“Very Serious” Indeed

To add a couple of observations to Digby’s last post…

Please recall that recently Bush described the Fitzgerald investigation as “very serious.” I took this originally to mean that Bush thought the charges were substantive and needed a “very serious” investigation, but a little bit of reflection makes it clear that’s not what he meant at all.

Bush was issuing a threat. He deems Fitzgerald’s probe to be a “very serious” danger to his presidency. We can expect him and his attack ghouls to act accordingly. They will treat the indictments as attacks on the United States, as a kind of terrorism. It is imperative, as Digby notes, for anyone who goes up against the Bush administration to be prepared for the worst. They have both the will and the power to destroy careers and lives. And they will surely do so if they believe their power is threatened. Proof? Valerie Plame Wilson.

Also, let us not forget the proximate causes for the Fitzgerald investigation, a serious suspicion which is now a terrible certainty. There existed a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Bush administration to expose the identity of an undercover CIA agent. That is a crime. That crime was covered-up. The ongoing cover-up entailed more crimes. But all these actions are more than crimes.

These people betrayed their country. Regardless of whether the evidence rises to the level of legal proof, the people who participated in this conspiracy cannot be permitted to stay. As difficult as it might be to unseat some of the worst of them, they must go. Will they? Put it this way: your physical safety may depend on it.

These sleazebags hindered and subverted the covert gathering of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction. If the damage of Plame’s outing is minimal, that is a lucky accident- not for them, but for the country. That in no way diminishes the “very serious” havoc these scoundrels were prepared to accept if Plame’s work was vital, danger far worse than that of 9/11. Had Plame’s undercover status not been transitional but still deep, there is no public evidence that any of these people would have hesitated one nano-second in their efforts to expose and destroy her, out of retribution for her husband’s actions.

Digby is right. This is going to be an ugly fight. But it is a fight that is entirely the fault of those who betrayed their country, not those who refuse to be their victims. We should make sure that it is crystal clear that this is not Fitzgerald’s fault, not the CIA’s fault, not the Democrats’ fault. It is their fault – Rove’s, Libby’s, and all who aided and abetted their multiple betrayals. They failed us and they can no longer be entrusted with our safety and governance.

We should never let the media get away with spinning this as anything trivial. Even if you haven’t done so before, after Fitzgerald’s report comes out, please consider taking a few valuable moments of your time to write letters to papers and electronic media, to your representatives both local and national, and let them know how important it is to you that these people go.