TRUE LOVE, MASSACHUSETTS STYLE

Gentlemen, remember the name Kelli S. Donovan. Should your path cross with hers, run like hell.

The Boston Herald explains why:

A Framingham woman angry at her boyfriend beat him with a police baton yesterday, then tried to run him over with her car as he ran for his life, police said.

Kelli S. Donovan’s pursuit of her boyfriend was witnessed by Framingham Deputy Police Chief Kenneth Ferguson, who watched the man running as Donovan drove her 1991 Chevrolet Lumina on the street and the sidewalk right behind the man.

Donovan, 29, was arrested at 8:02 a.m. and was charged with trying to kill her boyfriend, although she denied she wanted him dead, Framingham police Lt. Vincent Alfano said. “She claimed she was just trying to stop him from walking so they could talk,” Alfano said.

Donovan was charged with assault and battery with the intent to kill, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

The victim was brought to MetroWest Medical Center’s Framingham Union campus to be treated for his injuries.

At one point, police said, Donovan drove over curbs and grassy medians behind the man in an attempt to catch him. Police would not reveal the man’s identity.

The victim told police Donovan had kicked him and attacked him with a police baton earlier, injuring him before he fled on foot.

Given the boyfriend's inability to outrun a 1991 Chevy Lumina, and his unwillingness to talk, perhaps he deserved the smackdown.

JUST CALL IT 'M'

Lost in the shuffle of last week's Traitorgate indictments was a great little bit o' new style, courtesy of the Springfield News-Leader.

The changing of the name from Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State University has created a style issue for the Gannett-owned daily. The acronym "MSU" is used in headlines -- but last Thursday, a local-front brief revealed a new name for the school:

M State University fans plan to show school spirit with a bonfire tonight on the campus, the first attempt at such a celebration since sometime in the 1990s, said Fred Marty, assistant vice president for administrative services.

Maybe the school should go all out and adopt Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" as a theme song. It worked just fine for Peter Lorre.

'FLAMING BAG OF FECAL MATTER' ENGULFS HOUSE

Good to see that our Canadian friends are not immune from the old flaming-bag-of-feces prank. According to the Ottawa Sun:

A Winnipeg teen is being hailed as a hero for helping his family to safety after a prank got out of hand and destroyed his home.

Jordan Feasey, 16, was sleeping in his family's mobile home last weekend, when his mom awoke and noticed something was amiss.

"She got up and looked out the window, and saw there was a fire on our outside deck," said the teen's dad, Mel Ottenbreit.

The fire was started by someone who left a flaming bag of fecal matter on the family's doorstep, police said yesterday.

It quickly spread, blocking both the trailer's exits, so Jordan's mother woke him up and called on him to help.

Jordan then rushed to wake up his little brother and sister.

His mom, Susan Feasey, had already called 911, so the family could do little but watch as flames engulfed their home.

Damages are estimated at $120,000.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy, known to the family, who faces arson charges.

Man, that's one expensive trailer. Happy Halloween.

CHESNEY: LOSING ZELLWEGER LIKE LOSING A TV

Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellwegger met in January, married in May, broke up in September. She filed for an annulment. He talked to Life magazine.

Says Chesney: The break-up "was like opening the door to your house and having someone come in and take your big-screen TV off the wall during the big game, and there's nothing you can do about it."

At least she rated up there with a big-screen TV; maybe he even meant a plasma.

The metaphorically challenged Chesney has a new album, "The Road and the Radio," coming out on Nov. 8.

SAMUEL ALITO FACTS

Named Monday by President Bush to the Supreme Court, Alito is:

•Not a woman, which means Harriet Miers apparently was the only woman in the United States who qualified for the Supremes. Tough luck, ladies.

•Fairly young at 55.

•Born on April Fool's Day.

•Catholic, which would make him the fifth Catholic on the high court.

•A raging anti-Roe voice.

That last point will be much discussed over the next few days, so here's the background. Alito sits on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1991, he was the only judge on the Third Circuit to vote in favor of an anti-abortion law that required women seeking abortions to "inform" their husbands. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito said many reasons for an abortion -- "economic constraints, future plans, or the husbands' previously expressed opposition -- could be "obviated by discussion prior to abortion."

Is this the sort of legal mind we want on the U.S. Supreme Court?

FONZ TURNS 60

Aaaaaay! Henry Winkler had a birthday on Sunday. We are all closer to death.

