Repug rifts are just a tired riff- Rummy will get a reprieve There are at least a hundred ways that would be a better outcome but cynicism is in order here. It certainly would be great if somebody did something heroic but don't count on the likes of Sen. Specter. It just ain't gonna happen.

You might, also, want to take this article as just more of journalistic inside-the-beltway inside-baseball. You have to move past the flurry and fluff to the pragmatic. There just happens to be a metaphor that readily jumps to mind.

The Repug ship has taken on enough water that they are manning the lifeboats. There won't be a bunch of gallantry, it will be everyone for themselves. They'll be looking hungrily at each other but won't want to shoot a hole in the boat to get it done.

The wiretapping matter is one float in a three part legislative life jacket for BushCo. Shrub also needs license on the detainees and would like absolution on the war crimes issue. Rove (his appeal is supposedly down but not his down and dirty power) will convince enough to row together to the drumbeat of national security.

Everyone will act in their collective political self-interests to pull this out. A good guess is that some easily circumvented bone will be thrown to the privacy concerns on wiretapping to grease the works on that. The legal status of detainees adjustment, along with protection from international prosecution for war crimes, can be easily sold by appealing to the base.

The protection from war crimes prosecution will be what will enable BushCo to convince Rumsfeld to stay in the quiet state they'll want him to take his sacrificial departure.  ¶ 9/06/2006 07:43:00 PM