Frog-March Update

While attempting edit/draft a more comprehensive post on Plamegate/Fitmas/the Impending Frog March, events are, as always, overtaking me.

Well, Steve Clemons -- who generally has pretty damn good sources -- reports that Fitz will hand down 1-5 indictments tomorrow, that the indictments will be sealed and that a press conference will follow on Thursday. Josh Marshall seems to vouch for Clemons's source.

Wonkette reports rumors that Fitz will recall some witnesses, which she believes contradicts this other rumor.

And Thinkprogress sez CBS Evening News will say that Fitz will announce indictments tomorrow.

One tantalizing tidbit is the notion of "sealed indictments." Indictments are usually seaaled until the defendant is apprehended or turns him/herself in, but they can remain sealed for cause. One cause could be: the need to impanel a new grand jury to complete the investigation. (Fitz's current grand jury has served its maximum 18 months and cannot be extended further.) This could well be what will happen -- and it is a hypothesis that accounts both for Clemons's info and Wonkette's rumors: Fitz will perhaps bank a number of sure-fire indictments now and continue the investigation. Which would mean we can't peek at Father Fitzmas's presents yet. But we will surely find out who's indicted before long.

This scenario would make sense. While I certainly credit Fitz with being many chess moves ahead of the Gang That Couldn't Lie Straight, an awful lot of new information and document have surfaced only recently. The apparently recent appearance of Scooter's notes of a June 12 meeting with Cheney would likely be reason enough to impanel another grand jury to tie everything up. (Fitz's investigation of Governor Ryan's little mob, I believe, took two grand juries, and resulted in a second superseding indictment that included all of the dirt dug up by each.)

By the way, it's fun to remember that obstruction of justice, bribery, and witness tampering are all RICO predicate crimes.

Boy can dream, can't he?

UPDATE: I am reminded that David Corn mused about the possibility of sealed indictments a few days ago.