BAD IDEAS, BY JOE WILSON

Friday's indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby has made many Democrats giddy and thirsty for sweet, sweet revenge.

We've heard a few Dems discuss whether former ambassador Joe Wilson and his wife, outed CIA agent Valerie Plame, should civilly sue President Bush and other White House officials. Paul Begala, former Clintonista and current CNN talking head, says Dems could cite the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Paula Jones harassment lawsuit to proceed against Bill Clinton (you'll remember the Supremes voted 9-0 that a sitting president is not immune from a civil suit).

So why not sue Bush? Some activists on Democratic Underground are trying to make that case. We won't be surprised when Wilson and Plame file suit.

Speaking of Wilson, he's the Sunday night interview on "60 Minutes."

Seeing the Wilson promo on "Face The Nation" made us cringe, because the last thing Wilson ought to be doing is opening his mouth. He's a big target and has been since May or June 2003. Anything he has to say now is just piling on. Democrats don't need to do that right now.

"By any means necessary" sounded good coming from Malcolm X, but it casts the Dems as vindictive. Hey: fine to be vindictive. Just don't let it show in public.

Democrats should let Patrick Fitzgerald do his work and stay above the dirt, while offering substantive ideas (and legislation) to lead the country. When 45 percent of the country "strongly disapproves" of the job Bush is doing as president -- and only 39 percent gives thumbs-up -- no further pushing is necessary. Bush is a lame duck. A Plame duck, if you prefer puns.

Democrats have a great story to tell right now; they should tell it. They should grab control of the debate on policy and convince voters that it's time to vote Democratic, for a change.

That's what they should do. What they will do is likely to be the precise opposite, and helps explain why Republicans rule Missouri and the country.

HEAVEN, HELL, FOX NEWS

Most Americans believe in the first two. We cite from the third item:

Most Americans believe in God, heaven, miracles and angels, and while the numbers are not quite as high, large majorities say they believe in hell and the devil.

The latest FOX News poll finds that more than nine in 10 Americans (91 percent) believe in God and almost as many believe in heaven (87 percent). In addition, 84 percent say they believe in miracles and 79 percent in angels.

What about the dark side? Almost three-quarters of Americans (74 percent) say they believe in hell and two-thirds in the devil (67 percent).

As Halloween (search) approaches, the poll also asked about ghosts and witches. A third (34 percent) believe in ghosts and a quarter in witches (24 percent). In addition, almost four in 10 Americans (37 percent) say they believe in astrology and one in four believe in reincarnation (27 percent). Hardly any say they believe in vampires (4 percent).

These results are in line with past FOX News surveys on these beliefs going back to 1997.

Dammit, what about mummies? Werewolves? Intelligent design?

WEIRD 'FOSSIL' UNCOVERED IN IRAN

Casper Schilling says he's 44, lives in Holland and participates in historic digs in places like Bam, Iran.

About a year ago, Schilling posted information on his site about "the skeleton of Jebal-Barez." This month he updated with a new photo and a graf or two of fresh information. He says the skeleton was apparently unearthed in the December 2003 earthquake.

We don't know what to make of the skeleton, but we're skeptical. Perhaps one of our smarter readers can enlighten everyone else. Click here and read all about it.

ROVE DANGLES BY A THREAD

Friday morning's media outlets were filled with speculation that White House brain Karl Rove would escape indictment but remain "under investigation." The early rumors had the stink of Turd Blossom clinging to them. Later Friday, Rove's lawyer, Robert Ruskin, even issued a statement saying pretty much the same thing.

After special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald announced the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- but not Rove -- the chattering heads began wondering and asking what lay ahead for Rove.

Had Rove resisted the urge to leak, Friday night's coverage would be all about how the Brilliant Rove escaped the prosecutor's clutches. Instead, he's Damocles to Fitzgerald's Dionysius. The sword dangles and twists. So does Karl Rove.

CHENEY KNEW EVERYTHING

Buried in the indictment handed up by a federal grand jury on Friday is a telling paragraph that proves Vice President Dick Cheney and his chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, knew that Valerie Plame Wilson was a clandestine CIA asset.

The important graf:

On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Division. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA.

The Counterproliferation Division works in the Directorate of Operations, the place where spies hang out.

Cheney and Libby are not Washington virgins. They know where CPD resides. They know the Directorate of Operations is the clandestine service.

