Libby Sleeps with the Fishes

Scooter Libby's perjury trial started this week, and already there have been some exciting surprises. During the opening statement phase, when attorneys for both sides try to establish a narrative for the trial before introducing evidence, Libby's attorney took an unexpected tactic: he broke with the administration.

One of the most remarkable things about the heyday of W's presidency was the message discipline. Factionalism naturally springs up whenever you get enough egotistical people together to form a presidential administration. This means that most administrations usually supply a constant stream of leaks to the press as part of internal power struggles. But in the Bush administration, the only leaks that have, well, leaked out have been ones that were essentially approved by the powers that be.

To find a prime example of this, one need look no further than the leaking of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as an undercover agent by the Bush administration in 2003. The leak was a retaliation move against Plame's husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had recently written an op-ed partially exposing the lies of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Someone (Richard Armitage of the State Department, as it turned out) told a reporter about Plame as an off-the-record source.

It appears that Armitage was not really playing the game, but this was a classic move of the administration's media game. You tell the reporter you will give him or her some good dirt, but it's a sensitive issue and you don't want your name on the record. Well duh, every issue around a presidential administration is sensitive. None the less, the reporter wants that scoop and is willing to cite an "anonymous source highly placed in the administration", even if it's really Karl Rove doing the talking. So these leaks that really have no reason not to be on the record would come out anonymously, discrediting an administration opponent while keeping the leaker's hands clean. Only approved leaks got out, so it was all part of the incredible unity and discipline the whole team displayed.

As an aide to Vice President Cheney, Libby was a crucial cog in that message machine. Until yesterday during opening statements, when his attorney turned his back on all that. Libby had been expected to try to get convicted quickly and name no names in order to be eligible for a pardon before Bush leaves office. But instead he jumped ship, crapped the bed, took the low road, failed to forward the chain letter. Libby's attorney portrayed him as a scapegoat, a sacrificial lamb who was destroyed to save Karl Rove.

This means that Libby will probably be "accidentally" shivved to death during a serendipitous prison riot, because The Party appreciates loyalty. But it also means that the house of cards is continuing to collapse for Republicans. When you build an empire on lies, a small amount of truth can really start to snowball. And if there turns out to be any substance to Libby's accusation about taking the fall for Rove, a whole lot of fascinating stuff that has been kept behind the scenes is going to start seeing the light of day (remember that Cheney himself is scheduled to take the stand).

So if The Party collapses on Libby for breaking rank, his career as a conservative will likely be over. But he will have sacrificed himself something far more valuable than helping Karl Rove avoid indictment: letting the public see the inner workings of a secretive and evil regime.