SITTING DUCK

They say the President of the United States has the loneliest job in the world. For George W. Bush, that reality may finally hit home in the next week or so.

Four years ago terrorists attacked America. Three years ago George and his pals made up some stuff so we could invade Iraq. Two years ago they sprinkled new lies on top of old lies and stayed the course. Last year they beat a flip-flopper in an election. Now, right now, everything is falling apart.

Throughout it all, George has been surrounded by a viciously loyal cabal of advisers, handlers, and surrogates. They have done George's dirty work and hidden his dirty laundry. They have served as confidants and saviors. They are the bubble in which George exists.

And now, right now, George's bubble may be about to burst.

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald is up to something. His 22-month investigation into a White House leak of classified information is coming to a close and Washington is abuzz.

The targets of this investigation are various, and the implications a sundry (no matter what anyone else says):

23 Stories Straight: You've been served!

Rove Stops Campaigning: Hell freezes over.

Pay Attention: Chris Matthews tells the whole story.

What Did He Know & When Did He Know: If George was angry, George knew... if George knew, George lied. (The White House ain't saying.)

Courting Disaster: A former Powell aide unloads on Cheney.

White House Iraq Group: A hit squad, a disinformation campaign.

No Report: Fitzgerald can do nothing or he can indict.

E Pluribus Unum: "If the inner circle is small, it takes only one insider 'flip' to endanger the rest."

And in the latest twist, Karl Rove claims he can't be the leak because he heard it from Libby who heard it from a reporter.

This one raises interesting questions. They are:

Did the White House pick and choose testimony to advance their story that Valerie Plame's identity came from a reporter?

Or did Rove and Libby get together some time ago to get their stories straight?

Or has the White House decided Libby is more expendable than Rove?

Or is Rove acting out and casting the blame away from himself?

These questions have interesting answers. They are:

1,985 Americans are dead.

There were no weapons of mass destruction.

The administration lied.

We're in a war without an end in a country that posed no imminent threat.


The Valerie Plame incident may be that last rope that pulls the statue from the pedestal. It shouldn't be. There are more than enough ropes already. There just aren't enough people pulling. There are some in power who remain silent. There are some who wanted power but never really spoke up.

A surplus that's a deficit. A Supreme Court nominee who will have to step aside. A Republican party in ethical disarray. An evangelical base frothing with political capital. A conservative base increasingly disgusted. A moderate base looking for answers and exit strategies. A handful of starry eyed GOP bigshots waiting in the wings, weighing the political cost/benefit of attacking their President.

George W. Bush is not a lame duck. He is a sitting duck. He is a waiting duck. He is a lonely duck.

Will he take "personal responsibility" for the actions of his White House or will he shirk it off?

Will he apologize, admit his mistakes, hold people accountable?

Or will he sit in his Oval Office all alone -- his advisers frog-marching into the sunset -- with the weight of the world on his shoulders and, for the first time, only his shoulders.

George should address the nation. He should tell us how his closest friends and advisers took the nation to war on a series of brutal and deadly lies. He should explain his role in these lies -- was he tricked by those he trusted or was he a part of the gag?

He should turn his lonely eyes to us and come clean.

Now, right now, George has a choice to make. He can take responsibility, fire the accountable, explain himself, or he can restore honor and dignity to the White House.

Mr. President, will you step up or step down?

(Remember, George: Richard Nixon was re-elected, too.)

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