One other thing to remember about Libby: Not only was he chief of staff for Dick Cheney; he was also assistant to the president. Republicans will try to brush off the indictment as "no cancer on the presidency," as David Brooks is trying to do on PBS. But when an assistant to the president is indicted for lying and obstruction of justice, it's a huge deal.

FITZGERALD FALLOUT

Now that the grand jury has handed up indictments and the special prosecutor has finished his news conference (you'll find live entries further downthread), we're waiting for President Bush to make his statement before choppering off to Camp David.

Bush is scheduled to speak at 2:50 p.m. Central. Posters on Free Republic are dreaming that Bush might appoint a new Supreme Court justice. Or maybe he'll start a war in Iran.

Foes of Karl Rove, begin to weep. The president's brain remains unindicted, and it doesn't sound like Fitzgerald will push much further. Rove's Democratic lawyer apparently saved his client's rump.

Bushbots, beware. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's trial won't take place for six months, maybe more. Dissection of the indictment (and of Patrick Fitzgerald's news conference) will create more noise. Very little of it will put this White House in a good light.

Here comes the Bush statement. Prez in blue suit, red tie, straight spine. No smiles as he approaches the podium. Says he accepted the resignation of Scooter Libby. Calls him "Scooter." That's so weird. Bush says investigation is "serious, and now the process moves into a new phase." Does the "presumed innocent" bit. Says "we're all saddened by today's news." Says he's got a job to do, a la Bill Clinton. Says "pretty soon" he'll be naming someone to the high court. This is all.

FITZGERALD NEWS CONFERENCE LIVE THREAD

2 p.m.
We wish Patrick Fitzgerald would quit saying "at the end of the day."

Convicting Libby "will vindicate the interests of the public," the prosecutor says. He will be involved in the prosecution, but he will not be the lead prosecutor.

The breakdown: Investigation remains open, but no "great expectations" of future indictments. Prosecutor might use an existing grand jury; that would not be unusual. Libby is a big fish, and the prosecutor says he deliberately and repeatedly lied to cover his tracks, and quite possibly the tracks of bigger creatures.

"This indictment is not about the war. This indictment is not about the propriety of the war," Fitzgerald says. "The indictment will not seek to prove the war was justified or unjustified ... this is focused on a narrow transaction."

1:53 p.m.
President Bush is speaking at the White House. Cheney is speaking in front of a bunch of soldiers in Georgia. CNN has the sound down on the nation's two most-powerful men. All ears are on Patrick Fitzgerald, who keeps pounding on the "very, very serious matter" he's investigating.

1:45 p.m.
Will there be a congressional investigation? Fitzgerald dances around the question. "I don't think it's my role to opine on whether the Justice Department will oppose or not oppose" another investigation.

About his critics: "One day I read I was a Republican hack, one day I read I was a Democratic hack. In between, all I did was sleep."

Will Fitzgerald issue a final report? Probably not. Does not have authority to write a report. "Charge someone, or be quiet." He's chosen to do the former.

1:42 p.m.
Fitzgerald says reporters should not be routinely called into court via subpoena, but in this case, reporters "were eyewitnesses to the crime." Says he wished Judith Miller didn't have to spend any time in jail, "but I think it had to be done."

1:41 p.m.
Wasn't looking to pick a fight with The New York Times, but "couldn't walk away" from mandate to investigate evidence of obstruction. "We thought long and hard" before subpoenas issued to reporters.

1:38 p.m.
Fitzgerald talks about leaks. "I would prefer, for the integrity of an investigation," that witnesses didn't talk, but they weren't breaking the law if they did. Prosecutor and GJ are bound by secrecy.

No comment on whether he's "bothered" by so many government officials talking about a CIA agent's identity.

1:34 p.m.
Michael Isikoff of Newsweek asks about "Official A." Can he identify him by name? Says the prosecutor: "We just can't do that."

Is Rove off the hook? Same answer. No comment. Either charged, or no comment.

1:33 p.m.
"It's not over," but it pretty much is. No new grand jury. The prosecutor doesn't say it, but it doesn't sound like any further indictments will be forthcoming. No leak charge, he notes, but obstruction is just as serious. The national security was damaged by the leak, Fitzgerald says.

Any evidence that veep broke a law? "We don't talk about people not charged in the indictment. We make no allegations" Cheney committed a crime.

