White House Apology Scandal Could Have Chilling Effect On Concessions
Washington--As a vortex of intrigue surrounded the Bush White House this last week, many Washington insiders say President Bush "must buckle" to forces pressuring his administration for an apology.
"There better be a mea culpa," said one prominent democratic Washington insider. "Or we're going to be forced to allow Bush to have his agenda."
Lights have been seen burning in the Oval office window until the remotest hours of the morning. Some have speculated that Mr. Bush is personally overseeing the text of a yet-to-come apology, apologizing for Scooter Libby's perceived cover-up of a non-crime.
"What didn't Libby do and when didn't he do it," asked Senator Harry Reid. "I am disturbed by the fact that the Fitzgerald investigation has raised more answers than it has questions."
Others indicate that Karl Rove was the mastermind behind his own, near-miss indictment.
"This has his non-fingerprints not all over it," said one uber-insider to the investigation. "There's a rule of thumb in millennial Washington. And that is, if it gets Rove off the hook, then Rove was the one fishing in the first place."
Still, many believe the overwhelming pressure for Bush to apologize for a crime related to a non-crime could tax his already expended political capital.
"He may be forced to keep Rove around, despite the fact that he was not indicted," said a Bush insider. "Many democrats are suspicious of this administration, when they accept resignations from those only named in the indictments. It just doesn't pass the smell test for them."
Insiders familiar with any impending apologies say there could be as many as 22 of them, while others say a more reasonable range of 1 to 5 is more likely.
"These apologies could be the end of the Bush cabal," said one democrat. "One thing is for certain, if they don't apologize, the cold winds of the third reich will blow yet again."
posted by Doofus @ 11:33 AM
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