(See 7:20 pm update at the bottom)

Dear Corporate Media, Incorporated;

Me and the Missus are writing to wish you a speedy recovery from your repeated suicide attempts. Actually there is no Missus, but let’s not start getting persnickety about inconvenient things like facts about the imaginary at this late date.

Lately, I’ve found your contorted gyrations to be especially entertaining. It’s the slowest Dying Swan act I’ve ever seen. So slow, in fact, that we can only presume you’re applying for the next available position at the Retarded Emergency Management Agency (REMA). I can think of few better qualified.

Lately, it’s been hilarious observing the endless speculation about the pending outcome of Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation of Traitorgate. I’ve heard about who may be indicted, why, whether they’ll resign, redefinitions of what charges are ‘real’ crimes, proposed Republican talking points to defend the perps, the distancing of the President from his longtime most-trusted advisers, etc&tc.

What I haven’t heard, after 28 months, is the answer to the main question: who deliberately leaked the undercover CIA specialist’s name to Robert Novak? Presumably, this is what passes today as investigative journalism. The American public has been kept in the dark about a breach of national security because the Fourth Estate can’t get an answer from a member of the Fourth Estate. And this is supposed to serve the public how?

In the 28 month interim, you may have noticed that we had a presidential election. Surprisingly, the administration whose members committed this security breach escaped with rare mentions of this crime at all, at least by most of your illustrious members. But when the criminal breachers who eliminated a valuable intelligence operative tracking weapons of mass destruction said a win by the opposition candidate would be a win for terrorists, you breathlessly reported that, repeatedly.

Apparently, partisan pap, non-sequiturs, speculation and re-definition is what passes for news these days. Because after 28 months, you can’t get one of your own purported members to explain what actually happened. And this is supposed to inform the public how?

Now we hear how Judith Miller bamboozled her own employers and published administration war propaganda that was demonstrably false. It only took two years of the public pointing out Miller’s puffpieces before her editors conceded the obvious. And this is supposed to keep the public from mocking you, exactly how?

This is the same media who did not blink at the pronouncements put forth by the bought and paid for Armstrong Williams, favoring Bush’s education policies. You remember Williams. Though Bush’s favorable ratings among American Blacks have fallen below that of Nathan Bedford Forrest in the postbellum era, Williams is one of the smallest minorities in America - a man willing to sell out journalism, truth and the American public for cold hard cash to aid a president who’s played the race card from Florida and Ohio voting booths to the Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

This is the same media that jockeys for access to the now-discredited White House spokesman Scotty McClellan with far more aggression than they’ve ever pursued the truth. And when one in their midst turned out to be a male hooker working for a GOP front that pretended to be a news organization instead of a PR scam, not one of these esteemed media pros recognized the fraud, and in fact, some defended his critics as ‘homophobic’.

And this is supposed to keep the public from howling with derisive laughter, exactly how?

In the next two days, Patrick Fitzgerald - an unquestionable patriot with exceptional credentials - will step forth with claims against at least four members of the Bush administration and at least two will be indicted. His judgment will likely be attacked by rabid partisans and pretend journalists who cloak their partisanship with invisible thread, the same worn by a certain king who wore no clothes.

We will be reminded that they’re innocent till proven guilty and we may even see them pardoned by the President to help keep things invisible to the public, with claims it’s all about national security. Even though it’s all about his security. If he doesn’t do that, he will try to distract the public with dire warnings about Syria and terrorists and Iran for the umpteenth time, as if reminding us that dangerous governments and organizations are bad will help us forget that ineptitude, cronyism and dishonesty in our own government is equally dangerous.

And what will the corporate media do then? Will they stand outside in hurricanes to confirm that they’re wet and windy? Will they buy into the dismissive commentary about Fitzgerald’s charges and overlook the parallels between the way this administration treated McCain, Cleland, the UN inspectors, El Baradei, Kerry, Clarke, O’Neill, Rather, Wilson - and many others - and Nixon’s treatment of those on his enemies list. Or the parallels between aides breaking into Democratic computer files and the break-ins to steal files from Democrats in the Watergate Hotel for Nixon’s re-election committee?

Partisans will try to minimize the reality of what the President’s men have done and are doing. But the parallels are downright C.R.E.E.P.Y. The only thing new is how the corporate media has behaved like a lap poodle to Nix- er, I mean Bush, Rove, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Judith Miller is just the most visible mutt in the dogsled team.

I expect Fitzgerald will land blows so solid that the dismissives will look like ignorant fools. This administration has been all but absent on the Darfur genocide and could be winning hearts and minds in the Pakistani Muslim world with more of a relief effort there, where Osama and the world’s worst nuclear proliferator likely roam. Instead, it went after a self-serving tyrant for sins committed a decade earlier and mismanaged Iraq’s reconstruction so badly that even supporters of Bush’s invasion want our troops gone.

Fitzgerald may not prove that Bush or Cheney committed any crime, but it’s clear their underlings were driven to investigate and undercut Joe Wilson out of a desire to please their bosses. Yesterday, I read one account of a “white house official” saying Fitzgerald was criminalizing politics and “didn’t understand how Washington works.”

I hope Fitzgerald reminds Washington how decent, law-abiding Americans work. But even if he does, will the corporate media dismiss him or uphold what he - and heartland America - stand for?

Me and the Missus are betting on Fitzgerald, but we won’t risk two bits on the media any more. We know a rigged game when we see one.

With no due respect;

- Another hardworking little guy who won’t be your fool

7:20 pm update: Funny that after my mention of Armstrong Williams, I found this at Roger Ailes’ site. Which led to leaks just starting about Fitzgerald’s decisions here and here.

Now go back and read my post where I said:

In the next two days, Patrick Fitzgerald - an unquestionable patriot with exceptional credentials - will step forth with claims against at least four members of the Bush administration and at least two will be indicted

I might as well make my predictions public:

Ari Fleischer leaked to Novak, will be indicted

Libby will be indicted.

The two insiders who turned - John Hannah and David Wurmser - may be sentenced or not or named as unindicted co-conspirators. They’ll be treated leniently for cooperating.

Judith Miller might be named, but won’t be indicted.

Rove? Both he and Cheney may escape indictment. I’m pretty certain Cheney will, less sure on Rove.

But remember, indictments aren’t everything Fitzgerald can bring to bear on this matter. He can explain that insufficient evidence existed, beyond hearsay, to bring an indictment against Cheney, who, because of his position, should have a high threshold of provable evidence. But he could add that the impetus for the initial violation, the atmosphere fostered in which lawbreaking resulted was driven by the Vice President’s desire to see political opponents - perceived or real - investigated, rebuked and discredited. And his failure to provide clearer direction and closer oversight were key to the resulting choices made.

Recognizing that Cheney was elected and Rove appointed, Fitzgerald might pursue Rove with an indictment for obstruction of justice. Out of this group, it may be that only Flischer gets charged with breaking the Espionage Act, or a similar law. The others will get perjury, obstruction of justice and/or conspiracy .

And the only way he could possibly indict Cheney is if two or more of the others independently gave identical info of Cheney’s involvement. But as I said, harsh words, without an indictment, could push Cheney to resign.