1:28 p.m.
"It appears Mr. Libby's story ... was not true. it was false," Fitzgerald says. Libby wasn't at the end of the gossip chain; he was at the front, shoveling furiously, the prosecutor says.

"This is a country that takes its law seriously, that all citizens are bound by the law," Fitzgerald says. "Let's let the process take place. Let's take a deep breath" and let the system work.

1:26 p.m.
At least four people within the government told Libby about Valerie Wilson, according to Fitzgerald. Not illegal, the prosecutor stresses -- but Libby then told Ari Fleischer "something on a Monday that he claims to have learned on a Thursday." Oops.

At least seven total discussions with government officials before Libby claimed he learned about Valerie Wilson from Russert.

1:21 p.m.
Now to interviews with Libby by FBI. Focus of interview was what Libby knew about Valerie Wilson. Libby gave FBI "compelling story," prosecutor says. Libby blamed Russert and told FBI that the info "struck him." Libby said he then peddled info to Matt Cooper and Judith Miller. "He passed it on understand this was information he had gotten from a reporter, and he didn't know if it was true."

Libby then testified twice before grand jury and "essentially said the same thing." Libby said he'd "forgotten" he'd gotten the Valerie Wilson info from the vice president. "If only it were true," Fitzgerald. "It is not true, according to the indictment." Youch.

1:19 p.m.
"Investigators do not set out to investigate a statute," Fitzgerald says. Important for probe to be secret, he adds. "It was known a CIA officer's identity was blown. It was known there was a leak," he says. The investigation began from those points.

Obligated to be secret, not to be shared with public. "As frustrating as that may be, it's important," Fitzgerald says. "Equally important that the witnesses who come before a grand jury ... tell the complete truth. It's especially important in the national security area."

1:17 p.m.
Fitzgerald outlines indictment, puts investigation into context. Valerie Wilson was a CIA officer, the prosecutor says, and before July 2003, very few people knew of her secret identity. "It is important a CIA officer's identity be protected," Fitzgerald says. It's important for national security.

1:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, 2005
The news conference has just begun. Wow, so that's what he sounds like.

MR. CHENEY REGRETS

He deeply regrets. The veep, Dick Cheney, has just issued a four-paragraph statement on Lewis "Scooter" Libby's resignation. Cheney reminds us: "An accused person is presumed innocent until a contrary finding" comes from a jury.

Cheney says Libby is resigning to fight the charges against him. He's also resigning to get the scandal out of the White House and keep it from growing. Patrick Fitzgerald's news release, and the indictment handed up by the grand jury, contains enough explosive power to keep official D.C. roaring for weeks.

Fitzgerald is supposed to take questions from reporters. This could be a long and very noisy news conference; there are dozens of unanswered questions:

•What's the dilly with Karl Rove?

•Who's "Official A" in the court documents? He or she is a "senior official at the White House" and is mentioned on Page 8 of the indictment. "Official A" is the preseumed source of in a 2003 column by Robert Novak, the reporter better known as Novakula, Prince of the Undead.

•Will Fitzgerald make use of an existing, sitting grand jury to extend his investigation? Or will he ask for a special grand jury? The sitting panel's mandate ends today, and because it was already working on a six-month extension, its work cannot be extended any further.

•Will Fitzgerald issue a report to Congress?

•Will Fitzgerald use Libby to roll on his bosses, the veep and the prez?

•Why no charge of conspiracy, despite the multiple acts outlined in the indictment that smack of conspiracy.

Stay tuned. We will.

THE STUFF OF SECRET AGENT MEN

Reading the news release from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, we're struck by the Spy v. Spy tone of the Bush Administration, especially within the office of the vice president.

•On June 9, 2003, "a number of classified documents from the CIA" were faxed over the Dick Cheney's office. Wilson's name wasn't contained in the classified pages, but "Libby and one or more other persons in the Vice President's office handwrote the names 'Wilson' and 'Joe Wilson' on the documents."

•On June 11 or 12, Libby was "orally advised" by an undersecretary of state that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.

•On June 11, a "senior officer of the CIA" told Libby that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.

•On or about June 12, Cheney told Libby that "Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in the Counterproliferation Division."

•On June 14, Libby met with a CIA briefer "and discused with the brifer, among other things, 'Joe Wilson' and his wife 'Valerie Wilson.'"

