Robert Novak recently wrote an article that is reverberating around the right-wing echo chamber. The key idea is summed up in the final paragraph:

"What can a lame-duck president fighting an unpopular war -- the fate also of Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson in their closing months -- do about this? Not much, but two possibilities are talked about in Republican circles: let Gonzales go, and pardon Libby. That might drop Bush's approval ratings even lower, but it sure would hearten his base."

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So Scooter Libby is soon going to be doing time. Unless President Bush decides to pardon him, that is. I wrote about this situation last week, and I have to say, coming on the heels of the Republican Party's open revolt on the immigration bill, that the possibility of Bush not pardoning Libby (further enraging his base) is likely going to be the gift that keeps on giving (politically) all summer long.

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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
- Juvenal

Who will watch the watchmen?
- Alan Moore's translation

This should be filed under "no surprise, really," but the Washington Post reports on the FBI's continued misuse of "National Security Letters" or NSLs.

From the Post article:

An internal FBI audit has found that the bureau potentially violated the law or agency rules more than 1,000 times while collecting data about domestic phone calls, e-mails and financial transactions in recent years, far more than was documented in a Justice Department report in March that ignited bipartisan congressional criticism.

The new audit covers just 10 percent of the bureau's national security investigations since 2002, and so the mistakes in the FBI's domestic surveillance efforts probably number several thousand, bureau officials said in interviews. The earlier report found 22 violations in a much smaller sampling.

As I said before, no surprises there. When the Justice Department is given a tool usually reserved to absolute monarchs such as Louis XVI (see my earlier post about lettres de cachet and the similarities between the Bush administration and the regime that was deposed in the French Revolution), the chances are good that they're going to abuse it.

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This column marks my first anniversary posting here on the Huffington Post.

[This is going to be a completely narcissistic column, so if that sort of thing doesn't interest you, I advise you to just skip down to the "An Announcement" section, or stop reading altogether. You have been warned.]

I first posted here on June 9th last year, but I was traveling this past weekend to see a relative of mine graduate high school so I had to wait until now to write about it.

I got the opportunity to begin writing here as part of a promotional campaign for the book I wrote, How Democrats Can Take Back Congress, and I'd like to thank Arianna and the whole Huffington Post team for allowing me the privilege of posting here. It's been a lot of fun, I must admit.

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I will be traveling this weekend, and so my next post will probably appear on Wednesday.

As for yesterday's story, still no news. Either it's an internet rumor, or it really happened, and the mainstream media decided to collectively ignore it. Not too surprising, but I at least expected some commentary in the blogger community.

I will have more information later (hopefully), but wanted to post this as a heads-up. There are reports on it here, here (with video), here, and here if you want to read more.

The basic story:

Apparently, at a recent press conference, Rudy Giuliani was asked a question about his prior knowledge of the collapse of the WTC towers - and the reporter was arrested at the orders of Giuliani’s press secretary. The reporter was taken to jail - in violation of the First Admendment - and is being charged with felony criminial trespass. Because the reporter was using a camera, state police are even considering charges of espionage.

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In baseball, if you're a runner caught between bases, you're said to be in a "pickle." You've sprinted towards third base, and all of a sudden there's the third baseman standing in front of you with the ball in his glove. Bummer. You know that if you go forward, you'll be easily tagged out. But if you pull up, reverse direction, and head back to second, you'll likely also be tagged out by a quick throw to the shortstop. In other words, you're in a lose-lose situation.

President Bush, one-time owner of a major league baseball team, will most likely find himself in just such a pickle next week. Because that's when (by all accounts) Scooter Libby's judge is going to rule that Scooter can't stay free while his appeals process grinds on; and hence must begin serving (within 60 days) his 30-month jail sentence. That's right -- Scooter is soon going to be behind bars.

Which leaves Bush with only two options: "To pardon, or not to pardon?" It's a lose-lose situation for him, because whichever way he goes, he's going to lose significant political support.

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James Carville should be ashamed of himself.

His wife, Republican Mary Matalin, somehow convinced him to sign a letter to the sentencing judge for Lewis "Scooter" Libby. In Scooter's defense.

The Smoking Gun has the whole letter. Written by Mary, it says on the first page:

"Though my husband James Carville, a Democratic Strategist and Clinton supporter, shares neither political nor philosophical views with Scooter, he has a deep respect for his intellect, his integrity, and joins me in the sentiments expressed here."

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Looks like there will be a second issue of The Flynt Report.

Larry Flynt placed a full-page ad yesterday in the Washington Post newspaper, promising up to one million dollars for "documented evidence of illicit sexual or intimate relations with a Congressperson, Senator, or other prominent officeholder." You can view the whole ad at Larry Flynt's personal website.

For those of you who don't remember, the first issue of The Flynt Report was published in response to Bill Clinton's impeachment and trial. It came out in 1999, just in time to derail the political career of the designated Speaker of the House, Bob Livingston (the Republicans needed a new Speaker because Newt Gingrich was stepping down in disgrace). Livingston announced his intention to resign (again, in disgrace) just before the Flynt Report was actually published.

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I'm probably guilty of committing schadenfreude in the first degree, but I couldn't help but feel that it's about time the Republican party experiences what it's like to be on the other end of the rhetorical blowtorch for a change. This blowtorch is a GOP invention, and has been wielded effectively against all dissent for years now. It even predates the Bush administration, although they have seemingly perfected its use. But now they are caught in their own circular firing squad, and even the likes of Rush Limbaugh are beginning to worry that it could destroy the party.

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