Bush OK’s leaks of national security info – so what?

The Moderate Voice lists five consequences of Scooter Libby’s fingering President Bush.

1. This administration does not just have a credibility problem, it has a credibility catastrophe.
2. Bush is now in the “loop” on these allegations. The stories point out that he didn’t violate any law — but he can’t talk about how leakers hurt the government if he is actively involved himself in leaking when it suits his political purposes.
3. This underscores again the abysmal failure of one-party government where there is effectively no vigorous Congressional oversight for political reasons. Under one party government Congressional CYLYKW (Cover Your Leader’s You-Know-What) has replaced Congressional oversight.
4. Expect that if there are more revelations to come out, they will. Under the old modus operendi of journalism, this kind of story would trigger a competition in the media to get more on this angle (the President participated in leaks…so what other ones did he participate in?). The new attention deficit media of the early 21st Century may not pursue it the same way, but it’s unlikely that this will be the last story looking closely at Bush’s role.
5. If the Democrats gain control of the House in 2006 it’ll be a whole new ball game. It will not necessarily mean impeachment proceedings (which is the threat some GOPers are using to try and rally their base for the mid-term elections). But there will be the threat of real — if even excessive — Congressional oversight coupled with political consequences.