The White House's Incestuous Affair With Holding Power

The underlining question of the CIA leak investigation is what exactly is the White House's men protecting? Is it more than just a boongoogle of a war in Iraq or something more?

The theory goes that Joe Wilson could have been easily muzzled. His accusations that Iraq did not attempt to buy uranium from Niger could have marginalized. The British, of which, President Bush first attributed the Niger findings still hasn't backed off that assertion.

Instead, the administration sought to discredit and possible endanger a covert CIA agent with some of the heaviest hitters in government. What are they hiding? How big is it and how much is it worth to the donors of Bush's presidency?

This murky question has been furthered in recent days with a reshuffling of the usual suspects. Vice President Dick Cheney appointed two familiar cronies of this scandal to replace the indicted Scooter Libby.

David Addington and John Hannah (not the splendid New England Patriots offensive lineman from the 80s) were named to replace Libby's duties in the Vice President's office. These are not administration outsiders, but merely the second string from the neo-conservative's bench.

Addington has been linked to the decision to authorized torturing terror suspects and was obliquely named in Libby's indictment. Addington may have been a part of meetings that first looked into gaining knowledge of Plame's status at the CIA.

Hannah was apparently worried about receiving an indictment as early as a week before Libby's came down from the special prosecutor. Hannah was named in Wilson's book as a possible suspect in the outing of his wife's covert status to various journalists.

The point here is that along with Addington and Hannah, Karl Rove still holds a security clearance for top secret information despite being named as an individual who passed along highly-sensitive information to Matt Cooper and possibly Robert Novak.

Why can't this embattled President follow his beloved idol--Ronald Reagan--and clear house? Or is the house of cards named the War in Iraq only standing with these few felonious architects?