When Dick Morris starts publicly questioning Dick Cheney’s role in the Plame scandal, it’s kind of interesting because Morris loves Cheney and has dismissed the controversy for months. But when Nick Kristof raises the specter of Cheney’s resignation in the New York Times, the White House has an entirely different kind of problem.
Kristof observes that he can’t stop wondering if Libby’s alleged perjury “was purely his own idea and whether Mr. Cheney was aware of it.
“Since Mr. Libby is joined at the hip to Mr. Cheney, it’s reasonable to ask: What did Mr. Cheney know and when did he know it? Did the vice president have any grasp of the criminal behavior allegedly happening in his office? We shouldn’t assume the worst, but Mr. Cheney needs to give us a full account.
“Instead, Mr. Cheney said in a written statement: ‘Because this is a pending legal proceeding, in fairness to all those involved, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the charges or on any facts relating to the proceeding.’
“Balderdash. If Mr. Cheney can’t address the questions about his conduct, if he can’t be forthcoming about the activities in his office that gave rise to the investigation, then he should resign. And if he won’t resign, Mr. Bush should demand his resignation.”
Dems aren’t going to let this go; the indictment against Libby paints too damning a picture against Cheney. Over the weekend, Josh Marshall documented several ways in which Cheney was integrally involved and aware of Libby’s activities, and because the indictment is thorough and yet unchallenged, the White House defense is, at this point, non-existent.
I expect the VP to enjoy his undisclosed location more and more in the coming weeks.