•On June 19, a story in The New Republic appeared. Libby spoke with his principal deputy and said they couldn't leak info about Wilson's trip -- "there would be complications at the CIA ... and that he could not discuss the matter on a non-secure telephone line."

•On June 23, Libby met with Judith Miller and mentioned something about Wilson's wife working for the CIA.

Within two weeks of hearing from Cheney that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, Libby was peddling that info to a reporter. All of this, of course, sources as allegations from Fitzgerald, and Libby is innocent until proven guilty.

LIBBY DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED

The indictment against Lewis "Scooter" Libby can be found here. It's a .pdf document.

Patrick Fitzgerald's news release can be found here. Some juicy reading, for sure.

CIA LEAK CASE LIVE THREAD

12:15 p.m.
Dem talking point from Paul Begala, former Clintonista: Enormous hit for administration, especially given Bush's promise to "restore honor and dignity to the White House" during the 2000 campaign. Worse for Cheney, who wields more power than any other veep in history. Says Begala: "Even Al Gore was never as powerful."

GOP talking point from Human Rights editor: Perjury and obstruction of justice are serious crimes, just like they were in 1998. And by the way, Joe Wilson is scum.

12:10 p.m.
WH announces Libby's resignation. Written earlier in the day, according to CNN's John King, and accepted a couple minutes ago.

12:05 p.m.
The indictment says Cheney told Libby of Valerie Plame's identity. Joe Wilson, husband of the outed agent, is scheduled to make a statement shortly.

The filed documents aren't yet online, but the chattering heads note that inside noise about Wilson started circulating through the White House in May 2003 -- two months before Wilson published his column in The New York Times.

(CNN's John King notes that a Nicholas Kristof column from May 6, 2003, may have been the spark that set off the blaze inside Cheney's office. King covered the WH at the time and remembers the WH political operation "kicking into high gear" to discredit war critics like Wilson, who was the unnamed source in Kristof's column.)

More details: Libby told FBI agents that Russert asked him if he knew Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Libby also said (allegedly) that Russert blabbed about "every reporter in Washington" knowing this juicy tidbit. When interviewed by the feds, Russert called BS on Libby.

Ditto for Matt Cooper of Time. Those are the false statement charges.

Re perjury: Libby told the grand jury the same tales about Russert and Cooper. Man, that's some arrogance.

Most damning appears to be the naming of Cheney as the source of Plame's identity. The veep isn't charged, not even as some sort of unindicted co-conspirator, but his political stock has been depleted.

Novakula's name emerges! Documents discuss "Official A" talking with Libby and being told by the veep's chief that Robert Novak was about the write a column about the Wilson mess.

11:52 a.m.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby basically lied his ass off to deceive FBI agents, the grand jury and the special prosecutor. Or so claims Patrick Fitzgerald. The charges against Vice President Dick Cheney's "alter ego" are muy serious, indeed.

NBC's Tim Russert speaks; he's one of the reporters Lewis allegedly blamed for leaking Plame's name. Russert says he was not a recipient of the leak; he did not know Plame's name. Sounds like Libby was playing Russert, Matt Cooper and Judith Miller off each other.

Russert does know he's going to be a witness at Libby's trial, doesn't he? Ditto for Dick Cheney. And -- ye gods -- Judith Miller.

11:46 a.m.
Libby charged one count obstruction, two counts perjury, two counts making false statements. Accused of lying about how and where he got Plame's name. Charges allege Libby lied to FBI agents; committed perjury in two GJ appearances; and engaged in obstruction by impeding GJ investigation.

11:44 a.m.
Five counts against Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury. No charges related to actual leak of Valerie Plame's name.

11:43 a.m.
Libby indicted for false statements, obstruction of justice.

11:40 a.m.
Grand jury has handed up indictments.

11:37 a.m.
CNN's "Situation Room" rocks. Not for Wolf Blitzer, but because we can watch Bob Franken, John King, Candy Crowley and Jeff Greenfield all at once on the big screens. Franken picking up the indictment now.

11:32 a.m.
One more procedural update: Grand jury is not yet in courtroom; still in clerk's office. Fitzgerald & Co. are in courtroom of magistrate.

11:29 a.m.
Bush returns to WH from Andrews.

11:24 a.m.
Fitzgerald's in the magistrate's courtroom. Presentment about to begin.

11:22 a.m.
Dick Cheney is in Georgia, giving a speech on terrorism.

