Standing Eight Political Memo: Waiting For Fitzmas

We're up late in the Standing Eight office, which is nothing new but tonight we've just sent our Fitzmas lists off to the north pole and we're wondering if the next news cycle we open up will have a shiny new prize inside, and we were struck (neither all at once, nor sequentially,) by a thought:

Perhaps the actual best disposition of the ongoing Executive Branch Scandal (Standing Eight does not approve of any of the names being bandied about, PlameGate, RoveGate &c. We would like to call it the Chrome Dome Scandal if Cheney and Rove get hit, and stop all this "gate" nonsense,) but anyway the best case for those who wish the Bush administration let's say a robust hubris-oriented gut-check if not an actual impeachment would be (stay with us here,) for it to continue dragging on like this straight through the next 365 days. We'll explain.

Of three possible "outcomes" to the next White House year, two point roughly to a continued Republican house in '06, while one leaves slightly more room for a Democratic take-back (Standing Eight's most optimistic minds think not even the best case improves the odds to better than 1 in 4, but we'd bet that in Vegas.)

Outcome 1) Karl Rove is not indicted (or he is but he soon after skates.) Result: Rove gets his focus back and turns the lack of imprisoned Bush Chums against the Dems, holds or maybe pushes his majority.

Outcome 2) Rove is indicted and knows all year long that prison is only a matter of months away. Result: Rove spends his last free year pursuing the '06 Republican majority with a vengeance, (albeit from the indicted shadows,) so he can go to jail knowing he protected his man GWB from what most Americans call "appropriate congressional oversight."

Outcome 3) Rove is indicted, but feels in limbo for the next year, will he be convicted, will he walk, will he prove he was framed? This leaves him as impotent as he has been since Terri Schiavo (ouch,) and keeps him from having an angle to pursue in '06, giving Dems their best chance.

Free advice and worth the price.