I really don't expect much to come from Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA-leak inquiry, which appears to be wrapping things up. I heard on the Al Franken show today that there are reports of a 'major figure' giving information to the Special Prosecutor on just what may have been going on behind White House doors.

If top officials are indicted, I don't believe that any of them will end up serving time. While Karl Rove may find himself out of a job, VP Dick Cheney is probably invulnerable and I can't see him resigning no matter what comes out of the grand jury. All types of 'executive privilege' or even pardons would possibly keep the Veep from doing hard time. You definitely won't see Congress looking into anything, at least not until after the '06 elections take place.

If either IS forced out they certainly both have enough influence & connections to simply walk away into the private sector for large paychecks. They will just be doing it a few years earlier then they had expected.

On the other hand, G.W. isn't quite as invincible as he was even a few months ago. The death toll in Iraq continues to approach the two thousand mark and the botched job after Hurricane Katrina hasn't helped matters. Some Republicans (at least in Congress, if not among the party loyalists according to some polls) appear to be trying to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Administration. Next year's Senate & House elections will be especially nasty from all accounts, but it will be interesting to see if His Smugness finds himself dis-invited from fund raisers as time goes by.