[Daily Brief]

A Fitzmas Delayed?

A special edition daily brief this morning, as we go around the horn on the rumors and guesses and general breathlessness surrounding Patrick Fitzgerald's announcement today (11 am Pac, 2 pm Eastern).

The NY Times set the stage this morning with the news that it looks like Libby's getting indicted, but Rove is not--at least not yet. Why the delay on Rove? Josh and Kevin both speculate. And Tom Maguire, I can't emphasize enough, is really the place to start if you have any Plame-related interest.

The news that Rove may be spared has sent the righties into frenzies of joy. Or, in some cases, gives them grave concerns. At the National Review, Andy McCarthy sees rays of sunlight in the sparing of Rove, and the Captain declares it the Fitzmas that Fizzled. (Does that make him the Grinch?) Powerline (Hindrocket) goes a step further--not only is it good news for the Rovarians, but it's bad news for Dems. Wait, maybe he's the Grinch ("Watch them cry 'boo hoo!'). Offering a heterodox view, also at the NRO, Mark Levin--another righty who is irony-averse--feels that "continuing to hang on" to the investigation is "highly inappropriate." You think? Tell Ken Starr.

The forces of good are, as usual, a little more balanced. Billmon parses Fitzgerald: "...as far as I can tell this is the first time he's ever referred to this investigation as a criminal one, AND the first time he's ever used the plural noun instead of the singular."

Firedoglake has running commentary, but I'll link this post:

Jeff Toobin on CNN just brought up a very good point.... The way that Fitz will prove that Libby was lying will require that the VP be called as a witness in any trial that will occur, pulling the VP right into the center of the case, whether or not an indictment may be issued for Cheney.

TalkLeft suggests Rove may have a secret deal. Having just read Toobin's observation, one's beady little mind begins to think: why would Rove be offered a deal, unless he was offering a bigger fish? No, surely not that fish.

Susie reminds us of the only bad indictment.

Since this could go on forever, I'll stop with Mark Kleiman, who sounds a strangely compassionate note. He thinks the waiting, painful for liberals, must be killing Libby and Rove. I hate to say it, but I think that's going to be a lonely view today.