Trapping the Bush team

What do erstwhile Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein and the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Democrat, have in common? They both seem to have been so keen to defeat George W. Bush that their subordinates resorted to laying traps for the president and his administration.

Nope, you're both overlooking something. Senator Roberts shut down the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last Friday due to this memo, and he has only committed to reconvene either under partisan control (i.e. Republican), or back to bi-partisan control if/when the Democrats disavow the Memo and offer up the name of its author.

Under all of those above conditions (i.e. closed committee, or open under partisan/bipartisan conditions), the press has to keep reporting on this scandal. Even the biased news media can't simply say "the SSCI is closed" without stating that there is some dispute. And the longer that the dispute goes, the more information they will have to supply to the public (e.g. the full contents of the actual Memo, the name of the Memo's author, etc.).

In short, the Republicans have short-circuited the Democrats' game. Eventually, this whole sordid scandal has to get out to the public. The Wall Street Journal is already covering it. Fox News is covering it. This Memo is all over talk radio. Soon U.S. News will cover it in detail, and then Newsweek and TIME will have to give some column space. The longer that the Democrats stall, the more that the rest of the news media has to cover this story.

Thus, because of the Republicans' move on the SSCI, this scandal has grown teeth. Someone is going to get bitten before its all over, too.

Thus, because of the Republicans' move on the SSCI, this scandal has grown teeth.

It's good to see the 'Pubbies fight back.

But just because shutting down the committee is going to force media coverage doesn't mean it won't come grudgingly.

At the same time, the entire GOP membership in the Senate must be a.) very determined and united in their support of Frist and Roberts and b.) very careful not to give the media something they can use to beat them over the head with.

In this respect, history is not encouraging...

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