Plamegate updated and illustrated

Juan Cole cuts through all the mendacity this morning: He describes, in the clearest possible fashion [and richly illustrated] the crimes of Bush, Cheney, Libby and Rove as they relate to the Valerie Plame story.

Cole's good, but it's really all over now, except for some of the shouting. Even after the revelations in today's news, I see his account primarily as a lesson in why it was so important to get Alito appointed.

Listen to the administration's assertions of the legitimacy of their own spying ever since the wiretapping story broke. They know that everything they have done and will yet do really is perfectly legal and constitutional, because the Supreme Court, as Bush has now constituted it, will end up ruling so.

And don't think that this crew will ever have to surrender their power. Everything has finally been put in place for the perpetuation of a one-party state.

And we can't do a thing about it.


Those who have refused to play along have to be asking how much time they will have to get out of the country.