11:19 a.m.
Grand jurors leaving courthouse, MSNBC reports. MSNBC's earlier reporting is off; grand jury going into magistrate's courtroom. Indictment about to be published.

11:15 a.m.
Maybe no public statement from Fitzgerald? So says Andrea Mitchell, now nattering about prosecutor's letter to House Dems.

11:08 a.m.
Notice from special counsel to Dem leaders on House intelligence committee: Patrick Fitzgerald will issue public report on the grand jury investigation. This according to Andrea Mitchell. House Dems had requested such a report. Update: Mitchell says no grand jury testimony to be included in report to Congress.

11 a.m.
Like the climactic scene of a summer blockbuster, all events in Traitorgate dovetail:

•Air Force One lands at Andrews AFB following a speech at Norfolk. It is precisely 11 a.m. Central time -- high noon in D.C. -- and Patrick Fitzgerald is due to release legal documents in the next several minutes. By the time noon strikes in Springfield, this will be a different political world.

•The grand jury files into open court. Extra chairs have been brought in.

•The magistrate is ready to read the indictment.

NBC's Andrea Mitchell says these events will radically and permanently change the landscape for the Bush Administration.

10:45 a.m.
Someone give MSNBC's David Shuster some oxygen before he passes out. Way too excitable right now.

What we do not know is remarkable, given the crush of coverage, especially over the last several weeks. Patrick Fitzgerald does not leak, or if he does, he leaves no fingerprints. Compare this to Ken Starr's office and its "leak of the day" to the media -- you know, the damned liberal media that never slams Democrats.

Umm-hmm.

Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post is reporting that Karl Rove's lawyers presented Fitzgerald with information that "gave the special prosecutor pause." VandeHei also says the Rove portion of this investigation could be over in the next couple weeks, not months.

We're down to the short hairs now, kids.

10:35 a.m.
Ack. CNN is doing one of those "let's look back" timeline pieces -- voiced by Wolf Blitzer. Or, as the anchor might announce, "VOICED by Wolf BLITZER, and YOU'RE IN the Situation ROOM."

Fox reports that Fitzgerald may be walking indictments to the district court as we type.

MSNBC notes that the first page of the indictment (or information) will be read in open court.

The White House spin machine puts out a new line this half-hour: Fitzgerald has taken two years. Why does he need more time? Thing to remember: Judith Miller and Matt Cooper created delays in the case when they refused to testify.

10:15 a.m.
David Shuster, the NBC correspondent, is reporting live from outside the courthouse. His voice is shaking as he reports that at least one indictment will be issued by the grand jury.

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has got that honest-boy look. Ozarkers should check the resemblance between Fitzgerald and former state representative (and current top Democrat) Craig Hosmer.

10:10 a.m.
Karl Rove claims he "misspoke" to the grand jury, and anything he didn't tell the grand jury was an innocent mistake and not some type of cover-up. This is according to those pesky sources -- aka, Rove or his lawyer.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby is toast; this seems very certain. Libby is expected to resign his post as chief of staff to the vice president after being indicted or charged in an information. Sources say Libby will be charged with making false statements -- probably not perjury, but the charge is easier to prove and the penalty is the same.

If Libby is the biggest fruit to fall from the tree, will he become an aspen and turn? The White House is furiously spinning the line that no Rove indictment means the Bush Administration is in the clear. You will hear a lot of spin today, but none of it will contain such a high level of equine feces.

10 a.m.
If Dick Cheney ever thought about running for president, those thoughts ended today.

Speaking of Cheney, he and President Bush are giving anti-terror speeches today. Reporters can't remember the last time both men were making similar speeches on the same day. Then again, no one can remember the last time a sitting White House official was indicted.

9:50 a.m., Friday, Oct. 28, 2005
To aid the cubicle-bound, for the next few hours we'll keep a live channel open and update what we see and hear.

This hour's highlights:

•David Gergen raises an ominous issue on CNN -- Bush could be called to testify in a Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial. "That would totally distract the country," Gergen tells Wolf Blitzer.

•Name you need to know is John Eckenrode, FBI special agent in charge of Fitzgerald's criminal investigation. He'll appear with Fitzgerald at the 1 p.m. news conference. Media will enter with cameras at 10 a.m. Central.

