Rhinocrisy

Because of my recent sojourn in “the” nation’s capital, friends ask me what I think will happen in the Valerie Plame case. Of course I have no idea; even Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald could be unsure what he’ll do. And no one knows how the case will turn out. Personally, I suspect that whatever indictments are launched, the ultimate outcome will depend a lot on current events over the next year. Courts seem more deferent to executive branch officials during crises; I can easily see events overtaking the case. But in the meantime, we can hope.

Everyone at the top level of the U.S. government has committed countless crimes, from war crimes to perjury before Congress to insider trading^†. But rarely are they called to task, especially in the one-party town called Washington. What will happen? According to a couple papers in the east today, there’s a chance that Cheney could be indicted. A subterranean mammal can dream.

^† Holy crap. Bill Frist’s Senate website calls him “Bill Frist, M.D.” both in the title of the page and in a big hospital-blue banner at the top of the page. Even the typeface is supposed to look like a pharmaceutical ad. Now just what kind of doctor is Dr. Frist? He’s a hospital administrator — that is, someone whose paycheck depends on declining treatment, to in the perverted words of the hippocratic oath, “do no harm.” Of course, to the informed reader, the “M.D.” after his name mostly makes him look like the author of a self-help book.