SURVEY SAYS: NO PARDON! From this CNN poll, it would appear that (pace Andrea Mitchell) every person who believes Scooter Libby should be granted a pardon has written an editorial on the matter. Seriously, it may be sad, but it's this sort of poll result -- along with the finding that 52 percent of those surveyed believe that Dick Cheney was part of a cover-up to prevent the special prosecutor from learning who leaked Valerie Plame's identity -- that ought to lead to more vigorous public questioning by the press of President Bush and Vice President Cheney about their roles in leaking Plame's identity and in covering that up. And the press shouldn't forget about Richard Armitage and the State Department either.
Meanwhile, Henry Waxman, in his capacity as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is showing some signs of a real intention to question the White House both about its role in the outing of Valerie Plame and in the related prewar intel fiasco. (Waxman shouldn't forget State either -- working both State and the White House could be an effective technique for getting at the truth.) I'll have more to say about some of the questions Waxman and the press should be asking soon.
--Jeff Lomonaco
