How long before Fitzgerald is "Saturday Night Massacred"?

[Deere_John]

Seems pretty clear to me that we're close to the tipping point, where allowing Fitzgerald to continue his investigation will cause Bush more political damage than firing him.

Then what?

[garybeck]

1. Gonzales would have to fire him

i'm sure they're weighing all this right now. it won't look good if they fire him.

[tulsakatz]

4. that's true.....

after all, they hired him, they allowed him to build a case for 2 yrs, if they fire him now it will make them look like the guilty rats they are!!

And the last thing they want to do is look guilty.

[KansDem]

12. I think Bush is too smart for an out-and-out firing...

He'll call Fitzgerald into the Oval Office, note that he was 15 minutes late getting to work a couple of times, then give him the ol' "You're Not Growing in Your Job" spiel. This will be leaked to the Corporate Media who'll report that Fitzgerald has a bad attitude with regard to his employment. It will take only a couple of weeks before Bush will fire him and the American people will respond with, "Bush HAD to fire him. He was chronically late for work and wasn't growing in his job!"

From someone who's been down that road...

[11 Bravo]

15. Now there's a post title I never thought I'd see!

[kevsand]

16. Plus, he never really put enough pieces of flair on his uniform... nt

[nookiemonster]

18. LOL!

All Office Space references are welcome.

BTW, I hear that Rove likes suspenders on his boy Jeff. I also heard that they play "Pin the tail on the elephant".

It's unsubstantiated, but possible me thinks.

[kevsand]

19. "Pin the tail on the elephant".

Trying hard not to form mental image... trying hard not to form mental image... AUGHHH! My mind's eye! The horror... the horror...

[Strawman]

6. I'm sure he'd resign in protest first

:sarcasm:

:rofl:

[papau]

17. His term of appointment ends this year - no need to fire - just extend

the term of the Grand Jury - as is being proposed today.

[Goldmund]

2. It's already way past that point.

That point was reached the moment first Rove stories started leaking a few weeks ago.

[Bluzmann57]

3. If Fitzgerald gets fired

then that will be the end of this administration, I believe. The American people are only going to put up with so much, and there are a lot of people who still remember Watergate, and the first "Saturday Night Massacre".

[DBoon]

5. How long before he is "Paul Wellstoned"?

It's called the BFEE for a reason.

[enigmatic]

7. Too late

If W orders Gonzales to fire him the resulting firestorm will outweigh anything that happened in the original Saturday Night Massacre. They'll try to smear Fitzgerald first, but I can't see anything that would stick, plus it would be so transparent, who other than the goose-steppers would believe it to be anything but a timed smear to get the SP off their asses?

[whosinpower]

8. My biggest fear

Is that Fitzgerald is bought off. Investigation over. Democrats with egg on face. Heads hung in shame as Fitzgerald announces the investigation over with no indictments forthcoming.

I can only imagine the pressure he must be facing right now.

[Kolesar]

9. I am sure bush has dug through his every personal and financial record

Looking for dirt to blackmail him with. It's the bush family way.

[understandinglife]

10. Remember, Fitzgerald has been before several judges and they have ..

... seen his confidential materials and have done every thing they can to advance his investigation because they understand the 'national security' implications of what he has revealed to them.

None of that is going away.


Peace.

www.missionnotaccomplished.us

[Walt Starr]

11. It depends upon how they read the tea leaves

If they believe they can get away with it without any backlash, and keep the Repugs in congress in their hip pocket, they'll do it if they think indictments are coming.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. What if he's just given a back seat for the trial, after the indictments?

I could forsee Bush appointing a supposedly "senior" attorney to take charge of the prosecution at trial as 1st chair, giving Fitzgerald a 2nd-chair role at trial. Fitzgerald is already accompanied by three Deputy Special Counsel attorneys on his legal team. I could then see that senior attorney giving Rove or whoever is indicted a plea bargain deal with little or no actual jail time and avoid having them testify at trial with skeletons coming out of closets. Bush would look good for having found someone guilty but Rove would avoid prison. Some of the Iran Contra scum surprisingly ended up having little jail time.

[wishlist]

14. I wonder if Bush will wait for indictments and then just pardon everyone

The WH and Repubs are very busy trying to trivialize and justify the leaks and downplay the seriousness of the whole matter. Sen. Roberts' Senate hearings on CIA cover that were just announced are probably a way to get "official" conclusions along those lines to minimize any flak over Bush either firing Fitzgerald or pardoning Rove and Libby.

But Americans are well aware of how Martha Stewart served time for lying to the feds about her stock trade so surely there would be some serious political fallout against Bush if Rove and Libby face no repercussions for leaking and lying in a case where national security issues are involved.