Unlike elections, smearing Fitz will not affect Grand Jury or indictment.

However, I think one reason to do it is to influence what the political effect of the indictments, and the Republican response to them, is.

For instance, what if Rove and Libby are indicted, and Bush decides to issue pardons to them. The effect of minimizing the charges and demonizing the prosecution might be to allow him to get away with doing this without he or the Republican Party suffering the consequences of such an action as Gerald Ford did for issuing preemptive and retroactive pardon to Nixon.

as they did before. The MSM will still desperately whore for them, but more and more people are leaving the reservation...

to get public opinion to sway against him. He's been talked up by the right for too long (right up until he FOUND something, now they don't like him so much).

... when Ford pardoned Nixon, it was considered to be 'for the good of the nation' in terms of how wrenching the villifying of a former president would have been for the country.

Bush has no such 'out' with pardoning ANYONE (except Cheney, who would have to resign anyway). The removal and/or imprisonment of Rove, Libby et al, would not affect the governance of the country the way putting a former Pres on trial would have.

This is what I keep wonderin' ...

Bush lost his 'Decisive leader keeping Americans safe' card in the aftermath of Katrina.
He lost his 'The economy is turning the corner' gambit eons ago, and 'We're making progress in Iraq' is falling on deaf ears.

And now we hear he's busy 'strategerizing' how to distance himself from the Orange Jumpsuit Crowd that will include his 'most trusted and loyal advisors' -- not to mention dumping Poor Harriet, the star-crossed lover. How will the RWers take to the notion of a Prez who used to wear that 'Loyal to His Friends and Supporters' banner?

What does this guy have left? He certainly can't vie for the 'Best Attendance Record' presidency.

Too bad that 'I need to go to the bathroom' note surfaced -- he might have had a shot at Best Pensmanship.

But as my husband often says, "He is still the BEST president the Supreme Court ever Selected." I guess we can't take that away from him!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah, but the 'loyal to his friends' issue doesn't mean much if all your friends are crooks!!

I think there is now a majority in the population who do not trust the govt or the politicians in charge.........which we all know is largely Republican!

Whatever smear campaign they try (and yes, we all knew they would try it) won't be effective. It won't affect Fitzgerald's determination and I doubt it would change public opinion of the Bush administration........if anything, it will increase mistrust of goverment officials.

Although your husband does have a point......he's the best ever appointed by the Supreme Court. Thank God they've only appointed one!!

... but then, I usually don't.

My point about BushBaby throwing his friends over -- I was commenting on how HIS LOYAL SUPPORTERS will take that -- not the rest of us, who know he's a lying bastard out for himself.

It's just that many of the die-hard Bushies take his loyalty to his friends, and vice-versa, as part of his 'good Christian values'. I think dumping Harriet (as he's about to do) and distancing himself from the indictees (and we'll know who THEY are soon enough) will cause another decline in his poll ratings among the 'faithful'.

As for the comment that he's the BEST president the Supremes have ever selected -- that's the joke. He'd have to be the BEST, being as he's the ONLY. Of course, the Supremes had a handy helper -- DIEBOLD.

I think we're saying the same thing, you and I. I just think you may have mis-read my comments -- or, as I've said, I just didn't express them very well.

indictments come in, the media is going to jump ship, because I think they are tired of the lies, and the covering up for *.

My 2 cents.