Sacrifice

The rats are leaving the ship.

When the White House press secretary publicly absolved Rove in the leak but later refused to clear Libby, Libby sought Cheney's help in defending himself, Wells said.

"They're trying to set me up. They want me to be the sacrificial lamb," Wells said, recalling Libby's end of the conversation. "I will not be sacrificed so Karl Rove can be protected."

And why wouldn't they, Wells asked the jury, because Rove was Bush's chief political adviser, "the man most responsible for making sure the Republican party stayed in office. He had to be protected."

My crystal ball needs a new vacuum tube, but it's possible that in a few short months (or less) there will be something of a mad scramble to the lifeboats at the White House.

When Bush talks about "sacrifice," this may not be what he had in mind.