25.10.05

How wide the net?

From the CBS Evening News, at 6:30PM:

CBS’ JOHN ROBERTS: Lawyers familiar with the case think Wednesday is when special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will make known his decision, and that there will be indictments. Supporters say Rove and the vice president’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby, are in legal jeopardy. But they insisted today the two are secondary players, that it was an unidentified Mr. X who actually gave the name of CIA agent V alerie Plame to reporters. Fitzgerald knows who Mr. X is, they say, and if he isn’t indicted, there’s no way Rove or Libby should be. But charges may not focus on the leak at all. Obstruction of justice or perjury are real possibilities. Did Rove or Libby change statements made under oath? Did they deliberately leave critical facts out of their testimony or did they honestly forget? Some Republicans urged Rove to step down if indicted. Not a happy prospect for president Bush.

With Rove and Libby now seeming likely, who is the 'Mr. X' of the saga?

Here are my odds based on my best guesses;

BushJr: (wouldn't that be hilarious) negligible.

Condi Rice: 1% She was on the plane when the info got handed out, and the Globe had speculation that she informed Rove, but there is otherwise nothing to tie her to the mess.

Rich (The Plant) Gannon: 2% The Oswald of the conspiracy, he's the perfect patsy.

Ahmad Chalabi: 4% Weak, but possible.

Robert Novak: 5% Sang like a canary, so he's probably not it.

Other journalist: 5% Best bet of the longer shots.

Judy Miller: 8% Worst. Journalist. Ever.

John Bolton: 25% Would kick puppies for a nickle.

Dick Cheney:50% Unindicted co-conspirator? Fits. Libby's his boy and everyone knows it. Libby wouldn't have peeped about Plame without consulting with Darth Cheney first, and yet Scooter has been outed as one of the sources inside the administration. Rove, nobody has a problem seeing him throwing a kidney punch at Plame and Wilson over Wilson's objection to the Yellowcake story, but Libby? Not without permission first he wouldn't, and the only people Scooter takes orders from are Bush and Cheney - and not necessarily in that order.

As for:

"...and if he (Mr X.) isn’t indicted, there’s no way Rove or Libby should be."

Seems like sour grapes from Libby's and Rove's lawyers to me.

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