overcome the lies.

[Catherine Vincent]

2. I sure hope Fitzgerald has bodyguards.

There's no telling what the BCF family would do.

[Barak And Roll]

15. This is a man

who spent his life prosecuting the Chicago mob. He's got lots of experience with these types...

Almost fitting isn't it?

[FreedomAngel82]

3. I think so too

Who knows who he is going for though except for him.

[aquart]

4. I thought Libby refused to consider prison time.

And Fitzgerald believes he's earned some. So they came to a parting of the ways.

[hang a left]

8. That is what I read too.

Libby left the table because Fitzgerald wanted him to do some "serious jail time". I said this earlier; Fitz holds all the marbles in this game, and it doesn't look like he's going home. I am curious how intense the negotiations were. I didn't think Libby would be so ready to deal. I want him to give up Cheney, Bush AND Rove, then take 5 years.

[Sydnie]

6. I didn't realize that Libby had offered to plea

Did he?

[Child_Of_Isis]

7. I truly don't believe Fitz is done.

Don't be surprised if we get a major surprise this week.

[oldtime dfl_er]

10. I'm hoping it's like a Columbo episode

where just as you think Peter Falk is walking away, he turns around, taps his forehead, and says almost as an aside, "Oh by the way....one more little thing...................." long pause...........
".........we indicted Cheney this morning...."

heh heh

[cassiepriam]

16. LOL I hope to God that Fitz is pulling a Columbo.....

[KharmaTrain]

9. Look What Fitz Did In Illinois

If you look at the George Ryan case, what he's doing here is very similar.

In the Illinois case, Fitz took over the investigation of the selling of drivers licenses that resulted in the death of several people. The investigation, which began in the closing days of the '98 Gubenatorial campaign, had George Ryan in its sights, but political pressures kept the scandal on a low boil...Ryan was elected and the case seemed to be dying until Fitzgerald came in.

To get his "Target A" (Ryan), Fitz went after Ryan's #2, a character named Fawell...who, just like Scooter, knew where all the bodies were buried. But Fawell wasn't willing to turn on his boss...initially...until Fitz got through to Fawell's girlfriend...the combination of jail time for the two of them, vs. letting the old fart off was too much, Fawell flipped, Ryan was indicted and the trial is still going on.

Remember the concept of the sand being put in the ump's eyes...that's how Fitzgerald is viewing this scandal. He can see the outlines, but he still doesn't have a clear focus. He's promised us he will get as clear focus as he can.

It's too soon to tell what the next move is. I'm curious to see a possible witness list for a Libby trial. Also, with the indictment, comes the ability for Fitzgerald to reinterivew Rove and many others in the case.

He also has in his cards, not just the ability to jail someone, but to compell them to testify...to drag their name publicly and force them, under oath, to confirm or deny statements from their bosses or friends or contact. It's not just going to be squeezing Rove, Fitzgerald continues to shake the trees.

Stay tuned...when I heard the investigation was on-going, that was sufficient proof to me that Fitzgerald is far from finished...even boooosh called it a "end of a phase". It'll be slow and methodical, but it will be thorough. It may not go as you wish or at the speed you hope or name the names you wish, but when this investigation is concluded, it will shine a different light on this regime it will never recover from...either in its ability to govern or in the eyes of history.

[murielm99]

13. If you know anything about Fawell, and his family,

you will realize that he is much like Libby, only on a smaller scale. His family is considered Republican royalty Illinois. They have clout.

Even his initial arrogance on the stand during the Ryan trial showed that he considered himself above it all. It was not until he thought his deal could be reconsidered that he toned down his testimony and got serious. He says he is only doing this because he loves his fiance. But I bet the inside of a prison eroded his loyalty a little bit, too.

[kennetha]

14. The Beautiful thing is...

That a lot of the talking heads in the press, especially on the right, are too dumb to see what's going on. They keep insisting that Fitzgerald found no evidence of a crime. But the indictment lays all the elements of a conspiracy to illegally leak classified information except one -- contemporaneous intent and knowledge on the part of the leakers. If Fitzgerald can somehow nail that part down, then the rest of the pieces are already in place.

Moreover, he can ensnare the likes of Cheney and Rove by not indicting them right now. IF he calls them as witness in an eventual trial of LIbby, what are they going to do? Lie? Eventually he gets them on perjury charges. Tell the truth? Right, and spill the beans on themselves. Take the fifth? Now wouldn't that be sweet?

[H2O Man]

20. Well said.

I do think we can safely speculate on one thing: Fitzgerald wants to know what Scooter and Dick talked about in at least two private discussions they had about how to handle the "Wilson problem."

[caledesi]

11. That's exactly what I think. This has been Fitz's "MO" in the past. nt

[caledesi]

12. That's exactly what I think. This has been Fitz's "MO" in the past. nt

[H2O Man]

17. He has enough

to charge Rove. It seems he is breaking poor Scooter. Keep this in mind: Scooter and Dick had private conversations about Plame, and about how Scooter was to approach the "problem" of Wilson in the media. I am sure that the refusal of Scooter and Dick to discuss these is the sand that Fitzgerald mentioned being thrown in the umpire's eyes. Scooter is half-way to turning on Dick. The pressure is rapidly increasing on him.

[hiabrill]

19. best news I heard is Scooter has young kids

Too much jail time means he looses seeing them grow...


He's always kept a low profile and out of the limelight and so I predict Scooter flips. Even if he doesn't Rove is next...

[0007]

21. This poll comfirms what you're saying

Do you think Scooter Libby will seek a plea bargain? responses
Yes
71%

No
29%

* 8,177

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/#survey