clear and present deception

So far I've resisted the urge to go political with this blog, leaving such heated discussions to friends on both ends of the spectrum. But the latest controversy over Karl Rove and his involvement in naming C.I.A. operative Valerie (Plame) Wilson has had me captivated since the story first broke.
As if the whole affair didn't look shady enough already, today comes the revelation that Dick Cheney's chief of staff,
Lewis Libby, also had a role in blowing Wilson's cover.
Keep in mind that the President pledged in June 2004 that he would fire anyone in the White House who was involved in leaking the C.I.A. operative's name. 'Cept now, the Bush camp is circling its wagons and suddenly not talking.
What infuriates me most about the whole mess may well be summed up by this passage from Friday's Wall Street Journal:

Others say the story remains an inside-the-Beltway tempest that hasn't broken into the consciousness of average voters — and isn't likely to. "Most Americans are far more concerned about their summer vacations," says Republican pollster Greg Strimple.

The sad truth is, he's probably right. The national media (and therefore Middle America) is far too caught up in the parade of celebrity bullshit, missing children and shark attacks to really give two farts about the credibility of this obviously corrupt administration. And really, credibility is at the heart of the issue. Valerie Wilson's name was apparently leaked (by Rove or whoever) as retalitation against her husband Joe Wilson, a former ambassador who publicly challenged the Bush league's claim that Saddam Hussein had been shopping for uranium in Africa.

We've seen a history of false pretenses from this President, and a tide of coerscion and cover-ups that would make Dick Nixon's boys blush. Is no one paying attention anymore?

Required reading:
Smelling like a Rove [Salon]
You're in a bad spot here, Scott [Salon]
'Indispensable': Does It Have a Shelf Life? [NYT]
Bush, keep your promise: Fire Karl Rove [MoveOn.org]