•Jeff Greenfield, CNN's senior analyst, provides some history to the story, noting the gulf between CIA and defense officials has been present since the 1970s. Vice President Dick Cheney (and his chief, Libby) argued for "sharper intelligence" and didn't trust the CIA. "This is why Scooter Libby is so central to this investigation," Greenfield said.

FITZGERALD'S ANNOUNCEMENT

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will release documents in the CIA leak probe at 11 a.m. Central. Expect them to be posted on Fitzgerald's web site.

Fitzgerald will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Central. Now you've got your day planned. And just think, we'll finally be able to hear Fitzgerald's voice.

The allegedly wise men and women of the Washington press corps have come to this consensus:

•Indictment for Lewis "Scooter" Libby casts a bad and long shadow on Vice President Dick Cheney.

•Karl Rove might escape indictment today, but being under "continued investigation" basically freezes the administration. President Bush can't make a speech and get the scandal behind him, so long as his right arm is mired in investigation.

8:45 a.m. update: The "Rove remains under investigation" rumor (tidbit, factoid, leak) indicates that Fitzgerald may still be fishing, and could be trying to flip potential defendants. Also missing from this morning's news flurry is any mention of any other indictments, outside of Libby.

9:05 a.m. update: Fugging Andrea Mitchell, the NBC correspondent, made a jaw-dropping statement just now on MSNBC. She told Chris Matthews that "now we finally know" the roles of Libby and Rove in this scandal. What a steaming pile. Reporters like Mitchell have known what's going on for two years; Mitchell was interviewed in the leak probe. For the past couple years, any number of reporters in Washington could have stood up in a White House briefing and said, "Hey, stop the horsecrap. We know who leaked. They leaked to us." They didn't back then, and now they want to "come clean." Fug 'em.

Urgent update 9:10 a.m. Looks like the 11 a.m. document release will be accompanied by some sort of statement from Fitzgerald's office.

Update 9:40 a.m. David Gergen, wise man of Washington, says even if Rove isn't indicted today, he's a "distraction" to the White House. "This is a very mixed bag for the White House," Gergen told MSNBC. "I don't see where they go with new initiatives to climb out of the hole." Man, if this is the best that Gergen can do for a GOP administration, then things are really very bad inside the White House.

There is also this to consider. The 11 a.m. document dump could well include "information" filed against a defendant or defendants. One indictment could cover several defendants, too. Rove's lawyer announced Friday morning that "no decision" has been made by Fitzgerald on whether to indict Rove. In other words, no new news from the president's right arm.

A MURROW MOMENT

We're leafing through Bob Edwards' marvelous, slim book about Edward R. Murrow and came across a graf that has the ring of today.

Thursday was the 58th anniversary of Murrow's broadcast about the House Un-American Activities Committee and its bid to root out Communists in Hollywood.

Said Murrow:

"The right of dissent -- or, if you prefer, the right to be wrong -- is surely fundamental to the existence of a democratic society. That's the right that went first in every nation that stumbled down the trail of totalitarianism."

Don't fear the totalitarians.

FRIDAY SPECULATION

The New York Times says Lewis "Scooter" Libby will be indicted, but Karl Rove will not.

The Washington Post is more uncertain, reporting that indictments could happen.

ABC, NBC and CNN are all piggybacking with the claim that Rove will be spared an indictment but remain under investigation, while Libby is popped for making false statements.

All of these early reports seem underwhelming, given the week's hype.

Patrick Fitzgerald is due to announce his "direction" in the next half-hour or so (around 8 a.m. Central).

We'll update as it happens.

8 a.m. update Fitzgerald walks into the courthouse, surrounded by a flashing, multi-legged monster also known as a media corps. No comment. Go figure. He's not as rumpled as he usually looks, and he reportedly got a shoeshine on Thursday afternoon. You know there are no leaks; reporters are left to highlight a shoeshine.

'HE'S GAY, JIM'

The swashbuckling Sulu, George Takei, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he's gay.

From The AP:

Takei said his new onstage role as psychologist Martin Dysart in "Equus," helped inspire him to publicly discuss his sexuality.

Takei described the character as a "very contained but turbulently frustrated man." The play opened Wednesday at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Los Angeles, the same day that Frontiers magazine featured a story on Takei's coming out.

The current social and political climate also motivated Takei's disclosure, he said.

"The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," he said. "The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young."

The 68-year-old actor said he and his partner, Brad Altman, have been together for 18 years.

