Political Wire:
We recommended you re-read the excellent profile of Karl Rove in the Atlantic Monthly last year where author Josh Green stressed that “The Architect” is the most dangerous when cornered.

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Billmon:
“Spirit,” said Bush, with an interest he had never felt before, “tell me if Tiny Scooter will escape justice.”
“I see a vacant seat,” replied the Ghost of Conspiracies Present, “in a White House chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will be [...]

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Okay, kids. You can open just one little present but you can’t have the rest until tomorrow:
Hotline says Time Magazine’s Mike Allen “has some of the best sources in Washington.� Here’s what he had to say about the leak scandal tonight on Hardball:
MIKE ALLEN: A lot of activity happening that we’re not seeing. A likely [...]

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Oh boy. Here’s Dan Froomkin:
I can’t think of any reason for Fitzgerald to put anything under seal — unless he’s offering his targets the opportunity to turn themselves in before it turns into a real circus over there.
So, two suggestions for the folks staking out the courthouse:
* Even if he seals everything, Fitzgerald would have [...]

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Okay, guys, not today:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer’s identity met for three hours Wednesday with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and his deputies, adjourning for the day without announcing any action.

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The Davis-Bacon Act has been restored for Katrina reconstruction.

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Good. The investigation, as rumored, will go on:
WASHINGTON—The federal prosecutor investigating the alleged involvement of White House officials in the leak of a CIA operative’s identity spent most of the lunch hour today meeting with the chief judge of the federal district court in the nation’s capital, Judge Thomas Hogan.
As reporters massed outside an elevator [...]

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Richard Sale, recommended as a credible source by Larry Johnson, says not only will Libby and Rove be indicted, the probe will continue:
An hour ago I was contacted by a U.S. government official close to the Fitzgerald case. This person told me that there WILL be indictments announced later this afternoon, and the Special Prosecutor [...]

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See, kids? One more day:
(Bloomberg) — The U.S. grand jury hearing evidence in the leak of a CIA agent’s identity won’t announce any indictments today, a Justice Department official said.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald met today with the grand jury at the federal courthouse in Washington. The grand jury was due to wind up its investigation, [...]

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Raw Story:
Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked the grand jury investigating the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson to indict Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff I. Lewis “Scooter� Libby and Bush’s Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, lawyers close to the investigation tell [...]

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This morning, I was pondering what my New Best Friend Joe Trippi was saying last night about transactional vs. transformational politics, and I had a “Eureka!” moment.
It’s that it applies to everything, not just politics: jobs and relationships, especially. I realized the times I’ve been unhappiest is when I’ve been trapped in a transactional job [...]

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For some unknown reason, the site was down for a while this morning. So I want y’all to know that if it happens again (especially tomorrow, on Fitzmas Day), go check the old site.

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Well, as predicted here, the sealed indictments are being delivered today and the press conference is tomorrow.

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Getting closer… don’t worry, BushCo’s on the job:
The strain of the bird flu virus lethal to humans has been found in Croatia, the European Union has announced.
The virus, also known as avian flu, was discovered in wild swans found dead at a pond in eastern Croatia last week.

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Here it comes:
The prosecutor in the CIA leak case was preparing to outline possible charges before the federal grand jury as early as today, even as the FBI conducted last-minute interviews in the high-profile investigation, according to people familiar with the case.
With Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in Washington yesterday, lawyers in the case and [...]

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Put a bunch of oilmen in the White House and surprise, surprise:
Even for Big Oil, the numbers have never been as big as this.
When major U.S. energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. announce their third-quarter earnings in the next few days, the results are certain to be staggering.
Pumped up by soaring oil, [...]

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Why, I’m feeling safer already:
The State Department yesterday issued final rules for implanting electronic identification chips into all U.S. passports, despite continuing controversy over the security of the system and its impact on personal privacy.
The regulations mean that as of October 2006, all new and renewed U.S. passports will contain radio frequency identification chips that [...]

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Walmart proves once and for all how much they care about their employees:
An internal memo sent to Wal-Mart’s board of directors proposes numerous ways to hold down spending on health care and other benefits while seeking to minimize damage to the retailer’s reputation. Among the recommendations are hiring more part-time workers and discouraging unhealthy people [...]

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Roll Call, via Kos:
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was spotted Tuesday at the law offices of Patton Boggs paying a visit to Robert Luskin, the eccentric (for Washington, D.C.) lawyer who represents Karl Rove.
Though HOH heard about the visit from a well-placed source, Luskin refused, if politely, to confirm why or even whether Fitzgerald visited him.
The [...]

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Joe Trippi dropped by Drinking Liberally tonight. Boy, that was fun. Since our regulars are never ones to shy away from an argument, we had some nice rowdy discussions going all night.
One of the things I really liked was how he said if Democrats insist on practicing transactional politics (grounded in the idea of “vote [...]

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Steve Clemons:
An uber-insider source has just reported the following to TWN (since confirmed by another independent source):
1. 1-5 indictments are being issued. The source feels that it will be towards the higher end.
2. The targets of indictment have already received their letters.
3. The indictments will be sealed indictments and “filed” tomorrow.
4. A press conference is [...]

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You can click here and find out where you can attend a vigil near you tomorrow night to honor the 2000 dead troops killed in Iraq.

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The King of Zembla says it was, among other reasons, to stabilize the dollar against the euro. Go read.

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Wonkette:
Word on the rainy streets of Washington is that Patrick Fitzgerald will be recalling some witnesses soon. Conflicting word is that he will announce indictments Thursday. Whatever the case, things are ugly and it’s not just the weather. The White House has been lashing out at Fitzgerald (awkwardly and belatedly), but not all the ire [...]

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This would be good news:
Forget that half-hearted declaration Al Gore gave at an economic forum in Stockholm, Sweden two weeks ago about having “absolutely no plans and no expectations of ever being a candidate again.” According to friends, family and political advocates, Gore’s playing it coy and has every intention of entering the race. “I’m [...]

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I love kimchi and sauerkraut:
Fremont OH - Sauerkraut? Cure Avian Flu? That’s what researchers at Seoul National University have found. Scientists there have successfully used Kimchi Sauerkraut to treat chickens infected with avian flu. Kimchi is a seasoned variety of sauerkraut that shares Lactobacillus bacteria with traditional Sauerkraut, which may be the critical element [...]

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It’s a bitch, ain’t it? From the New York Daily News:
Behind the scenes, however, Team Bush was finalizing its campaign to discredit and undermine special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s conclusions, sources told the Daily News.
The White House strategy is counting on major help from GOP allies and neocon commentators who turned on Bush for naming Harriet [...]

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White House staffer tied to yellow cake document forgeries:
Today’s exclusive report in La Repubblica reveals that Pollari met secretly in Washington on September 9, 2002, with then–Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. Their secret meeting came at a critical moment in the White House campaign to convince Congress and the American public that war in [...]

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SOURCES: FITZGERALD DECIDES TO SEEK INDICTMENTS: DEVELOPING…
Here’s the story so far:
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided to seek indictments in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson and has submitted at least one to the grand jury, those close to the investigation tell RAW STORY.
Fitzgerald will seek at least two indictments, the sources say. [...]

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And Flounder can’t swim much longer:
QUESTION: Back in 2003, the Vice President said publicly that he didn’t know who sent Joe Wilson on the Niger mission, back in June of 2003 — or July of 2003 — when the person who sent him’s name first became public. There now seems to be contradictory evidence that, [...]

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