I have not seen a diary yet proposing an idea I've heard circulated before...that Judith Miller's source was not Scooter Libby but in fact John Bolton. Apparently the person to bolster this claim the most in the last month is none other than the Ambassador himself. He's been sighted visiting her at the Alexandria Detention Facility. Keep in mind in his new job with the UN he spends most of his time in New York City...

Quote the Saturday edition of the Washington Post:

Bolton's visit raised some eyebrows in Washington. A vocal defender of administration claims in 2003 that Iraq was seeking weapons of mass destruction, he could have had access to a State Department memo, parts of which were classified, that detailed Wilson's trip to Niger to determine whether Iraq was seeking uranium there and identified his wife as a covert CIA operative. Who saw or discussed the memo has been a central question for Fitzgerald.

Bolton declined through a spokesman to discuss his visit to Miller or his reasons for going. "This has nothing to do with his job here," the spokesman said. "He doesn't want to talk about it."

As Undersecretary for Arms Control at the State Department, he's probably the one person in Washington whose job description practically included reading the memo. It's also sort of strange that he and Paul D. Wolfowitz (both insufferable neocon hawks) were given these cushy institutional jobs outside the Administration early in Bush's second term. Libby meanwhile, is still chugging along at the Office of the Vice President along with Andrew Card and Karl Rove in the White House.

But there's one other consideration to keep in mind here. Bolton leaking the information would have made it very difficult for Colin Powell to stay above the fray. Rumsfeld didn't need Wolfowitz's constant agitation to view Iraq negatively. Powell was far more reluctant. This may be the real story...that Miller and Cooper were being leaked Plame's identity not to undermine Wilson himself but the person who intended to use Wilson's report against the hawks.

And that may be why Fitzgerald has been so guarded. If he can't prove that Administration officials leaked the name for the purpose of outing Plame, he has a weak case at best.

        New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has declared a state of emergency on the Mexican border. Media savvy, the former Energy Secretary took a field trip to his state's southern reaches and concluded his visit with the executive order. No matter what your opinion on immigration, however, Richardson's stratagem is an ominous sign for Democrats and liberals in regard to all aspects of border policy...including but not limited to immigration.
        Read the press release here.

Supposedly the White House was caught off-guard by Justice Sandra Day-O'Connor's resignation. From the moment Bush entered office there has been higher-than-normal expectation of Supreme Court turnover. While some Presidential terms had passed without any changes in the Court's complexion (think Jimmy Carter), very few anticipated such terms would occur consecutively. Unlike many Presidents who had little time to ponder who they would nominate, Bush has enjoyed several years.
    Conventional wisdom would point to the President selecting an archconservative would could shift the balance of the Court indefinitely and put conservatives at the helm of every branch of American government. Yet it may be the case that Bush and his staffers anticipate multiple vacancies, not just one. And for that reason, they may decide to replace the Court's first justice with an unexpected choice: a judicial moderate.