Moment of Reckoning

What will the White House's excuse be for not talking now? I'm betting they'll say it's old news. Water under the bridge. But many questions remain unanswered.

What Needs to Be Asked

The facts uncovered during Libby's trial raised serious and deeply troubling questions about how the Bush-Cheney White House operates; about Bush's pledge to fire anyone responsible for the leak; about whether Bush was lied to by Libby and others; and about whether Bush lied to the public.

We still don't know how deeply involved Cheney was in a series of potentially criminal events, starting with the disclosure of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity. As I wrote in my May 29 column, special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald has indicated that he was hot on Cheney's trail until that line of investigation was cut off by Libby's lies.

And Bush's decision to ultimately commute Libby's sentence raised further questions. Was Libby was being rewarded for taking the fall and protecting his bosses from further scrutiny?

In my March 7 column, I wrote that it was long past time for Bush and Cheney to come clean about their roles. But the White House stonewall remained effective because the media enabled it.

Now, undeniably, the appropriate response from reporters is sustained outrage until every last critically important question is addressed.

Today's News

Matt Apuzzo writes for the Associated Press about Libby's decision to drop his appeal.

"Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction but President Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence in July. Had Libby won a new trial, that commutation would be meaningless and Libby would again face potential prison time. . . .

"The decision to withdraw his appeal means Libby will remain a convicted felon. President Bush could wipe away the conviction with a full pardon, something he has refused to rule out. Wells said Monday that he has not spoken to the White House about a pardon and does not know what Bush will do."

From the statement from Libby's lawyer, Theodore Wells: "We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence. However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear.

"Mr. Libby has made the decision to discontinue his appeal in recognition that success on the appeal would lead only to a retrial, a process that would last even beyond the two years of supervised release, cost millions of dollars more than the fine he has already paid, and entail many more hundreds of hours preparing for an all-consuming appeal and retrial."

Obstruction Continues

As I wrote last Monday, the White House is refusing to let Fitzgerald turn over to congressional investigators key documents from his investigation, including reports of interviews with Bush, Cheney and five top White House aides. According to House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, Fitzgerald is cooperating with the congressional investigation and had agreed to turn over the documents -- until the White House intervened.