--- In [email protected], Sal Sunshine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Mar 13, 2007, at 9:00 AM, authfriend wrote: > > > > > It occurs to me that one reason they might actually > > jettison Cheney--sooner rather than later--would be > > to create a distraction from the *other* unfolding > > scandals, > > Whatever the reason, it would be great to see him go. > > > in particular the U.S. attorney firings, > > which is currently in the process of going nuclear. > > Yep, yet another major scandal that probably won't make > any difference. Then again, this could be the final straw.
This one's getting a lot more attention in the mainstream media than I would have thought. It's pretty inside-baseball; what's scandalous about it isn't anywhere near as clear-cut as in the Walter Reed scandal or the Libby scandal or the FBI scandal. I think if I were your average minimally informed citizen, I'd be having trouble figuring out what the big deal is, especially the fact that even leading *Republicans* are calling for Gonzales's head. It remains to be seen whether the media can make a convincing case to the public. Most people won't be surprised to hear the administration has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar again, but this may not have quite the visceral impact as some of the other smoking guns (block that metaphor!). So given that the media is leading the charge--as opposed to reflecting massive citizen outrage--a Cheney resignation that forced the media to focus on something much more concrete might just work. It wouldn't stop the congressional investigations, but it could provide cover for the administration to stonewall with regard to subpoenas and providing information, and just generally relegate the whole thing to the back burner.