'Bout time Sulu confirmed the longstanding rumor.

WOODWARD: 'POSSIBILITY' OF NO INDICTMENTS

Bob Woodward, also known in journalism circles as The Man, is on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday evening, taking part in a roundtable about Harriet Miers -- and, of course, the Traitorgate scandal.

Woodward surprised everyone on the panel by saying there was a "possibility" that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald would announce on Friday that there are no true bills from the grand jury. No likely, Woodward hastened to add -- but then he expressed skepticism that the core of a real crime will be found in the investigation. People in the White House may have gossiped about Joe Wilson and his wife, the CIA employee. But Woodward said the gossip may have inadvertently devolved into unethical behavior.

A crime? Woodward said he doubted that was the case.

Newsweek's Michael Isikoff was also on the panel; he said rumors are flying through Washington about every 15 minutes. He asked Woodward about the latest tidbit -- that Woodward had a blockbuster in the works for Friday's Washington Post. Woodward said he wished that was the case. We did, too.

CREATIONIST CAUGHT PEDDLING LIES

The 21st-century edition of the Scopes Monkey Trial continues in Pennsylvania. On Thursday, things got colorful. The Associated Press reports it this way:

A former school board member who denied advocating that creationism be taught alongside evolution in high-school biology classes changed his story Thursday after lawyers in a federal courtroom played a TV news clip that recorded him making such a comment.

William Buckingham explained the discrepancy by saying that he "misspoke."

Buckingham's testimony came in the fifth week of testimony in a lawsuit filed by eight families who are challenging the Dover Area School District's policy that students hear a statement about intelligent design in biology classes. Critics say intelligent design is a repackaging of the biblical view of creation and thus violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

Buckingham, who led the board's curriculum committee when it approved the policy a year ago, confirmed Thursday that he said during a June 2004 board meeting that the biology textbook is "laced with Darwinism." The clip that was shown later in the day came from an interview that he gave to a news crew from WPMT-TV in York later in the month.

"It's OK to teach Darwin," he said in the interview, "but you have to balance it with something else, such as creationism."

Asked to explain by a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Buckingham said he felt "ambushed" by the camera crew as he walked across a parking lot to his car and that he had been consciously trying to avoid mentioning creationism.

"I had it in my mind to make sure not to talk about creationism. I had it on my mind. I was like a deer in the headlights. I misspoke," he told U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III, who is presiding over the non-jury trial.

Earlier in Thursday's court session, Buckingham claimed that he had been misquoted in stories from two newspapers that reported his advocating the teaching of creationism to counterbalance the material on evolution.

"It's just another instance when we would say intelligent design and they would print creationism," he said.

When Stephen Harvey, the plaintiffs' lawyer, noted the similarity of the newspaper reports to what he told the TV crew, Buckingham replied, "That doesn't mean it's accurate."

The trial could go on for another couple weeks; court has been in session since late September.

KYTV: ANTI-BLUNT AD TURNED DOWN

A follow to our Wednesday posting about some local television stations turning down an anti-Roy Blunt ad created by the Public Campaign Action Fund.

The PCAF ad links Blunt, the southwest Missouri congressman, to Rep. Tom DeLay. PCAF's David Donnelly said KYTV and KSPR -- Springfield's NBC and ABC affiliates, respectively -- "caved in to Blunt's bullying."

But KYTV General Manager Mike Scott said that's baloney. "We were in the process of turning down the ad" when Blunt's legal team called, Scott said Thursday.

The ad was rejected by KYTV, Scott said, because rules governing issue ads are not the same as those covering candidate ads. "Candidate ads can make baseless claims," Scott said, "and they're protected." But a station that airs an issues ad with allegedly specious claims can be held liable for those falsehoods, Scott said.

"Normally, we don't have to deal with these issues until even-numbered years," Scott joked. The campaign seasons, they grow longer with every cycle.

(Candidly, we're only interested in what KYTV has to say about this ad. KSPR may also have rejected the spot, but it's the whole "tree falls in a forest" issue with the ABC affiliate.)

What do you think? Should KYTV have rejected the PCAF ad?

HARRIET MIERS WITHDRAWS

Thursday's urgent/breaking news, now being reported on all the cables.

You know what this means? Bad news from the White House. The best way to bury your mistakes is to slip them into a pile of hurt and hope nobody notices.